I am a student of the The School of Economics and Business Administration in the University of Tartu. I have participated in many different business-related programs, but the STARTER program stands out from all of them. While other programs I have participated in focus on traditional entrepreneurship, the STARTER program taught me to think about and implement a whole new idea.
I recommend the program for three main reasons.
1. Awesome people
The STARTER program brings together people from different fields, all of whom have a common goal to do something. People are very open and versatile. People from different countries meet, so I also found a lot of interesting new acquaintances in the program.
2. Hands-on workshops
The workshops took place about twice a month and for 4 months. During this time, I gained a lot of knowledge about setting up a company and the necessary prework. I learned to map and develop an idea so that it becomes a truly profitable business. In addition, I learned how to market this idea. Pitching to strangers was probably where I developed the most, because I gained a lot of confidence.
3. Top mentors
The workshops were conducted by many professionals in their field. High-level pitching coaches such as Harald Lepisk and Gleb Maltsev gave good advice on how to stay calm when performing in public and how to find the courage to perform at all. The mentor feedback carousel had entrepreneurs from every field, so we were able to choose the ones that suited us and we received honest feedback about our idea. In addition, marketing, financial and legal experts were conducted by top-level people.
Although my idea did not go beyond the STARTER program, I gained valuable experience in the field of entrepreneurship, found the courage to present in public and develop my idea in a way that would make it into a profitable business.