Innovative healthcare start-up entrepreneurs arrive in Riga by sailboat!

A unique kind of sailboat anchored in Riga over the weekend of 14-15 September. It was carrying several start-up entrepreneurs on board who had just spent two weeks developing innovative healthcare products and services for the European market. This healthcare IT start-up accelerator, called e-Boat Bootcamp 2019, was organised by the EIT Health subunit of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology healthcare. Rīga Stradiņš University (RSU) represents EIT Health in Latvia.

12 teams from various European countries are participating in the e-Boat Bootcamp 2019 event working on ideas to introduce various e-solutions in the healthcare industry. First participants received six weeks of on-line entrepreneurship and start-up development training, and only then did the floating accelerator set sail. The first part of the route was on a sailboat from Gdansk to Riga whereas the second part, from Riga to Stockholm and finally to Tallinn, was covered on ferries.

Upon arriving in Riga the teams explored the city, getting to know the business environment and the start-up ecosystem in Latvia. During the second day of the event the e-Boat Bootcamp teams met with industry experts to receive feedback and suggestions for how to improve their ideas. Travelling further to Stockholm by a ferry, the teams explained and presented their solutions to random passengers in this way getting an impartial perspective.

Last December RSU became the representative of EIT in Latvia (EIT Health Hub Latvia). Since then, there has been a range of events including informative seminars for academics and businessmen and the Health Demohackathon.