Where is the Estonian Accelerator Site based and what is its focus?
"The NATO DIANA Estonian Accelerator is run by Tehnopol Startup Incubator in Tallinn and Sparkup Tartu Science Park in Tartu.
Our focus is accelerating technologies in AI, cyber, robotics, energy resilience, healthtech, deep tech, space – work we have led for 20+ years."
What is your role within the NATO DIANA programme, and what support do you offer innovators?
"2026 will be our third year in NATO DIANA, bringing advanced experience, digital infrastructure, a compact and agile testing environment, allowing startups to showcase their strengths in a geopolitically urgent environment.
Our pool of nearly 200 experts in defence, technology, business, legal/IP, and investment are ready to support innovators. Mentors come from organisations such as the Estonian Defence Forces Cyber Command, Estonian Navy, Estonian Defence League, CCDCOE, Milrem, Solita, SensusQ, Combat Ready, Tera VC, and Superangel. Our ecosystem integrates 9 DIANA-affiliated test centres, including TalTech, Foundation CR14, the Estonian National Defence College, the Estonian Academy of Security Sciences - from research to real-life scenarios.
As the Estonian ecosystem is small, everyone is one call away, and defence tech companies can find VCs and defence end-users at the same event. The Estonian accelerator and our teams are regularly involved with all major local events like Latitude59, sTARTUp Day, Defence Tech Meetups, CyCon, demo events, Defence Innovation Day, internationally at EBAN congress, and many more."
What makes the Estonian Accelerator Site unique?
"Estonia brings a high success rate: 30%+ of innovators advanced to Phase 2 in the pilot year, and 3 of the Phase 2 companies of the second cohort came through our doors earlier this year. The innovators also gave the Estonian accelerator 97% satisfaction and 100% recommendation rates!
We regularly host high-level guests at innovator events, including the Chief of Staff of the Estonian Defence Forces, Estonia’s Defence Minister, as well as NATO DIANA’s Board of Directors.
Our teams boast funding wins: Wayren (€7.9M) and Goldilock (€1.5M). There is real-life defence adoption: Lobster Robotics’ drones are in use by the Dutch Navy. And outside of the scope of DIANA, several innovators have already tested and validated their solutions in Ukraine."
Can you share an example of a company that you supported?
"Wayren signed a €7.9M strategic agreement during their DIANA journey and were tested during a life-fire HIMARS exercise on Saaremaa by the Estonian Defence Forces."
What is your biggest success so far within the DIANA programme?
"Estonia has proven that a small nation with a strong innovation mindset can punch far above its weight with many successes along the way. If we had to pick one, it is us having the highest mentor engagement rates across DIANA sites. It shows how our innovators are driven and feel supported, but also eager to learn more to succeed."
How does your site help connect people to your broader networks?
"The Estonian Accelerator bridges the defence and startup ecosystems, connecting innovators to government, industry, academia, and investors:
• Government: Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications, Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, City of Tallinn
• End-users and military: Estonian Defence Forces, Cyber Command, Defence League, CR14, CCDCOE.
• Tech & Academia: TalTech, University of Tartu, Milrem Robotics, SensusQ, Skeleton, DefSecIntel.
• Investors: Project A, Superangel, Unmanned VC, Defence Angels Network, SmartCap, Tera VC, Plural, and others."