ESI Student Innovation Program: Successful Demo Day held with SSE Riga student participation
14 teams from the ESI student innovation program incubator and "Inclusive Startupreneurship" presented their work to the jury and showcased prototypes of their innovative business ideas during the Demo Day on March 23rd. It was an inspiring event, highlighting the creativity and entrepreneurial spirit of the participating students.
During the event, 11 teams from the ESI incubator and 3 teams from "Inclusive Startupreneurship" presented their work. The team presentations were evaluated by a jury consisting of Alise Lazdāne from RIMI Latvia, Anna Andersone from Riga Techgirls, Dmitrijs Kravčenko from SSE Riga, and Arta Beitāne from Buildit Accelerator. Each team presented their business idea, the business opportunity, and why their team is best equipped to solve this problem.
The incubator program teams worked on their ideas for 4 months, during which the business ideas were tested, developed, and took tangible shape. During this period, mentors helped research the target market, build a prototype of the product or service and test it in a realistic environment. Teams could use the 4,500 EUR funding offered under the program to build their first prototype.
Among the graduating incubator teams, the following presented their ideas:
- An'sis: developed tasteful and ecological bathroom sinks
- DESAL IT: student team developed an innovative water desalination device
- FUNDATUR: offers a laser engraving service, with Daniels Rojs Dambītis and Patrick Jaansalu from SSE Riga
- KOPAA: developed DIY children's toys
- The Chair Team: designed a compact chair for event organizers
- Materia Fibre: offers a coating for disposable tableware made from cornstarch
- PEAK Save: will help entrepreneurs save up to 30% per month on dynamic tariff electricity costs
- Scent camera accessory: developed a compact tool that records scents, with Sandris Mūriņš from SSE Riga
- Sustainable Fashion (M.ART design): offers sustainable fashion for women
- Vezums: developed a cargo bike prototype for event organizers
- Plus Size Clothing: developed a plus-size women's line for modern women.
Kristīne Nagle, Director of the ESI Incubator program, shares: "Following the progress of the teams for 4 months and seeing the results at the end of the program, I am proud of what the teams have done and will follow their future successes."
In parallel, three teams graduated from the "Inclusive Startupreneurship" course, where students learned about sustainable business fundamentals within a month. The course was led by the Riga Techgirls team: Anna Andersone and Alise Gurenko. On the Demo Day, the following teams presented their business ideas:
- CUP SWAP: offers reusable cups to be used in cafes and returned for a deposit, with Ahmad Jahid Sakhi from SSE Riga
- FOODPRINT: developed a platform for school canteens to reduce food waste, with Côme Ibled and Nathan Soriano from SSE Riga
- ION: offers an innovative solution for car charging stations in cities, with Miķelis Jānis Benužs, Daniels Strods from SSE Riga.
The next ESI incubator program will start in April, and the participating teams have already been selected in the winter of this year, so the development of student innovations will continue!
The program is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund and supported by SEB Latvia and RIMI Baltic. The program is organized by the Stockholm School of Economics in Riga, Riga Graduate School of Law, Latvian Academy of Arts, Rēzekne Academy of Technology, Techhub Riga, Riga Techgirls, and other industry partners. Project number: 1.1.1.3/21/A/008.a.