At the Tartu Entrepreneur Awards on October 8, Sparkup Tartu Science Park named precision medicine company Celvia, based on the science park’s business campus, its Entrepreneur of the Year 2026. Celvia’s tests help doctors and families find answers to questions about reproductive health, pregnancy, and fetal health. The company is a great example of how science gives rise to products and services with global potential.
Founded in 2009 as the Competence Centre on Health Technologies (Tervise TAK), Celvia combines academic research with applied health technologies. Its tests help families and doctors understand why a pregnancy does not occur or ends in miscarriage, and whether the baby is healthy.
According to Andrus Kurvits, Member of the Board at Sparkup Tartu Science Park, the award sculpture “Dream of Flying” by sculptor Bruno Kadak symbolizes the spirit of the science park: the drive to develop new technologies and the courage to experiment. “The sculpture is inspired by the childhood dream of building your own flying machine from whatever is at hand. Celvia started the same way in 2009, building on university research and expertise, and has grown into a technology company with international reach.”
Celvia’s best-known product is NIPTIFY, a test for fetal chromosomal disorders that the Estonian Health Insurance Fund has reimbursed since 2020. The company also offers beREADY and PGT-A tests to support fertility treatment, InvisibleMi, a study of the reproductive tract microbiome, and, as a sideline, honey DNA analysis that helps detect fraudulent honey on the market.
Celvia employs 45 specialists, nearly a third of whom hold a PhD. Its laboratory carries out around 15,000 genomic analyses a year. The company’s revenue is 4.2 million euros, and sales grow by roughly a fifth every year. Most of its work comes from abroad: samples arrive in Tartu from clinics and laboratories across Europe, and the company sends back a digital report.
Recognition for our alumni
CrystalSpace, an alumnus of ESA BIC Estonia, the space business incubator run by Sparkup Tartu Science Park, was named University of Tartu Spin-off of the Year. Born out of the ESTCube-1 student satellite experience, the company builds camera systems for the space and defense markets. Vectiopep, an alumnus of the Sparkup incubator, was named Entrepreneur of the Year by Tartu Biotechnology Park. The company is developing technology to deliver RNA-based drugs more precisely and effectively for cancer treatment.
Tartu Science Park’s Entrepreneur of the Year title has been awarded since 2005. It recognizes technology companies based on the science park’s business campus or that have taken part in its incubation programs. A science park committee selects the winner by assessing growth in sales and exports, growth in value added and profitability, and innovation.
