CEA 2022:Scouting for Innovations

Creative Entrepreneurship Academy: Scouting for Innovations

September 21, 2022

Rooms Hotel, Tbilisi

REGISTRATION 

The last complicated years have shown us that in many areas it is no longer possible to continue in the old way. How to proceed to be successful? We are convinced that we need innovation.

For quite a few years now, traditional companies are not the only ones competing in the market. New startups have emerged, offering new solutions, a better experience, less paperwork and more digitization to users, using cutting-edge technologies such as AI, blockchain and augmented reality. These startups continue to grow in terms of investment, users, services and markets. These scale-ups and well-established innovators are open to experimenting with new things to bring innovation to the customers.

For example, in Estonia there are 1301 startups, with 121 new startups created so far in 2021 and 2022 and 10 unicorns founded by Estonians and/or in Estonia have taken the country to Europe’s (and probably the world’s – depending on methodology for counting) top in the number of unicorns per capita.

The innovation scouting process helps companies to define their future strategy by searching the market for current trends.

Scouting is the process of gathering information about a business sector, area or revenue stream, looking for specific external solutions that respond to the internal needs of an organization.

The Creative Entrepreneurship Academy „Scouting for Innovation“ addresses the ways how to find new ways of working with the help of international, Estonian and Georgian experts and shows the role of creatives in finding innovation.

Moderator: Ragnar Siil, the founder and managing partner at Creativity Lab.

Our speakers:

Yrjö Ojasaar

Yrjö Ojasaar is the Investment Partner at Change Ventures, Managing Partner at Solon Partners, an angel investment and strategic growth
boutique.He is a mentor and advisor at Startup Wise Guys, an Investment Board Member at Prototron – Prototype Investment Fund.

Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/ojasaaryrjo/?originalSubdomain=ee

Anu Ruul

Anu Ruul is one of the most experienced start-up and innovation process lecturers in Estonia. She has almost 10 years of practical experience in project management and entrepreneurship including running a start-up. Anu consults and trains the implementation of the innovation process in private sector companies. She is also lecturing for the Estonian Business School Executive MBA program and in Green Tiger Academy. Anu Ruul has guest lectured in front of students from the world’s top universities from the USA (Brown University, Ivy League) and France (Rennes School of Business and IÉSEG). She has a master’s degree in business from the Estonian Business School. Anu Ruul is a passionate fan of the innovation process. She believes that raising change managers’ awareness in innovation processes is of great value from both a learners and resource usage perspective.

Karl Pärtel

Karl has been actively supporting the green technologies as a co-founder of cleantech startups, accelerators and funds. He has a varied background and understanding how to accelerate innovation and startups in the sustainability sector, as well as he’s on the lookout for Georgian cleantech startups and stakeholders to meet at the conference! During his presentation Karl will introduce novel startup cases and opportunities for Georgian startups.

Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/karl-partel/?originalSubdomain=ee

Killu Leet

The innovation component in food and agricultural technologies is becoming increasingly important as food is the basis of everything, and growing it sustainably determines our livelihoods. Killu is a keen foodie, an inquisitive mind and heartfelt food technologist. Her passion for food and biotechnology is reflected in her ventures as well as in the popularisation of life sciences. 

Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/killu-leet/?originalSubdomain=ee

Indrek Maripuu

I´m a Chief Crazy Brainstormer – the evangelist of business creativity on a mission to change ideation culture. For the past 20+ years, I’ve been helping teams define situations (as well as products and services) that need solutions and come up with, develop, analyze and ‘sell’ new ideas. As a facilitator, I have run business creativity and business model innovation workshops in international companies (ABB, Kuehne + Nagel. Fortum, Nordea, Swedbank, RIMI, etc), Estonian public sector organizations (Bank of Estonia, Enterprise Estonia, several Ministries, etc) as well as Estonian universities and schools. People from more than 30 countries have participated in my workshops. Specialties: business model innovation, creative thinking, strategic planning.

Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/virtual-brainstorming-indrek-maripuu/?originalSubdomain=ee

Ms Sesili Versadze

Sesili Verdzadze is a Head of Solutions Mapping at UNDP Georgia Accelerator Lab. She applies ethnographic and sociological methods to study community dynamics, identify and work with lead users, and capture bottom-up solutions to design policies.
Sesili has 10 years of experience in the introducing innovative approaches across the government. She served as a the head of the single government innovations lab ServiceLab housed under the Ministry of Justice. Her work focuses on Public Administration Reform and bringing the user-centered design in public service development and delivery.

Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/sesili-verdzadze-655aa1101/

Nana Dikhaminjia

Nana Dikhaminjia got a PhD Degree in Applied Mathematics from Tbilisi State University, Georgia in 2014. She has several years experience in software development and GIS, managing and developing IT projects. At the same time she works on scientific projects, developing algorithms for numerical calculations of different problems of Mathematical Physics, Electromagnetic Compatibility and Signal Integrity. She is an author and co-author of more than 40 scientific papers and conference presentations. Currently she works for AlteUniversity as Director of Digital Transformation Center. She has participated as a consultant in various Educational, IT and GIS projects, and collaborates with EMC Laboratory of Missouri University of Science and Technology as a researcher. She is also California Country Director of Globalize, that helps Georgian startups to connect with Georgian Tech Experts and Investors abroad.

Nana Dikhaminjia has a long experience of managing Scientific, Educational and STEM outreach programs. She is a member of IEEE, WiE and AMS. In 2022 she got an ICT Champion Grace Hopper Award for her active work to attract more women to Tech and Engineering.

Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/nana-dikhaminjia-00ab7b106/