From Capital to Capability: Understanding Needs and Building Trust Across the Region

On 6 November, more than 80 participants gathered at Tehnopol for a sold-out event hosted by the NATO DIANA Estonian Accelerator. The aim was to help defence and dual-use startups gain a clearer understanding of current needs in Latvia and see where their work could meaningfully contribute within the regional landscape.

The keynote was given by Rihards Miķelsons, Head of Industry Development at the Autonomous Systems Competence Centre of Latvia. He introduced the Centre’s testing environments across land, sea and urban settings, and explained how operational experience and structured trials support companies moving toward real deployment. For founders, the key takeaway was that collaboration in Latvia is practical and within reach. There are defined paths to test systems, gather feedback and understand user needs in conditions that reflect real use rather than laboratory evaluation.

Regional cooperation was discussed with a view to the near future. Estonia has been part of the NATO DIANA accelerator network since the pilot year and will launch its third cohort in 2026. Latvia and Finland will open their DIANA accelerator programmes in 2026. Bringing teams together at this stage helps establish shared understanding early and supports the development of solutions that are relevant across borders. For the Estonian accelerator, strengthening these relationships is important for continuing to broaden the ecosystem and ensure that promising technologies are able to develop into practical, deployable capability.

The event also brought together colleagues from the NATO DIANA Latvian accelerator at UniLab and the Finnish accelerator at VTT, providing space to discuss how support structures and collaboration can develop across the region.

The panel featured Magnus-Valdemar Saar (SmartCap), Dr Daniel Carew (Archangel Ventures) and Egita Polanska (Outlast Fund). The conversation focused on the realities of investing in defence and dual-use in 2025: clear purpose, credible development plans and early contact with end-users. The post-panel Q&A format encouraged open discussion, allowing founders more informal access to investors which can be difficult in larger conference settings.

As Andris Baumanis, Board Member at UniLab Defence, noted: “For UniLab Defence, engaging with our Estonian colleagues is key to strengthening the Baltic dual-use innovation corridor. Close cooperation between the DIANA accelerator sites in Riga and Tallinn helps our startups access wider networks, testing opportunities, and building technologies NATO actually needs.”

This direction was also visible across the broader NATO DIANA alliance. Tiia-Maria Jaakkola, Manager at VTT Dual-Use LaunchPad, NATO DIANA Accelerator, reflected: “Attending the ‘From Capital to Capability’ event offered a valuable chance to strengthen regional collaboration across the NATO DIANA alliance. Working closely with the Estonian and Latvian accelerator sites helped our dual-use companies tap into complementary expertise and networks, as well as build scalable, cross-border solutions.”

The final part of the evening focused on direct conversation. Founders were able to speak with investors and specialists one-to-one, clarify questions and identify next steps. Many left with a clearer sense of direction and the right people to follow up with.

The NATO DIANA Estonian Accelerator, led by Tehnopol Startup Incubator, will continue to support these exchanges and strengthen cooperation across the region.

The accelerator is delivered in consortium with Sparkup Tartu Science Park. It is funded by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications, with support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Defence and the city of Tallinn.

Photos: Helen Kattai