
Tough choice: see which start-ups made it to the TOP 9 in the Ajujaht competition
Yesterday, out of 20 companies that made it to the Ajujaht competition, 9 stronger teams were revealed, who will continue to compete in the TV show for the main prize of at least 30 thousand euros. Packaging solutions, a reskilling platform as well as an electric surfboard, and several other ventures will continue in the competition.
The nine strongest teams that will continue to compete for the €30,000 prize money are RawEdge, Funki, RayFoil, Mossy, Cara Health, Cerebrum Hub, BAUN, HopLocal, and KIUD.
According to Eve Peeterson, Head of Startup Estonia, which is part of the EAS and Kredex joint institution, the TV jury selected the nine best teams based on various factors, such as the development of the product or service, the potential of the idea, and the pitch. According to Peeterson, among this year’s 9 strongest teams, there are mostly start-ups involved in the development of physical products.
“The Ajujaht TV show is preceded by a multi-month accelerator program, and this development, which has been achieved through trainings and mentoring sessions, can be seen very well in the teams. But even more important is how teams can explain what they do and what the consumer benefits from it. A start-up company can deal with a very important and innovative topic, but if it cannot pass this knowledge on to customers and investors, the company will not have a long future either,” Peeterson pointed out.
The performance of the teams competing in the Ajujaht was evaluated by a five-member jury, which includes Tanel Erm, CEO of the Microsoft Estonian Development Center, Mailiis Ploomann, Head of Elisa’s Private Customer Unit and Member of the Board, Ainar Leppänen, Head of SEB Estonia’s Retail Banking Sector and Member of the Board, Eve Peeterson, Head of Startup Estonia, a joint institution of EAS and Kredex, software testing start-up Kristel Kruustük, Founder and CEO of Testlio.
Ajujaht is broadcast on ETV on Thursdays at 22:05. The winner will be announced live on November 30.
The Ajujaht accelerator program and TV competition is a collaboration between the public and private sectors. It was initiated by the joint agency of Enterprise Estonia and KredEx. The partner of the program is SEB, and the sponsors are Elisa and Microsoft Estonian Development Center. In addition, the program is supported by law firm TRINITI, T1 Mall, Net Group, Maag, Tallinn, Tartu and Pärnu.
Ajujaht is carried out by CIVITTA, Optimist, and ERR. Over the years, nearly 5,000 business ideas have been submitted to Ajujaht, and several of them have grown into local and international success stories. The best-known examples include Bolt, Bikeep, Click & Grow, GoWorkaBit, FoodDocs, Groveneer, Timbeter, and many others.