UniLab Elevate pre-acceleration program

UniLab Elevate

Empowering Innovators, Accelerating Success.

Applications Open

UniLab Elevate

The UniLab Elevate pre-accelerator program helps early-stage university teams transform technology and science-driven ideas into startups.

Partnered with Accelerace, the Nordics' leading pre-seed accelerator and investor, UniLab Elevate offers participants a unique opportunity to access essential tools, mentorship, and know-how.

Since 2008, Accelerace has been instrumental in developing over 1,000 entrepreneurs who today lead some of Europe's most promising startups and scaleups. This powerful partnership ensures that participants are well-equipped to transform their ideas into thriving ventures.

Who can apply?

🧑‍🎓 University affiliated teams

At least one member is a current student/ researcher/ staff member/ recent graduate from Latvian science universities (RTU, RSU, LU, LBTU), and/or the project involves university IP.
🎯 Early stage founders

We are looking for either unregistered teams or recently established companies.
⚙️ Ideas in development

Teams with a prototype or technology at TRL 3 or above.
📈 Startup potential

Projects with scalable business models and international markets.

Why Apply?

Equity Free Funding

UniLab Elevate offers financial support up to 5000 EUR without taking any equity.
Experienced Advisors

Each team has its own dedicated Business Development Advisor, validating progress after every learning block and guiding teams step by step toward stronger business development.
Specialised Workshops

From fundraising strategies and sales readiness to go-to-market execution and pitching for investors, the program offers targeted sessions led by experts.
Bridging Academia and Industry

UniLab Elevate is designed for science-based and technology-driven teams with links to universities. The program bridges academic innovation with real-world business, helping founders turn research into scalable ventures.
Know-How & Tools

Through an online platform, participants can learn at their own pace and use practical tools that are later validated through expert guidance. AI-driven tools further support testing and improving business models and customer insights.

UniLab Elevate Timeline

The UniLab Elevate program guides start-ups through team building, market fit validation, and fundraising preparation. With a dedicated Business Development Advisor assigned to each team, we ensure they are equipped for successful product development and market entry.

August to September
2025

Applications Open

25.08. Registration Opens
14.09. Registration Closes

October to December 2025

Phase 1

Participants use online platform tools and attend industry experts' workshops for roadmap development.

After onboarding the new participants, for the first 3 months teams will focus on team building, validating product-market-fit, creating compelling value proposition, pitching, and developing a fundraising roadmap.

January to March
2026

Phase 2

Roadmap implementation with guidance from Business Development Advisors.

Followed by a gate review after Phase 1, teams can apply for an extra 3 months to work on developing their startup with UniLab's support.

March
2026

Demo Day

Final Demo Day

Start-ups will have regular check-ins with Business Development Advisors ensuring continuous support and guidance. The program includes an initial 3-month time frame for creating a business development and fundraising roadmap, followed by a gate review before a 3-month extension.

UniLab Elevate program is executed in English language.

Registration

Transform your tech ideas into thriving ventures with UniLab Elevate. Enjoy personalized guidance, specialized training, and equity-free funding.

Apply by September 14, 2025

Advisors

Experienced entrepreneurs in residence, along with representatives from the fields of business, science, and innovation, help UniLab start-ups move towards their goals more intelligently and achieve better results.

New Advisors for Batch 2025 Coming Soon!

Testimonials

Joining UniLab laid the first steps on our startup journey. Thanks to exceptional mentorship, we began converting from students and young researchers to entrepreneurs. UniLab is still helping us with its great alumni and mentor network, providing us with exposure and opportunities. UniLab has been a great foundation for SUBmerge Baltic helping us to dive in underwater exploration and protecting waters, and we definitely recommend this program to other researchers, scientists, and startup founders.

Kārlis Bērziņš

Co-founder and CEO, SUBmerge Baltic

Unilab was one of the first mentoring programs P-Agro Minerals participated in during 2023. Through the program, we received tailored and personalized mentoring support from leading mentors. This valuable guidance helped us draft our first iteration of an intellectual property (IP) strategy and refine our pitch story for our debut at the Deep Tech Atelier 2023 startup competition.

Unilab's support placed P-Agro Minerals in the spotlight among emerging Latvian deep tech companies. This exposure opened doors not only to the Baltic ecosystem but also to valuable partner networks in the Netherlands.

Annija Emersone

Co-founder and CEO, P-Agro Minerals

Thanks to the Unilab program's mentor expertise and financial support, we were able to further develop our skin cancer detection device, test it in a real environment, create a product certification plan, and upgrade our marketing materials. This program has brought us closer to our mission of making skin cancer detection more accessible and accurate, potentially saving millions of lives. We highly recommend this program to all startups seeking the expertise and financial support needed to take the next step.

Ronalds Skulme

Bdetect, CEO

UniLab provided us with international mentors who shared their insights and experiences. I appreciated how we analyzed situations and modeled possible scenarios. It was important for me to hear opinions about my idea and understand what else I could do to make the product better, more innovative, and indispensable. Criticism is very important. To improve the product, we received financial support, which also ensured the product's realization in real life. Unexpected events that delay our tasks can occur every day, but here I learned to stick to the plan. Thanks to the experience gained at UniLab, SIA HUMICO continues its journey at the LIAA Valmiera business incubator. At UniLab, you can only gain! Be creative and fearless!

Kristīne Irtiševa

HUMICO, Founder

My experience at UniLab provided opportunities to expand knowledge in business model development, value proposition creation, and obtaining quality customer interviews. The lectures were interesting and valuable, led by experienced individuals from the real business environment, which enhanced the quality of the lectures. High-level mentoring was provided to each team, which facilitated the development of ideas to a new level. Within the UniLab program, valuable contacts were obtained that will also be useful in further developing ideas.

Vaira Obuka

Augam!, Founder