Estonia's first manufacturing and service incubator opens in Võru
Estonia's first dedicated incubation center for manufacturing and service companies has opened in the southeastern city of Võru.
Called Inku, the nearly 2,000-square-meter hub offers modern workspace for both startups and established businesses, helping ease the shortage of production space in town.
The hub houses 17 units ranging from 50–300 square meters in size, all equipped with up-to-date infrastructure.
One of its first tenants is baker Hanna Anett Mark, who moved from Saaremaa to Võru earlier this year and began her search for a suitable bakery space first thing. She said many vacant business spaces in the city are in poor condition.
"When I saw what the Southeastern Estonian Innovation Center (KEIK) was doing, this seemed like exactly the right place to come," Mark said. "My goal is to create a community bakery intended for locals."
On the other side of the building, Stuko, a company that makes interior finishes and design elements from natural materials, has also moved in.
Founder Martin Hütt said the business had been looking for better options for years but didn't want to leave the city. "Finally, when I saw that KEIK was quietly building something here, I tried to get in as early as possible," he said.
KEIK, which developed the center, aims to make Võru a more diverse business hub. For the past two years, it has partnered with Tallinn's Tehnopol Science and Business Park to run a mentoring program for startups, offering hackathons, incubation programs and one-on-one consulting.
"This way, startups can develop their ideas or products, and established businesses can bring new ones to market," said Võru County Development Center (VAK) board member Tiit Toots.
KEIK marketing specialist Helena Sammelsoo added that Inku is designed as a full-service package. "From the incubation program, they can come here, grab a space, give their business more momentum, start growing and reach larger markets," she said.
Toots noted that public-sector support remains critical.
"Võru County, of course, is located on the EU's external border, where markets are far away," he acknowledged. "The public sector must step in to support our hardworking entrepreneurs so businesses can grow here."
The €1.5 million building was completed through a public-private partnership.
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Editor: Marko Tooming, Aili Vahtla
