A new youth entrepreneurship program, Pilot Pips, is launching in Estonia, Latvia, and Sweden
The new international programme Pilot Pips gives young people the chance to develop their ideas, learn entrepreneurship and use artificial intelligence to create real solutions. Pilot Pips is an international project led by the Tallinn Business Incubator and co-funded by the Interreg Central Baltic programme. The project’s goal is to strengthen the entrepreneurial capacity of young people aged 18–25 in Estonia, Latvia and Sweden. The project partners are STARTcentrum from Sweden and Impact Hub Liepāja from Latvia.
Over the course of three years, three five-month programmes will take place, with a total of 225 young people taking part — 25 participants are selected from each country for each programme. The first programme runs from November 2026 to April 2027, and applications are open until 18 October 2026.
Pilot Pips is aimed at young people aged 18–25 who want to develop their entrepreneurial and digital skills, test new ideas and learn how to use AI and new technologies to bring their ideas to life.
Five months of hands-on learning and doing
Throughout the programme, online trainings take place across three main themes: entrepreneurship and business skills, vibe coding, and soft skills.
The business trainings cover topics ranging from business idea validation, value proposition and competitor analysis to pricing, branding, marketing, sales and pitching. In the vibe coding trainings, participants learn to turn their idea into a working prototype with the help of AI. The soft skills trainings focus, among other things, on communication and networking, self-management, time management, and team and leadership skills.
Every participant receives personal one-to-one mentoring throughout the programme — a monthly session with their mentor, four hours per participant in total. Working together with their mentor, participants can develop their ideas further, ask for advice and get practical feedback. Participants are guided by 15 experienced mentors: Tauri Kärson, Rim Alexandra Halfya, Marcus Larsson, Stefano Amorelli, Kari Maripuu, Candyce Costa, Kārlis Ploks, Mikael Hirvi, Betija Deina Muižniece, Aleksander Gansen, Maria Rahamägi-Suits, Mikael Melitshenko, Anita Cedergren, Ronalds Palacis and Tālivaldis Vilnis.
In addition to the online trainings, three important on-site events take place during the programme. At the start of the programme, each country holds a Kick-off for its own participants, where they get to know the programme and each other and map out their shared journey. On 21–23 January 2027, all participants from Estonia, Latvia and Sweden gather in Tallinn for the Bootcamp, where they spend several days working intensively on their ideas and prototypes. The programme concludes with a Demo Day held in each country, where participants present the ideas they have developed and the work they have done during the programme.
Who is the programme for?
Pilot Pips is suited to young people aged 18–25 who have the drive to create and test something of their own. Prior experience in entrepreneurship or programming is not required — what matters is curiosity, initiative and a willingness to learn.
Participation in the programme is free.
Applications are open at: https://pilotpips.com/
If you have an idea you’d like to develop further, or want to learn how to use AI and new technologies to bring your ideas to life, Pilot Pips is a great place to start.
Applications are open until 18 October 2026.