1. Please introduce yourself and your startup.
GaltTec is a deep-tech startup founded and operating in Tartu since 2022, developing and producing innovative fuel cell-based electric power units. Our innovation lies in the use of unique hair-thin ceramic microtubes, which allows us to manufacture fuel cells up to 10 times smaller than our competitors. We are a spin-off from the University of Tartu and are based in the Tartu Science Park campus.
All of our founders have been more or less associated with the University of Tartu. As is typical for a research-intensive company, most of our employees, including the founders, hold doctoral or master’s degrees.
2. What inspired you to start the company?
Our founders have been involved in the research and development of ceramic materials for a long time—our scientific director Tanel Tätte for as long as 15 years. When our CEO Glen Kelp returned to Tartu with a doctorate from the USA, his logical career progression was to start building his research group at the university. However, Tanel, Glen, and our third co-founder and co-CEO Laura Elise Arvisto frequently met at Maarjavälja, and it soon became clear that the academically exciting topic of microtube fuel cells had great potential to bring a revolutionary change to our daily energy consumption. With this in mind, we laid the cornerstone for the commercialization of microtube technology and got the wheels rolling with great momentum.
3. How did the incubation program help the company grow?
The Sparkup incubation program brought GaltTec and our founders into the local startup community, both in Tartu and more broadly in Estonia. Networking and mutual support are invaluable, especially for budding startups. Community events, where startup ideas could be exchanged late into the night, strongly contributed to this. The science park is also closely connected to sTARTUp Day, which made an already fantastic festival experience even more enjoyable.
4. What were the biggest challenges during the program and how did you overcome them?
We joined the Sparkup incubation program at a very early stage—we didn’t even have a legal entity created when we applied. As first-time startup founders, the most challenging part was understanding what we didn’t know. This is where the value of mentors came in: guiding “green” entrepreneurs towards solutions and helping to identify bottlenecks and dead ends.
5. What are the plans for the company’s future?
GaltTec is just gaining momentum. We are expanding our activities in the Tartu Science Park and planning to start small-scale production. Customers are lining up at the door, and the development team is working hard to make electric mobility devices significantly more convenient in the coming years, reducing charging times of tens of minutes to seconds-long fuel refills. Tartu is a great business place, as highly educated labour can be found locally, and the community is extremely supportive. Tartu’s stress-free living environment is the cherry on top. In the future, our development and production units will certainly be found in other corners of the world to be closer to our customers.
6. What advice would you give to future incubation program participants or young entrepreneurs?
Always boldly seize every opportunity! And if no promising direction is currently visible, keep your eyes open and create opportunities for yourself. Incubation programs always provide heaps of knowledge and help build an essential network, but as in life, there are various, sometimes even conflicting opinions and recommendations. It’s important to always stay true to your vision because only the entrepreneur knows where they want to go. At the same time, don’t let arrogance take over and try to understand why the other side thinks differently, rather than falling victim to self-defence. All the small details together will provide a strong tailwind for your sails.
7. If asked whether you would recommend the incubator program to a friend, what would you answer?
I would recommend applying to the Sparkup incubation program and, if selected, make the most of it. It’s a fast track to getting acquainted with the local startup community and becoming a part of it.
Founders of GaltTec (from left) Tanel Tätte, Glen Kelp, and Laura Elise Arvisto at this year’s Latitude59 festival in Tallinn, where thanks to Laura’s inspiring stage presence, they brought home numerous awards.
Photo: Stephen Drake
