Latitude59 Day 1: Cyberpunk vibes, packed hallways, and old friends
Time to kick off Latitude59! Entering Tallinn’s Kultuurikatel for the first time felt like stepping into the secret cinema edition of Blade Runner. Metal, grates, bricks, blue and purple lights in a dark setting. A cool mix of neo-industrial and cyberpunk. The venue is a bit different to your usual events venue. A fun feature of some stages at Latitude59 was the ability to watch from a second floor or balcony.
It was packed, but not our surprise. Estonia is one of the most exciting startup hubs and the unicorn capital (in per capita terms) of Europe. The lineup of talks and speakers was impressive and included Estonia’s President and Prime Minister Kaja Kallas.
After listening to a few talks and checking out the Ukraine showcase, it was time to meet Planet42, longtime friends, after not coinciding in the same place for years. Challenge on now to meet in South Africa.
It was already warm, but the sun became seriously intense towards midday. Around that time, The Pursuit of Scrappiness had its slot in the podcast stage. Uldis interviewed Pactum AI co-founder Kaspar Korjus under a scorching sun. Despite the heat (and admittedly, the sweating), the interview was too interesting and insightful to miss. Some controversial tips on PR but we’ll let that one pass. You’ll be able to listen to the episode, sweat-free, in the next few days.
The corridors were packed, and the courtyard seemed like an escape into the sun and fresh air. But there was no shade. Who thought that could be a problem in Estonia? There was a cheat code, though, to cope with the heat: ice cream from the Circle K petrol station, just in front of the venue.
After more talks and meetings, it was time to head to a side event hosted by a PR-related company, which attracted a number of journalists and PR pros. It was great to meet Tarmo Virki, Tech.eu’s Cate and Fiona, and PR friends from TrueSix.
From there, we headed to a dinner at Lore Bistroo, a Tallinn must-visit with tables overlooking the Baltic seafront. We made a pit stop at Brewklyn, a bar set up by an American that only serves small-batch American brews. Drinks were had, steaks were served, and perhaps some investigations on our phones, but that cannot be confirmed or denied. We passed on dessert because it was time for the after-party. Estonians have a talent for turning former factories into venues full of character, which is how it was at Krulli Kvartal. Great cocktails, great chats, and a beautiful scooter ride back to the hotel along the seafront. Latitude59 day 1 – done and dusted!
Latitude59 Day 2: Small town, big talks, more friends
Latitude, 59. Day, 2. The second day (or third for investors, journalists, and other VIPs) started with coffee and a defense tech panel, which Prime Minister Kaja Kallas inaugurated with a speech on the current defense situation in Europe. She was joined by Markus Villig, CEO of Bolt and now active in defense tech, and Gundbert Scherf of Helsing AI. It was a great talk to understand the defense tech landscape, the new interplay between software and hardware, and what needs to happen in the investment scene to activate innovation from startups.
The hallways were less packed, but the day was no less intense. After a lean but mean chicken poke bowl and a quick ice cream from the petrol station, we met the Efenco team over a drink just outside the venue. Deep tech investors should check them out!
We wrapped up with a few meetings, checked out the pitch finals (check Latitude’s blog to see how it went), and it was time for a pre-after-afterparty nap. After an awesome dinner at Thai spot AtBangkok, we made new friends from the local and expat community in Tallinn and others at Uus Laine. The night culminated with a final drink in the main square at Old Town.
Day 3: Bonus city-break day
We purposely stayed on to soak up as much of Tallinn as possible on Saturday and explored all the new, old, and re-imagined quarters of the city. Rottermann, Noblessner, Telliskivi, Kalamaja and the Old Town. We also visited Fotografiska and the KGB museum in the Viru hotel for a bit of culture and history. The tour guide there is both hilarious and informative, so make sure you check it out next time!
We wholeheartedly recommend Latitude59 and a visit to Tallinn!
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