First Cohort of EIT Culture & Creativity Shape Programme Concludes with Pitching at sTARTUp Day 2025 in Tartu, Estonia
Startups from EIT Culture & Creativity’s Shape Programme participated in a Demo Day organized during sTARTUp Day 2025 in Tartu, Estonia. EIT Culture & Creativity provided its programme beneficiaries the opportunity to pitch their ideas in front of a panel of experts and connect with some of the 3,000 international event attendees, including investors, fellow startups, and business specialists.
Shape’s First Demo Day
The first cohort of the EIT Culture & Creativity Shape Programme culminated in the Creative Industries Pitching Competition, organized in collaboration with the Tartu Centre for Creative Industries. Teams from the programme pitched their innovations before an expert jury panel, potential investors, and other startups. The participating startups included AdireLounge (France), EKA Creative Studios (Turkey), and Trendia.ai (Spain), alongside startups supported by the Tartu Centre for Creative Industries.
“We train startups to take the spotlight and present their business ideas to potential investors and partners. And that’s exactly what they did! Our participants are clearly ready to take the next step on their path to growth, and we want to be part of that journey,” said Javier Arias, Director of Business Creation at EIT Culture & Creativity.
Providing Value for Participants
The Shape Programme aims to establish long-term partnerships with creative companies, offering not only project funding and training but also valuable insights and industry connections to support their growth through various stages.
Atalay Alakpinar, representing one of the pitching companies, shared his enthusiasm for both the event and the programme:
“We, as EKA Creative Studios, joined the Shape Programme to collaborate with creative innovators and gain valuable insights into scaling our business. The programme stood out for its hands-on mentorship, strong network, and practical insights that will support our future growth. The Tartu Demo Day was a great opportunity to showcase our work, receive feedback, and connect with potential investors, making it a truly rewarding experience.”
Expanding the Investment Network
EIT Culture & Creativity also participated in sTARTUp Investor Day to strengthen its network of investors and gain a foothold in the Baltic investment landscape.
“Most investors focus on industries like Defence, Deep Tech, FinTech, and SaaS. However, there is growing interest in diversifying into other sectors,” noted Sami Jääskeläinen, Business and Ecosystem Manager at EIT Culture & Creativity’s North regional hub. “It’s also notable that many Baltic funds have raised capital in the post-Covid years, but the majority of these funds are yet to be deployed. We see this ‘dry powder’ as a positive signal for the coming years—an opportunity for investors to explore deal flow from the creative industries, which EIT Culture & Creativity is actively developing.”
A Longstanding Pitching Competition
The Creative Industries Pitching Competition was organized for the ninth consecutive year. While it has been an integral part of the sTARTUp Day business festival for a long time, this was the first time it was powered by EIT Culture & Creativity.
“As sTARTUp Day brings together the Baltic investor and startup community in an innovation-driven environment, we hope to expand our presence in the years to come. Me tuleme tagasi (We’ll be back), Tartu!” concluded Javier.
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