Baltic Innovation Agency

💡 Earlier this month, Mart Veliste (BIA) and Jurga Kupstyte (@RfC Latvia) represented our recently launched Impact Baltic project at the #ESF+ Mutual Learning Workshop in #Brussels. Impact Baltic aims to improve Baltic social entrepreneurs’ access to private finance, by establishing an impact fund, while also increasing their investment readiness through a capacity building program. 💬 As Jurga puts it: “Coming together with other projects from all around Europe in one space gave us an opportunity to not only share commonalities and get to know the people behind the projects better, but also to have a critical introspection into supply-side and demand-side barriers around key questions, discussing such fundamental dimensions as capital mobilization and blended finance prospects, financing mechanisms and the role of ESF+ and Invest EU, as well as priorities behind potential investment pipelines.” 🌱 The event provided a valuable opportunity for mutual learning and the exchange of insights on the latest developments in the social finance market. Thank you to the European Commission & ESF+ Programme for facilitating this insightful exchange. Looking forward to learning about the other projects as they progress! - 🤝 Impact Baltic is implemented by Baltic Innovation Agency, Reach for Change, Reach for Change Latvia, supported by associated partner Lithuanian Private Equity and Venture Capital Association, and co-funded by the European Union through the European Social Fund + (ESF). #ImpactBaltic #SocialEnterprise #SocialImpact #ImpactFund #ESFPlus

🌱Sustainability communication: The key to your company’s future 🌱 The #twinnovation project partners attended a training session exploring how businesses can communicate their sustainability efforts effectively, transparently, and credibly. 🌍 With growing stakeholder expectations and the upcoming European Green Claims Directive (set for 2026), businesses can no longer afford vague or misleading sustainability claims. Sustainability isn’t just an ethical choice – it has become imperative for long-term business viability. 🔥How to get it right? ✅ DO: ✔ Be transparent — share both successes and challenges. ✔ Align sustainability with your core values — authenticity and consistency are key. ✔ Use data — back up claims to demonstrate real impact. ✔ Engage stakeholders — open dialogue fosters trust, encourages participation and strengthens brand loyalty. ❌ DON’T: ✖ Use vague buzzwords — statements like “eco-friendly” must be backed up by facts. ✖ Greenwash — exaggerated claims erode trust and may lead to legal consequences. 🔎 PRO TIPS: 💡Control your narrative – if you’re not telling your story, others will tell it for you (and not in the way you’d like). 💡Poor communication has a cost – it might result in missed opportunities, lost revenue and reputational damage. 📢 Clear and transparent communication is the foundation to long-term success. How a company communicates its sustainability journey, will shape its reputation and viability for years to come. A huge thank you to Zane Valujeva for her invaluable guidance and expertise. Read more about the project: https://lnkd.in/dqfTbHbt #estlat

Hot Topic: Marketing and Sales 📊⚡ 👨🍳 To succeed in the startup world, you need many ingredients in your recipe, but one of the key components is understanding your market and knowing how to reach it. The amazing Katrin Kiviselg delivered a fantastic training session for the pre-program teams of our Forest, Soil, and Biodiversity Accelerator. It was inspiring to see how Katrin sparked curiosity, leading to lots of great questions from the teams. 💡 Here are the main takeaways: 🌟 Market Validation – Schedule interviews with potential customers to understand what works for them, how to reach them, and what truly matters. 🌟 Your Personal Brand = Your Company’s Brand – Don’t underestimate how much your personal presence shapes your business. 🌟 Warm Methods Work – If you have any kind of connection with someone, they’re much more likely to respond. Leverage that! 🌟 Understand the Customer Journey – Know exactly how your client found your product and why they decided to purchase it. Dive deep and learn from this! 🌟 Switch It Up – If emails don’t work, stop relying on what’s not effective. Pick up the phone and make that call! A big thank you to Katrin and the teams for such an engaging session! 🙌 We still have two more workshops ahead before Demo Day, where five companies will be selected to continue to the main program. Let’s keep the momentum going! 🚀 KIK (Environmental Investment Centre), Kliimaministeerium / Ministry of Climate of Estonia, Sparkup Tartu Science Park, Estonian University of Life Sciences, Soily.World #Startups #MarketValidation #SalesTips #Sustainability #Innovation

💬 We just learned how to make a good pitch deck 🚀 🚌 Our Mobility & Logistics Accelerator teams had the chance to level up their pitch game with an insightful training session made by Kai Aet Sild from BIA. What we recommend to remember 💡 👉 One idea per slide – keep it focused. 👉 Font size matters – minimum 36px for clarity. 👉 Make the last slide count – it stays up the longest, so make it impactful! Big thanks to the trainer for sharing these practical and actionable insights and thank you teams: Baun, Go4Loyal, Cenzor, EatB4, SKYCORP Technologies! 💡 This amazing accelerator is led by Baltic Innovation Agency and Sparkup Tartu Science Park. Funded by KIK (Environmental Investment Centre) and Kliimaministeerium / Ministry of Climate of Estonia. Leading team: 🤘 Anna-Lisa Aavik, Pille-Riin Meerits, Sigrid Mölder, Hanna-Liis Remmelg, Pirko Konsa, Rene Tõnnisson, Elisabeth Tõnisson #PitchTraining #StartupTips #MobilityAndLogistics

As our IBESI project comes to an end, we are proud to share that during the project timeline, we supported over 190 entrepreneurs, accelerated over 50 impact companies, engaged 70+ policymakers and better connected 4 Nordic-Baltic ecosystems. 🎉   🎬 We are also thrilled to launch the IBESI Replication Toolkit - a one-stop platform to help you benefit from the project's results and learnings. This interactive, easy-to-ready resource is designed to empower policymakers, social entrepreneurs, business support organisations, and researchers in driving impactful social innovation across Europe.   💡 What will you find inside the IBESI Replication Toolkit? • Key Deliverables: From the overview of the training pilots for startup hubs to social innovation best practices report • Practical Resources: Access to articles, slides, methodologies, and actionable recommendations. • Inspiring Case Studies: Lessons learned from hackathons, accelerators, and collaborations across the Nordic-Baltic countries. • Expert Insights: Ideas for enhancing social entrepreneurship and fostering financially sustainable social enterprises.   🔎 Whether you’re shaping policies, conducting social impact initiatives, mentoring social entrepreneurs, or building ecosystems, explore the IBESI Replication Toolkit: https://lnkd.in/e4WWnU_G   📯 Let’s make an impact together! Feel free to share this resource with your network and help us amplify the power of social innovation.   💚 We are immensely grateful to our partners from Social Enterprise Estonia, Katalista Ventures, and Reach for Change for their dedication and collaboration throughout this journey. Together, we have created a positive impact with a hopefully lasting ripple effect on the social entrepreneurship scene in Europe. A warm thank you from us! 🤝 The IBESI Replication Toolkit was created as part of the Integrated Baltic Ecosystem for Social Innovation (IBESI) project by Baltic Innovation Agency, Social Enterprise Estonia, Katalista Ventures, Reach for Change and funded by the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA). #IBESI #SocialInnovation #SocialEntrepreneurship #Impact

16 Bright ideas to make Estonia greener 🌿 Green technologies, green accelerators, green transition – these aren’t just buzzwords anymore. They’re the driving force of change, and their importance grows every day. Behind these ideas are passionate people, and it’s time to spotlight and support them. 💡 Today, the Forest, Soil, Biodiversity, and Land Use Green Accelerator Pre-Program kicked off with 16 outstanding startups ready to reshape the future! Here’s what’s in store for them: 🚀 Four action-packed workshops designed to transform big ideas into tangible solutions. 👉 One-on-one mentorship with industry experts to tackle challenges head-on. 🌍 A chance to work hard, dream big, and make a real difference. A huge round of applause for these changemakers 👏: pissIN, MS Foresteres, Wemel Wood, Mati Foods, Peat Free Growing Media, Exagraf, Nosin, Silva Futures, Gens, Greensoft Technology Hub, Vetik OÜ, Fauna Smart Technologies, Green Carbon, Klareva, Soily.World, AlphaTurn! ✨ These ideas are shaping tomorrow’s greener reality. Stay tuned for exciting updates – big things are on the horizon! This transformative accelerator is powered by Baltic Innovation Agency, Sparkup Tartu Science Park, and the Estonian University of Life Sciences, with funding from the KIK (Environmental Investment Centre) and Kliimaministeerium / Ministry of Climate of Estonia. Together, we’re building a greener future! 🌍🚀

🌊💧 BalticSeaH2: Implementation of the Horizon Results Booster Service 💧🌊 Between May and September 2024, the BalticSeaH2 project partnered with the Horizon Results Booster (HRB) service—a European Commission initiative designed to maximize the impact of publicly funded research. 🌍✨   As part of Module C, Baltic Innovation Agency (BIA), responsible for exploitation activities in the consortium, carried out an Exploitation Workshop and coordinated the implementation of the Horizon Europe Booster Service to refine strategies for bringing the project’s Key Exploitable Results (KERs) to life!    💡 Key Highlights of this Engagement:   1️⃣ Project partners selected the most relevant Key Exploitable Results (KERs), aligning with the D8.3 Exploitation Plan.   2️⃣ The consortium is now actively developing 3 KERs: Public Awareness & Acceptance Toolkit (VTT): To foster understanding and acceptance of hydrogen technologies. Hydrogen Pipeline Development Framework(Gasgrid): Guidelines for safe and effective hydrogen pipeline planning. Integrated Hydrogen Market Platform (Cybernetica): A digital platform to facilitate secure hydrogen transactions. 3️⃣ BIA also conducted a detailed review of KERs, improving strategies for market impact, identified key stakeholders for commercialization, and performed risk analysis to ensure smooth exploitation.   The efforts of the partners make future of green hydrogen in the Baltic region looks bright! 💚⚡ #HorizonResultsBooster #BalticSeaH2 #HydrogenEconomy #Innovation #Sustainability #BIA

💥 We are excited to present the culmination of insights and best practices from 2024 IBESI Nordic-Baltic policymaker workshops. This essential guide highlights practical models, strategies, challenges, and solutions shared by key ecosystem stakeholders from Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, and Sweden. 💡 The report also features diverse policy-driven and community-based solutions, illustrated through real-life case studies from each country. These examples demonstrate how sustainable and collaborative frameworks can effectively address social challenges. 📖 Dive into the full report and explore the ideas 👉 https://lnkd.in/ddaRAvuT 🤝 The report was created as part of the Integrated Baltic Ecosystem for Social Innovation (IBESI) project by Reach for Change, Baltic Innovation Agency, Katalista Ventures, Social Enterprise Estonia and funded by the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA). #baltics #socialinnovation #socialimpact #socialentrepreneurship #casestudy

What is twin transition and how does it help businesses? 🌐 🌱 Read our new blog post and find out. 👇 https://lnkd.in/dC3FthqF #estlat

💡 Whether you're a social entrepreneur or curious about sustainable business funding, this read is for you! During the IBESI project, together with Baltic Innovation Agency, Reach for Change and Social Enterprise Estonia we explored how social enterprises can leverage crowdfunding to drive impact and growth. From combining crowdfunding with broader support to 1:1 expert consultations, we learned a lot in the process and are sharing our findings in the latest assessment of the crowdfunding program. Read more here 👉 https://bit.ly/3Z7jlEl