European Space Agency will launch the first space incubator in Estonia in 2017.
2017 will take Estonian space sector to the next level as the European Space Agency, together with Tallinn Science Park Tehnopol Startup Incubator and Tartu Science Park, will open the doors to first Estonian space startups.
European space agency will provide its technology – hardware, software and data, while Tehnopol will shoulder mentorship and business support: help to determine a scalable business model and assist with marketing and PR strategy. The space incubator program offers 50,000 euros grant, that is divided 50%/50% between ESA and Estonian partners.
“It took us about 1.5 years of government lobbying and round table negotiations with the agency to bring incubation programme to Estonia,” says Martin Goroško, head of Startup Incubator at Tallinn Science Park Tehnopol. “First Estonian satellite program ESTCUBE gave rise to the number of space tech talents that now are able to develop their own business cases and help others to build new.”
The incubator will focus on early stage startups helping them to implement space tech solutions in day-to-day life. Goroško believes that data gathering technologies will have big potential for businesses, referring to Estonian PlanetOS as an example. The company develops cloud-based data solutions for the $376 billion geospatial services market
on board the company develops cloud based data solutions for the $376 Billion geospatial services market.
At the moment European Space Agency has 13 business incubators in located in scattered across Europe. Followed by ESA business incubation center Sweden, which opened late 2015, Estonian space incubator will be the second ESA-backed incubator in the region.
