The sTARTUp Day NGO now has a CEO for the first time in its history. Why introduce one now, and what problem is this structural change meant to solve?

It was the NGO members’ decision, so they probably know better, but I guess 10 years felt like the right milestone for a fresh perspective. The head organizer role has naturally been focused on delivering the festival, while also carrying the NGO’s broader responsibilities on the side – almost like a part-time CEO.

If the goal is to grow, become more sustainable, and build bigger impact, you need dedicated capacity to think wider, shape strategy, and take action. So for me, it feels like a natural next step for the NGO.

You come from a mixed background in movement, health, leadership, and working in a scale-up. What made you say yes to leading a startup and tech-focused NGO?

My “through-line” in everything I do has been health and well-being – that is a big passion of mine and will always come with me. At the same time, I’ve been in leadership roles, most recently at Wise, where I had the opportunity to build functions that didn’t exist before. I’ve especially enjoyed figuring out the “how” in situations where there wasn’t a clear path yet. Creating a CEO role from scratch takes self-awareness, self-management, and the ability to build culture, partnerships, systems, and processes, and I genuinely enjoy that. 

My past roles have taught me to test approaches, pivot, reassess, and find solutions, so I feel ready to focus on building something big with my whole heart and still keep my feet on the ground.

When you first looked at the sTARTUp Day NGO from the outside, what did you see that others perhaps didn't?

I'm sure many of the ideas I have come up with aren’t completely new. But everyone sees things through their own unique angle, so coming from outside helps to spot opportunities that can stay invisible when something is very familiar. Therefore, I think I've mostly seen opportunities: new collaboration options, ways to improve efficiency and value, and how to empower everything that has been built in these 10 years.

I’ve tried to protect that fresh perspective for as long as possible and kept myself from going into too much detail too fast. I see a lot of value in it. That outsider position has been surprisingly refreshing, especially asking questions where the answers are obvious to insiders. We should all do it more.

You've rebuilt yourself from burnout. How has that experience shaped the way you lead teams?

Looking back, I’m grateful for it because it taught me what burnout really is and pushed me to understand its causes. I realized that for me, a big contributor to burnout was working in environments that didn’t fully match my values. It wasn’t about doing “too much,” but about doing things that weren’t truly aligned with me.

That experience helped me understand what kind of environments allow me to thrive and made it clearer about the kind of people I want to surround myself with. At the same time it made me calmer and more accepting that not everyone has to be on the same page. If values don't align, it doesn't make anyone wrong – it simply means we're meant to build different things. After that I knew my next step had to be somewhere where the purpose genuinely speaks to me. In many ways sTARTUp Day turned out to be exactly that combination.

Leadership-wise, it has reinforced something I already believed: you have to see the human first, before any role or status. People should feel supported, valued, and cared for, and I think it’s made me a more compassionate lead.

NGOs often operate between passion and financial pressure. How will you ensure long-term sustainability across all events?

I’m still working out the details – that’s part of what I was hired to do – but I don’t want us to lose the passion. Financial pressure can also push creativity and help you find new ways to fund the mission. I want us to see the big events as year-round celebrations of what we do all year round. Always planning and keeping the bigger mission in view.

As long as we continue to create real value and do the work with passion, I believe the financial side will follow.

What matters is finding the areas where we can truly contribute. Especially places where other ecosystem organizations might not have the resources to reach. In the end, the key is creating value and building meaningful, mutually beneficial partnerships.

Digit and sTARTUp Day serve different audiences. Do you see them becoming more integrated strategically or more clearly differentiated?

They are different events, and I expect them to remain different because that is how they complement each other. But at the core, both exist to bring the community together.

One thing I noticed is that many people don’t even know Digit is organized by the sTARTUp Day NGO, so we’ve already started cross-referencing and improving that clarity. The goal this year is to bring the different activities more under one umbrella, so together they could serve a bigger mission than they do separately. 

I can say we have some very exciting conceptual collaborations coming, so stay tuned.

Will we see more year-round initiatives beyond the main conferences?

Yes, that’s the plan! I want the NGO to feel like a year-round part of the ecosystem, not just something that shows up for one event. That can be in Tartu and across Estonia, and why not beyond Estonia too?

Innovation needs people to meet and talk. Therefore, we want to create more networking opportunities throughout the year, with smaller events and maybe a bigger one in the summer. 

What will feel different internally for the core team and volunteers under your leadership?

I can’t fully compare because I haven’t been a volunteer or part of the core team before. However, I know how I want people in the team to feel: heard, seen, and valued. I want to create an environment where giving and getting feedback is a norm, people feel safe to speak and share honestly, and where there's room to dream big. That we are doing this together, as a team, where every person plays an equally important role.

I'm a very values-based person, and an important one is transparency – to have it in our communication, in our processes, in our everyday work. And it's important that everyone, also newcomers, feel welcome. That we would always assume that others have good intentions in mind. And if something needs clarifying, we approach it with my favorite: curiosity.

So that we challenge ideas, not people. Everyone is different, and that is a strength! I really believe that when we celebrate and empower everyone's individuality, we also grow as a team.

Looking 5 years ahead, what should the sTARTUp Day NGO represent in Estonia's innovation ecosystem?

I’m currently building the strategy for the coming year, but I haven't gotten to the 5-year view yet. Directionally, I’d love for sTARTUp Day to play a bigger role in empowering science and innovation. I'd like to see us as the hub for the Estonian, but maybe a wider deep tech network. To be the bridge that helps to carry scientific innovation to the world.

I think it's not about growing in size, but building stronger collaborations and seeing where we can add the most value.

I would like to see sTARTUp Day having a constant presence – that we are an integral part of the ecosystem day-to-day, not just once or twice a year.

What is one difficult or uncomfortable decision you believe the organization might have to face in the near future?

I think the uncomfortable decision was made when "hiring a new external CEO", which naturally already brings many changes. And I truly believe it was the right decision for the NGO and its future.

Currently, I don't see any other difficult decisions that would stand out. It will be a year full of transformations, that's for sure. Even though I see it as something exciting and full of potential, it would be foolish to think that there wouldn't be setbacks or surprises along the way.

I'm an optimist by nature and mostly see solutions and opportunities. But for some, there might be a point when they need to decide whether they are willing to adapt and grow with the organisation and its vision. But it will only be difficult when clear communication is not prioritised – when we don't have open conversations about our fears, doubts, needs, wishes. I’m always ready to listen and to talk, but I also understand that people may need time to get used to the new CEO – both personally and structurally.

We need discomfort to grow, but we also need balance – discomfort isn’t automatically a bad sign. I would like us all to not resist change, but instead to celebrate it. Let's stay adaptable, be curious, and work as a team.

You talk a lot about sustainability and alignment. How do you personally make decisions when values and financial realities clash?

For me, sustainability connects directly with different values, such as good teamwork, being mission-driven, and being efficient. And when I’m making decisions, I lean on the values of the organisation and my own.

Skills can be learned, but it is much harder to synchronize values if they’re fundamentally different. If a financial offer clashes with my values, I don’t think I could live with myself if I went through with it. I truly want our partnerships to benefit both sides and feel like a collaboration.

Startup culture often celebrates speed and hustle. Will you challenge that narrative within the organization or even on stage?

The health enthusiast in me really wants to challenge it. It makes me think: can we build a startup culture where people aren’t constantly burning out, but still doing ambitious world-changing things? I understand that it requires a lot of effort, next level commitment and going the extra mile every day, but does it always have to be stressful? Or maybe there's another way?

I think prioritising your health and wellbeing gives you more capacity to be more creative, more efficient, and less error-prone. And for startups with limited resources, that can actually be a competitive advantage. We’ll see if I'll succeed in it, or if I end up learning that hustle is the only way.

Fun one. If the sTARTUp Day NGO were a person, what kind of personality would it have today, and what would you like it to grow into?

Right now, I see it like someone who just graduated high school – growing up, looking around, being torn between following the familiar or doing what feels right for themselves. And I’d want to tell that person: you don’t have to stay in a comfort zone.

You are allowed to explore, dream big, and become whoever you want to be. Don’t waste energy or time on comparing or competing. Focus on your strengths and interests, learn from others, cooperate, and be your bold, unique self.

During festival week, are you the calm observer backstage, the energizer in the crowd, or the one reminding everyone to drink water and sleep?

Probably all three. I love the event week intensity and fast problem-solving – that part is exhilarating and drives me. But I also enjoy stepping back and observing the big picture. And I genuinely want to see if we can pull off preparing so well that people don’t sacrifice sleep during the festival week.

But I’ll absolutely also be the person reminding everyone to eat and drink water – organizers always forget. And to enjoy the event, even when it’s busy.

What kind of legacy do you want the sTARTUp Day NGO to build as an organization beyond the individual leaders and the event editions?

I want us to be able to look back and say we played a central role in bringing the right people together and making innovation happen. That we created a platform or an environment where big things could start, where we helped science and innovation to reach the world to make it better.

In addition, I'd hope for sTARTUp Day to put Estonia and Tartu on the map for many more people. Because underneath all of it is something simple: most success comes down to connections. Without the right network, nothing moves.

If we can be the place where the right people meet and build something meaningful together, that’s a legacy.

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As Merle puts it, many important things start with the right people meeting at the right moment. That’s exactly what sTARTUp Day aims to create. If you’d like to be part of those conversations, join us in Tartu on January 27–29. Tickets for sTARTUp Day 2027 are already available here.