Call for accelerator funds
SmartCap and
KredEx chose the winner of the accelerator procurement. Seven teams
took part in the accelerator procurement, with four teams meeting the
qualification requirements. A final tender was submitted by three teams. The joint
tender submitted by Mobi Solutions OÜ and Astrec Baltic OÜ was chosen as the
winner.
The aim of the accelerator procurement announced in October 2016 was to invest the financial resources of the state venture capital fund managed by SmartCap in up to two venture capital funds providing accelerator services (accelerator funds) for up to 4.2 million euros per fund. A charge of up to 1.4 million euros per fund for accelerator services will be added to that amount and financed from the resources of a Structural Fund of the European Union. Pursuant to the terms and conditions of the procurement, the winning tenderer must invest at least 360,000 euros of equity in the fund and involve at least 30% private financing as compared to the total volume of the fund.
Just one
tender submitted by Mobi Solutions OÜ and Astrec Baltic OÜ met the terms and
conditions of the procurement. SmartCap will therefore invest in one
accelerator fund. The winning team now has six months to involve the required
private financing and create the fund. According to initial plans, the fund
will be established at the beginning of 2018. Within the framework of the
transaction, SmartCap will invest 4.2 million euros in the accelerator fund and
enter into a contract for accelerator services in a volume of approximately 1.4
million euros. The provision of accelerator services and investment activities
can thereafter begin.
The winner of
the procurement boasts a high level of experience in the field and an excellent
international network. The team of Mobi Solutions OÜ and Astrec Baltic OÜ has
been able to prove its capacity to involve capital from international investors
and to invest in companies with international potential. The winning team
includes three entrepreneurs in the field of technology – Veljo Otsason, Rain
Rannu and Marek Kiisa – who have all gained valuable experience in establishing
and building start-ups and managing venture capital investments.
Veljo Otsason
and Rain Rannu are co-founders of Fortumo, a company providing international
mobile payment solutions, who are experienced in both involving venture capital
investments and entering the global market. They are both experienced angel
investors holding shares in more than 15 startups, which also include Pipedrive
and Taxify. Marek Kiisa is a noteworthy angel investor who was elected angel
investor of the year in 2014 by EstBAN, the Estonian Business Angels Network.
He was also one of the first investors in GrabCAD. In 2014, GrabCAD was sold to
Stratasys, a major manufacturer of 3D printers. This was one of the biggest
venture capital transactions in Estonia.