STARTUp Day
sTARTUp Day (sTARTUp Day MTÜ) is an Estonian nonprofit that runs the largest annual business festival in the Baltics, held each January in Tartu for 3,000+ startup founders, investors, executives, and ecosystem players from 45 countries. It also operates the Digit software conference and the DeepTech Accelerator program.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersVertus, France
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What STARTUp Day does
sTARTUp Day (legal entity sTARTUp Day MTÜ) is an Estonian nonprofit organization founded around 2016 that operates the largest annual business festival in the Baltic states, held each January in Tartu. The flagship three-day festival at the Estonian National Museum brings together 2,500-3,000+ startup-minded attendees from roughly 45 countries, including 300-350 startups, 200 investors, 150 speakers, 100 scientists, and 100 ecosystem representatives. Programming spans three stages (Starlight, Insight, Pitching), a Demo Area, side events across Tartu, an Executive Day and Investor Day pre-event, the sTARTUp Pitching competition (300+ applicants from 37 countries in 2025), and seminars on topics including pitching, IP, AI, deeptech, fundraising, and leadership.
The festival is co-organized by a consortium of seven regional institutions — the City of Tartu, University of Tartu, Swedbank, Sparkup Tartu Science Park, Tartu Biotechnology Park, Tartu Business Advisory Services, and the Tartu Centre for Creative Industries — with additional gold and minor partners including Startup Estonia, EIS, EstBAN, Karma Ventures, TalTech, Tehnopol, ESA BIC, Sorainen, Bolt, and Inbank. The NGO operates three product lines: the annual sTARTUp Day festival, the Digit software conference (debuting 9 October 2026 in Tartu), and the DeepTech Accelerator (launched 2026 with Sparkup and Tehnopol, offering up to €120,000 in business development support to science-intensive startups).
Revenue is generated through tiered ticket sales (€109 startups, €129 visitors, €169 investors, plus executive, ecosystem, and researcher passes distributed via the website and Fienta) and a multi-tier sponsorship structure (co-organizers, gold partners, partners, media partners). Distribution is event-driven, with matchmaking delivered through third-party platforms Brella and Dealum rather than proprietary technology. In 2026 the NGO appointed its first CEO, Merle Antson, signaling a shift from volunteer-led operations (100+ volunteers supporting a small core team) to a more institutionalized organization.
STARTUp Day firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- STARTUp Day
- Legal name
- sTARTUp Day MTÜ
- Website
- https://startupday.ee
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- sTARTUp Day (sTARTUp Day MTÜ) is an Estonian nonprofit that runs the largest annual business festival in the Baltics, held each January in Tartu for 3,000+ startup founders, investors, executives, and ecosystem players from 45 countries. It also operates the Digit software conference and the DeepTech Accelerator program.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
STARTUp Day industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Business Events & Conference Services
- NAICS
- Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Technology & Innovation Expos Organizers (THAHABAE)
Keywords
Where STARTUp Day is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Vertus
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
STARTUp Day business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Others
Revenue model
- Ticket Sales: The primary revenue stream comes from selling tickets to the annual festival. Different ticket tiers are available for visitors (€129), startups (€109), investors (€169), ecosystem members, researchers, and executives. All tickets grant access to all three festival days.
- Sponsorships and Partnerships: The festival generates revenue through sponsorships from corporate partners including co-organizers (Tartu City, University of Tartu, Swedbank), gold partners (Startup Estonia, EIS), and various other partners across multiple categories.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | One time | Startup Pass - Entry-level ticket for startup founders and early-stage entrepreneurs |
| Subscription | One time | Investor Pass - Ticket tier for investors and venture capital representatives |
| Subscription | One time | Visitor Pass - General admission for all festival attendees |
| Subscription | One time | Executive Pass - Premium tier for C-suite executives and corporate leaders |
| Subscription | One time | Ecosystem Pass - For ecosystem partners and supporting organizations |
| Subscription | One time | Researcher Pass - For academic researchers and scientists |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels6 records
STARTUp Day product offering
Product offeringCore offering
sTARTUp Day organizes the biggest annual business festival in the Baltic states, held in Tartu, Estonia, bringing together 3,000+ startup-minded people from 45 countries for a multi-day event featuring keynotes, panels, pitching competitions, matchmaking, and networking. The NGO also operates related offerings including the sTARTUp Pitching competition, matchmaking services via Brella and Dealum, the Digit software conference, and the DeepTech Accelerator program in partnership with Sparkup Tartu Science Park and Tehnopol.
Product overview
sTARTUp Day is a festival organization that runs the annual sTARTUp Day festival as its core product — a multi-day business festival in Tartu, Estonia. The festival includes the sTARTUp Pitching competition for early-stage startups, matchmaking services via Brella and Dealum, practical seminars, and side events. The NGO also operates Digit (a software conference), the DeepTech Accelerator program, and hosts specialized events like Executive Day and Investor Day. The portfolio spans event-based services including competitions, networking tools, educational programming, and acceleration services.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- sTARTUp Day Festival The main annual business festival bringing together 3,000+ startup-minded people over 2-3 days in Tartu, Estonia. Features keynotes, panel discussions, the sTARTUp Pitching competition, matchmaking, seminars, and networking events targeted at startups, investors, executives, researchers, and ecosystem players.
- sTARTUp Pitching Competition Official startup pitching competition held during the sTARTUp Day Festival where early-stage startups compete for investment, awards, and visibility. Prize pool includes EstBAN syndicate investments of up to €200,000 and €5,000 in legal services from Sorainen.
- Matchmaking Services Matchmaking app (Brella) and Dealum integration enabling festival participants to schedule 20-minute meetings with investors, speakers, startups, and other attendees during the festival. Dealum provides personalized startup-investor matching.
- Seminars Practical hands-on seminar sessions covering pitching, IP management, AI, deep tech, fundraising, and leadership, conducted in smaller rooms during the festival for participants seeking deeper educational content.
- Digit Conference Estonia's leading software conference organized by the sTARTUp Day NGO, scheduled as a separate event on 9 October 2026 in Tartu, focused on the software development community.
- DeepTech Accelerator Accelerator program run in collaboration with Sparkup Tartu Science Park and Tehnopol Science and Business Park, offering science-intensive startups up to €120,000 in business development support, mentorship, and connections to funding.
- Executive Day Exclusive pre-festival event for Executive ticket holders featuring networking, discussions, and leadership-focused programming tailored to C-suite executives and corporate leaders.
- Investor Day Exclusive investors' meetup held on the side events day for sharing experiences, learning, and creating meaningful contacts among attending investors.
- Side Events Events taking place all over Tartu before and during the official festival, including workshops, meetups, and partner events registered through the Luma platform.
Quantifiable outcome
- 300+ startups participate annually
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use STARTUp Day
Customer profileNamed customers11 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
STARTUp Day technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
STARTUp Day partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
19 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.
- City of TartucoreCo-organizer of the festival, providing municipal support and positioning Tartu as a smart city and startup hub.
- University of TartucoreCo-organizer providing academic connections and research commercialization support, helping bridge science and business.
- SwedbankcoreMajor co-organizer and gold partner, providing financial services sponsorship and supporting the startup ecosystem.
- Sparkup Tartu Science ParkcoreCo-organizer and co-organizer of the DeepTech Accelerator program, supporting science-based startups.
- Tartu Business Advisory Services (Ärinõuandla)coreCo-organizer providing business advisory and support services for startups.
- Tartu Centre for Creative Industries (Loomemajanduskeskus)coreCo-organizer supporting creative industries and innovation within the festival.
- Biotechnology Park (Biotehnoloogia park)coreCo-organizer supporting biotech and life sciences startups in the ecosystem.
- Startup EstoniaflagshipGold partner supporting Estonian startup ecosystem development and promotion.
- Estonian Business Angels Network (EstBAN)flagshipPartner providing syndicate investments up to €200,000 for sTARTUp Pitching competition winners.
- DealumflagshipProvides startup-investor matchmaking platform and personalized startup matches for investors.
- BoltminorPartner company providing mobility services and supporting the startup ecosystem.
- European Space Agency Business Incubation Centre (ESA BIC)flagshipSupporting space technology startups and innovation at the festival.
- SorainenminorLaw firm providing legal counseling worth €5,000 to pitching competition winners.
- Tehnopol Science and Business ParkflagshipCo-leading the DeepTech Accelerator program in Tallinn, supporting science-based startups.
- Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech)flagshipUniversity partner supporting deep tech innovation and commercialization.
- Estonian University of Life SciencesflagshipUniversity partner in the DeepTech Startup Network supporting agritech and life sciences.
- GeeniusminorMedia partner providing live coverage of the festival on geenius.ee.
- InbankminorFinancial services partner supporting the startup ecosystem.
- Visit EstoniaminorTourism promotion partner helping market Estonia as a destination.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
STARTUp Day competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Startup Grind Global Conference: Global founder-focused conference with strong community and investor participation. Comparable on the startup-community-led festival model and broad international attendee base.
- Latitude59: Estonia's flagship startup and tech conference held in Tallinn, organized by the same Startup Estonia community. Operates in the same national ecosystem and competes for the same Baltic founders, investors, and sponsors.
- TechCrunch Disrupt: Iconic global startup conference featuring a major startup battlefield/pitching competition, large investor presence, and a multi-stage program. Highly comparable on event format, target audience (founders + VCs), and pitching-led programming.
- Pioneers Festival: Vienna-based deep-tech and startup event series with a strong matchmaking and investor-meets-startup focus. Overlaps on the deeptech / science-startup positioning that sTARTUp Day emphasizes.
- Bits & Pretzels: Munich-based founders festival combining conference, pitching, and matchmaking. Comparable on community-driven festival format and strong focus on founder/investor networking.
- Slush: Annual startup and tech conference held in Helsinki, founded in a Northern European city with a similar cold-climate, regional-hub positioning. Most direct comparable on geographic, audience, and brand model.
- TNW Conference: European tech conference targeting startups, scale-ups and the digital economy. Overlaps strongly on audience (founders, investors, executives) and on event-driven GTM motion.
- NOAH Conference: Long-running European startup conference connecting founders with growth-stage investors. Directly comparable audience and investor-meets-startup programming model.
- South Summit: Madrid-based startup festival with a startup competition, investor matchmaking, and corporate innovation tracks. Comparable on pitching competition, sponsor ecosystem, and founder-investor matchmaking format.
Broad incumbents
- Web Summit: Largest tech conference globally, also attracting founders, investors and executives. Competes for the same international attendee pool but operates at a much larger scale with a broader tech scope beyond pure startups.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Customer concentration
STARTUp Day social profiles
Digital presenceSTARTUp Day financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
STARTUp Day leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
STARTUp Day funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
STARTUp Day M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about STARTUp Day
What does STARTUp Day do?
sTARTUp Day organizes the biggest annual business festival in the Baltic states, held in Tartu, Estonia, bringing together 3,000+ startup-minded people from 45 countries for a multi-day event featuring keynotes, panels, pitching competitions, matchmaking, and networking. The NGO also operates related offerings including the sTARTUp Pitching competition, matchmaking services via Brella and Dealum, the Digit software conference, and the DeepTech Accelerator program in partnership with Sparkup Tartu Science Park and Tehnopol.
When was STARTUp Day founded?
STARTUp Day was founded in 2016. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is STARTUp Day based?
STARTUp Day is headquartered in Vertus, France, in the Europe region.
How does STARTUp Day make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Ticket Sales are the primary driver. The others are sponsorships and Partnerships.
Who are STARTUp Day's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Startup Grind Global Conference, Latitude59, TechCrunch Disrupt, Pioneers Festival, Bits & Pretzels, Slush, TNW Conference, NOAH Conference and South Summit. Web Summit is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does STARTUp Day have an API?
No public API is recorded for STARTUp Day.
What industry is STARTUp Day in?
STARTUp Day's product category is Business Events & Conference Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAHABAE, Technology & Innovation Expos Organizers. Its NAICS code is 56192.