{"id":20022,"date":"2026-10-06T11:33:05","date_gmt":"2026-10-06T08:33:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/teaduspark.ee\/deeptech-accelerator-opened-second-round-science-based-startups-can-once-again-apply-for-up-to-e170000-in-funding\/"},"modified":"2026-10-07T00:18:33","modified_gmt":"2026-10-06T21:18:33","slug":"deeptech-accelerator-opened-second-round-science-based-startups-can-once-again-apply-for-up-to-e170000-in-funding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/teaduspark.ee\/en\/deeptech-accelerator-opened-second-round-science-based-startups-can-once-again-apply-for-up-to-e170000-in-funding\/","title":{"rendered":"DeepTech Accelerator opened second round: science-based startups can once again apply for up to \u20ac170,000 in funding"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Applications are now open for the DeepTech Accelerator run by Sparkup Tartu Science Park and Tehnopol, which is looking for startups and teams developing science- and technology-based solutions. Companies selected for the accelerator will receive up to \u20ac170,000 in business development funding, plus support over 18 months to develop their solutions, enter the market, acquire their first customers, and attract investors. <\/strong><\/p>

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\"Applications<\/p>

The first round, launched in spring, selected 11 companies whose solutions range from biotechnology and electronics to artificial intelligence solutions supporting beekeeping and financial technology. With the second round, the organisers aim to involve even more teams looking to bring their science-based technology from the laboratory to the market and in need of support with business development, customer validation and raising funding. <\/p>

\u201cThe biggest challenge for deeptech companies is often the time and money it takes to turn a scientifically viable solution into a product that customers are willing to pay for. This is precisely the stage the accelerator is designed to support,\u201d said Pille-Riin Meerits<\/strong>, Head of Incubation Services at Sparkup Tartu Science Park. \u201cWorking with the teams in the first round, we have seen how much value mentor support and the experience of other companies facing similar challenges can add beyond the funding itself,\u201d she added. <\/p>

According to Anu Puusaag<\/strong>, Head of Deep Tech at Tehnopol, deep tech companies need to start thinking about the market and business model as early as possible alongside technology development. \u201cA strong technology is only the starting point. To build a growing company, the team needs to understand whose problem it is solving, who is willing to pay for the solution, and how to reach its first customers and investors. The accelerator helps bring these questions together with technology development at an early stage, so that the company does not remain stuck in the development phase for too long,\u201d said Puusaag. <\/p>

Peeter Matson<\/strong>, co-founder of HiveNavigator, a company participating in the first round that began in August, shares his experience: \u201cIf you wait to apply until everything is ready and you have all the answers, you may end up waiting forever. It is worth joining the accelerator with a good idea and a willingness to have it thoroughly challenged. Sometimes, one well-timed question is enough to save months of running in the wrong direction.\u201d <\/p>

In addition to funding, accelerator participants will receive training, individual mentoring and access to the business and investor networks of Sparkup Tartu Science Park and Tehnopol. <\/p>

Applications are open until November 8th. The accelerator program starts in January 2027 and runs until August 2028. <\/p>


Read further:<\/p>

On website of Sparkup Tartu Science Park<\/u><\/a><\/p>

On website of Tehnopol<\/u><\/a>

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The banner features a photo of the team of Esrades O\u00dc, a spin-off company of the University of Tartu. Photo: University of Tartu \/ Paul Meiesaar <\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Applications are now open for the DeepTech Accelerator run by Sparkup Tartu Science Park and Tehnopol, which is looking for startups and teams developing science- and technology-based solutions. Companies selected for the accelerator will receive up to \u20ac170,000 in business development funding, plus support over 18 months to develop their solutions, enter the market, acquire […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":20016,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[193,261],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20022","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-deeptech-2"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/teaduspark.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20022","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/teaduspark.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/teaduspark.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teaduspark.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teaduspark.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20022"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/teaduspark.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20022\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20027,"href":"https:\/\/teaduspark.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20022\/revisions\/20027"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teaduspark.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20016"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/teaduspark.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20022"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teaduspark.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20022"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teaduspark.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20022"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}