Siirry suoraan sisältöön

Sustainability attracts – startups need strategic goal setting to compete

Zebra ScaleUp, a combined effort of Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences and Tehnopol Science and Business Park kicked off on October 8th at the Tehnopol Campus in Tallinn. Attendees gained valuable insight into topics such as scaling a business and investing into sustainable startups. 
A woman giving a presentation in front of a crowd.

Successful Estonian scale-ups Roofit.Solar and Raiku Packaging delved deeply into their stories on the October morning in Tallinn. The combining element for both companies was dedication. According to Roofit.Solar co-founder Helen Anijalg, seeing their solar roofs in the wild while driving through the countryside made their success tangible. 

Anijalg also praised the support they got along the ride. Incubator and accelerator programs, alongside the wider support ecosystem led by universities and the government can be useful in forming connections, getting feedback and having a testing ground before taking the next steps. 

Zebra ScaleUp boot camp will prepare businesses for upscaling 

Estonian cleantech VC manager 2C Ventures launched this January with a 50-million-euro fund. Their founding partner Hendrik Reimand opened their investment strategy for the companies attending the ecosystem event.  

For 2C Ventures, global goals, well-structured product road map and a thought-out place to gain maximum benefit from the resources and connections of the investor are the main attractions when looking for new companies to invest in.  

These are also among the main goals of the Zebra ScaleUp bootcamp. The project is currently recruiting 20 companies for this phase where product and business development, team building, investment readiness and global market reach will be tackled with the help of seasoned professionals.  

Support for action planning will also be gained via the community aspect of the program. Selected companies will be working together towards their goals, and peer support will be emphasized during the process. 

A credible sustainability strategy can boost business 

Ecological, social and financial sustainability are the focus of Zebra ScaleUp.  

Greenstep’s Head of Sustainability Services Ella Tanskanen emphasized the need for hard sustainability data. New companies will need credible data to compete with industry leaders in a world where ESG reporting is key. 

Finnish investor and serial entrepreneur Mikko-Pekka Hanski and University of Helsinki professor Kim Yrjälä spoke about the challenges in securing funding for sustainable businesses. Hanski focused on emotionally intelligent money. More and more investors are interested in the impact side of business – how do companies and products affect the lives of their customers and the whole world in a societal or ecological way. 

Zebra ScaleUp bootcamp will also help companies in creating a meaningful and credible sustainability strategy. A part of the bootcamp will be dedicated to crafting an initial strategy on social and environmental impact. Guidelines and principles for sustainable growth will be provided for all participants as well.  

The bootcamp will begin in November and application for companies is open now. Follow zebrascaleup.eu for updates and information.