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Dates, format and venue

sTARTUp Day will take place on January 28–30, 2026, at the Estonian National Museum in Tartu, Muuseumi tee 2. The festival program is structured as follows:

– Side Events on January 28
– Festival Day 1 on January 29, with doors opening at 9 AM
– Festival Day 2 on January 30, with doors opening at 9 AM

On January 28, access to the venue is via the B-side entrance at the back of the building. On the main festival days, the entrance to sTARTUp Day is from the A-side of the Estonian National Museum, down the steps.

On January 28, free parking is available on the B-side of the venue’s parking lot, while on January 29–30, free parking is available in front of the venue.

Badge pick-up: do this first

Your festival badge is your key to both the main program and side events. Before collecting it, make sure your ticket registration form is completed. Badges can be picked up:

January 28 – available all day at ERM during the side events (entrance from B-side of the venue). In addition, you can collect your badge at the sTARTUp Day Song Festival.
January 29 – at ERM, entrance from A-side, and in the evening at sTARTup Night
January 30 – at ERM, entrance from A-side

NB: One-day (Friday) badges can be collected starting from the afterparty on January 29 and on January 30 at the Estonian National Museum. They are not available earlier.

Matchmaking and preparation

You have access to our matchmaking app Brella, so make sure to check your email for the invitation, sign up, and start networking with investors, speakers, executives, fellow startups, and other participants! All the invitations to Brella are sent out TODAY! If you buy the ticket later, the invitation will be sent to your email at the latest 1 day after your ticket purchase and registration.

If you can’t find the invitation, double-check that your ticket is assigned and give your email another look. Still no luck? Just reach out to us, and we’ll help you sort it out!

To make meaningful connections and stand out at sTARTUp Day, make sure your Brella profile is complete and up to date, and that your Dealum profile includes enough relevant information. Here's an article with practical tips on how to optimize your Dealum profile and get the most out of it during the event.

Side events on January 28

Ahead of the main festival days, Tartu hosts a full lineup of side events around the city. Some highlights:

• Foreign Founders Meetup: What Are Investors Looking for in 2026? – Elutuba Lava Taga
• Inside Product & Data at Bolt: What Worked, What Didn’t, What’s Next – exact location will be sent to you after registering
• sTARTUp Day Song Festival – Tartu Elektriteater

Check out all the 17 side-events happening on the same day from here!

Program picks and special formats

The main program features founder stories, fundraising discussions, and panels exploring what it takes to build category-defining companies. Sessions range from acquisition stories and purpose-driven growth to candid debates on who might become the next unicorn.

Useful lingo for understanding the program:

• Keynote – one person on stage, sharing their experience or expertise. These usually take place on the Starlight Stage.
• Panel – a discussion with multiple people on stage, focused on one topic and bringing in different perspectives. These are usually held on the Insight Stage.
• Seminar – sessions in smaller rooms with a more practical and hands-on take on the topic.
• Side events – events taking place around Tartu, outside the main festival area.
• On-site side events room – workshops and panels happening at the venue during the festival, in a dedicated room.

Here are some highlights that might interest you:

How We Raised $72M+ and Sold to Netflix – Kaspar Tiri (Ready Player Me) keynote

Powered by Purpose: How to Build a High-Growth Startup that Changes the World – Sultan Akif (Microsoft) keynote

State of Fundraising in 2026 – Tim Vaino (Practica Capital), Gerri Kodres (Specialist VC), and Ann Runnel (Reverse Resources) panel

Founders Cross-Examination: Who Will Become a Unicorn? – Reigo Ahven (Fairmus), Kelly Lilles (ALPA Kids), Joosep Sibul (BuildwillAI), moderated by Marcus Niin and Kaupo Lepasepp (Sorainen) panel


A fun new addition this year is the Founders' Room — a dedicated startup-only format, including the Founders’ Reciprocity Room, with 30-minute cycles throughout the day where each round brings together a small group of founders to exchange concrete experiences, practical hacks, and warm intros.

NB! Seminar and onsite side-event capacity is limited. Entrance is on a first-come, first-served basis, so if you really want to listen to something, please be there 15 minutes in advance.

Check the program from here!

sTARTUp Night

Networking continues after the first festival day with sTARTUp Night on January 29 at Club Illusion (Raatuse 97). The evening combines live music and a relaxed atmosphere, offering a natural continuation of the day’s conversations and connections.

The schedule:

20:00–22:00 — Nordika

22:00–23:00 — NOËP

23:00–02:00 — DJ Breleri

Food, drinks and sustainability

All bus rides in Tartu are free during the festival from January 28 to 30 with your festival badge.

We use only Ringo reusable cups and dishes in the festival area, including at the afterparty. Please do not throw them in the garbage bins, but return them to the collection containers.

Instead of bottled water, free drinking water is available at sTARTUp Day for everyone. Bring your own bottle or use Ringo reusable cups for a refill.

Food and coffee are available on-site throughout the event at Pööripäev café, where you can also get a daily lunch. If you’re in the mood for something different, you can easily order food to the venue using delivery apps as well. When ordering, please choose Ringo reusable packaging – you can return the containers to the collection box at the venue.

Stay informed during the festival

If you’d like to keep up with the local and international startup scene beyond the festival, our media partner Geenius will be covering sTARTUp Day live on geenius.ee during the event. sTARTUp Day's community can also try Geenius DigiPRO for €2.99/month for the first three months, with full access to their content. Get access here!