After five years of working with startups, Anne-Liisa Elbrecht steps up to lead Estonia’s largest business incubator

As of November 1, Tehnopol Startup Incubator is led by Anne-Liisa Elbrecht, who had previously served as the interim head. Elbrecht has been with the Tehnopol Startup Incubator for over five years, and before taking on the interim leadership role, she was the community and program manager.

Each year, around 50% of all new technology startups established in Estonia pass through the Tehnopol Startup Incubator. While typically only one out of ten startups survives, the success rate for the Startup Incubator is six to seven out of ten. In 2023, companies that participated in various Startup Incubator accelerator programs raised over €11 million in additional capital, despite challenging market conditions. The largest funding rounds were secured by RAIKU (€8.8 million), Nanordica Medical (€1.75 million), and ÄIO (€1 million).

Anne-Liisa Elbrecht started at the Tehnopol Startup Incubator just over five years ago. During this time, she has worked with hundreds of startups, served on numerous accelerator admission panels, and supported early-stage startups along their winding journey.

“At Tehnopol, I’ve realized that I enjoy challenges—the range of opportunities and diversity Tehnopol offers daily has only reinforced that,” said Anne-Liisa Elbrecht. “With great excitement, I’m ready to embrace this new challenge as head of the Startup Incubator. I’ve encountered hundreds of startup ideas and been part of their development, understanding that the biggest support they need is someone to help them find the answers to take their next steps. I’m pleased that the Tehnopol Startup Incubator can provide exactly this kind of support.”

Agnes Roos, Member of the Board of Tehnopol, values Anne-Liisa Elbrecht’s understanding of startup founders’ needs. “The experience she gained as community and program manager has allowed her to deeply understand the challenges and mindset of startup founders and to implement an accelerator program that offers the right kind of support to overcome these challenges. I see Anne-Liisa as a strong addition to our team and believe she has great potential to develop one of Tehnopol’s core services,” said Roos. According to her, the accelerator embodies Tehnopol’s mission to support technology entrepreneurship and innovation that changes the world.