Challenger AI is a three-month, equity-free online program tailored to help you improve your product and business model, find investors and corporate partners, and overcome current challenges.
Applications closed
What we offer
30+ hours of business/tech mentorship
Receive guidance from experienced business and tech mentors and access on-demand mentorship with session experts.
Access to investors
Pitch your solution to representatives from leading international VCs and investors from u.ventures, ZAKA VC, Tera Ventures, Change Ventures etc.
Benefits from Partners
Take advantage of the benefits from partners, such as financial rewards and the right to use their services with discounts for 3-12 months.
15+ workshops from high-level experts
Learn AI/ML, design, business, sales, marketing, and more from industry experts such as SoftServe, NVIDIA, Intel, etc.
Who we're looking for
  • Startups from all over Europe

  • Products based on AI technologies or have clear plans to integrate them

  • Solution with the capacity for growing and scaling

  • Startups with existing MVP/demo or close to reaching this stage

  • Driven & motivated teams of 3+ members

  • Startups who're currently raising funding or planning to do so
Prizes

What can you get except for an exciting experience?

$25k from UMAEF for the winner team
$75k in AWS credits from USF for 3 best startups
The program Timeline
The challenges

frequently asked questions

Contact
What value do I get out of the program?

Selected teams will go through an intensive 3-month acceleration, and benefit from tailored 1on1 mentoring with the world-class lead and on-demand mentors, and attend workshops by the top-notch experts in digital, AI/ML, design, business, sales, marketing, investment attraction, etc. The program will also feature networking events for startups to get connections with other startup founders, investors, corporate representatives and other ecosystem players. Startups that are raising or planning to raise funds will benefit the most from our program – specifically from the post-acceleration investment attraction support.

Is there a fee for participation in the program?

No, teams do not pay for the participation. In addition, it is an “equity free” program. We only get up to 5% of received investment in 12 months after the program.

Is the program online?

Yes, all program activities will be held online or through online broadcasting (such as the final Demo Day).

What is the time commitment needed to participate in the program?

To participate in our program, a commitment of 4 to 6 hours a week is expected to be sufficient. You will have weekly workshops on different topics from product development to raising capital for your startup. Lead mentors will meet with you and your team biweekly to discuss your pressing questions or ambitious ideas, and guide you through the acceleration to get the best results. But if you wish to receive more mentoring and guidance, we will help to pair you with on-demand mentors and experts.

What is the language of the program?

Since we are an international program with many startups, experts, and partners from various countries, the program is conducted in English. All participants need to have a comfortable level of proficiency in the language to engage effectively in the program.

investors

Riivo Anton
Entrepreneur, Investor, Specialist VC
Samela Kivilo
Senior Associate, Specialist VC
Anton Waschuk
Director of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, UMAEF
Andrii Sorokhan
Venture Director, UVentures
Yrjö Ojasaar
Founder & Partner, Change Ventures Fund II
Stanislav Ivanov
Founding Partner, Tera VC
Jone Vaituleviciute
Managing Partner, FIRSTPICK
Hanna Shuvalova
Technology Investor, Horizon Capital
Oleh Karizskyi
Investment Manager, Flyer One Ventures

Mentors

Lev Dolgatsjov
Managing Partner, Meemaeger Capital
Karin Künnapas
Venture Partner, Tera VC
Jaanika Jelistratov
CEO, VITS Solutions
Yaroslav Yaroslavskiy
Sales & Business Development, CODERA
Dmitry SOFYNA
CEO, R&D Center WINSTARS.AI
Christjan Schumann
Co-founder, Wundamental
Farid Singh
Entrepreneur, innovator, digital product manager
Olesya-Yedynak Khoma
Founder & CEO, Yedynka Digital
Raul Liive
Head of Product - Verticals, Veriff
Reimo Hammerberg
Chairman of Board, Baltic Horizon
Jaanus Kivistik
VP of Engineering, TheyDo
Oles Dobosevych
Vice Dean of the Faculty of Applied Sciences, UCU
Sergii Shelpuk
AI Technology Consultant

Speakers

Alex Orlov
Fractional CPO, Stealth AI Startup
Iurii-Volodymyr Blavt
Partner, Civitta
Aleksander Tõnnisson
Motivational Speaker and Mentor
Mariia Tintul
Early Stage Startup BD & Sales, WTECH

Partners

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Organizers
Civitta
Civitta is an international collaboratory, erasing artificial boundaries between digital, management consultancy, public advisory, innovation and funding services.
Radar Tech
We help startups, corporates and ecosystems to identify their way to grow and innovate.
General partners
ESTDEV
The Estonian Centre for International Development (ESTDEV) is the state agency responsible for implementing the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ international development cooperation strategy.
UMAEF
Partners
Helsing
Trinity
The future on your terms
USF
GitHub
Let’s build from here
Generect
Harmix
Discover the power of accurate AI music search tailored for production music, TV and movie productions, record labels, and publishers
HubSpot
Grow better with HubSpot
Grammarly
Media partners
Stay in touch with the opportunities
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