Meet the people who make CoastHack happen.
Throughout the weekend, experienced mentors from different fields will support teams with expertise, feedback and practical guidance, while our jury will evaluate the final pitches on Sunday.
Meet the people behind CoastHack
Meet the mentors
Oliver Sild
Founder & CEO
Patchstack
Oliver is a cybersecurity entrepreneur, ethical hacker, and community builder. He is the founder and CEO of Patchstack, a leading cybersecurity company in the WordPress ecosystem. He is also the co-founder of Forwardspace coworking center and has been actively building Pärnu’s tech and entrepreneurial community.
Business & Strategy
Tech & Development
Funding & Investment
Liisi Kirch
Startup Sector Manager
Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications
Liisi is the one responsible for startup sector policy in Estonia. But as an Estonian, she wears many hats, has been an angel investor for 7 years, and is also a member of EstBAN.
Business & Strategy
Funding & Investment
Timmu Tõke
CEO, Co-Founder
Stealth, Ready Player Me
Timmu was the founder and CEO of Ready Player Me. Built a cross-game avatar platform, raised $72M from a16z, and was acquired by Netflix.
Business & Strategy
Marketing & Comms
Funding & Investment
UX/UI & Product
Creative Industries
Kärt Siilats
VC Investor, Co-Founder
EstVCA, SmartCap,
Mojo.Capital
Kärt is an experienced venture capital investor, startup mentor, and co-founder of Mojo.Capital and GoBeyond Capital. She has invested in and supported numerous European startups and VC funds and has mentored founders through programs including Techstars, Seedcamp, and Creative Destruction Lab.
Business & Strategy
Funding & Investment
Tourism & Hospitality
Maarja Pajusalu
Doctoral researcher in health informatics, data visualization and AI trainer
University of Tartu Institute of Computer Science
With 75+ workshops, 6,000+ participants, and 13 years of teaching experience at the University of Tartu, Maarja helps teams turn messy ideas and data into something audiences actually understand. She also brings previous hackathon mentoring experience, including Pärnu HÄKK earlier this year.
Visual Communications
UX/UI & Product
Data Science
One week to go – sign up for the hackathon!
Kevin Akkermann
CTO, Co-Founder
Bilt.me
Kevin is a tech entrepreneur focused on AI-powered product development and vibe coding. He is the co-founder and CTO of Bilt.me, a platform for building and launching mobile apps, and a board member of Gen Z Founders Estonia, supporting and connecting the next generation of founders.
Business & Strategy
Tech & Development
UX/UI & Product
Kairi Loomet
Community Manager, Service Designer
Palo Alto Club,
Loome Disain
Kairi is a freelance service designer and Community Manager at Palo Alto Club coworking space. She is also a Lecturer and Programme Director at the University of Tartu Pärnu College. She has led trainings, workshops, and hackathons, particularly in the tourism and startup sectors, and has mentored numerous companies.
Business & Strategy
UX/UI & Product
Tourism & Hospitality
Martin Veeris
CTO
AI Tehas
Martin is an experienced analyst with extensive expertise in AI and machine learning.
Tech & Development
Rauno Kutti
Marketing & Business Development Consultant
Kuttid
Rauno is a marketing and business development professional with hands-on experience in hospitality, performance marketing, direct sales and brand building.
Marketing & Comms
Creative Industries
Tourism & Hospitality
Business & Strategy
Gerrit Kaseleht
CEO
Pärnu Keskus
Gerrit leads Pärnu Keskus with a focus on creating a more vibrant, community-driven city-centre environment. With her background in retail, marketing and concept development, she helps turn ideas into meaningful experiences.
Business & Strategy
Marketing & Comms
Tourism & Hospitality
Elliot Taylor
Product Lead
Patchstack
With a background spanning software engineering, product development and cybersecurity, Elliot is an experienced SaaS builder with a strong interest in AI and engineering culture. He’s excited to help teams turn ideas into working products – and see the magic of hackathons in the age of AI.
Tech & Development
UX/UI & Product
Svea Uusen
Business Development
Consultant
Pärnu County Innovation Hub KOBAR
Svea fosters RDI cooperation between businesses, universities and innovation partners. With 20+ years of international business experience, she mentors in business development, marketing, the circular economy and service design.
Business & Strategy
Meet the jury
Elina Dubova
Regional Startup Ecosystem Lead
Startup Estonia (EIS)
Elina leads regional startup ecosystem development at SuE, focusing on strengthening startup communities across Estonia. She works closely with regional partners to turn local potential into sustainable startup ecosystems.
Andrus Kurvits
Board Member
Sparkup Tartu Science Park
Andrus is passionate about helping founders turn breakthrough research into real businesses. He has over 25 years of experience in business development, sales, and leadership, from corporate boardrooms to startup accelerators.
Kärt Siilats
VC Investor, Co-Founder
EstVCA, SmartCap,
Mojo.Capital
Kärt is an experienced venture capital investor, startup mentor, and co-founder of Mojo.Capital and GoBeyond Capital. She has invested in and supported numerous European startups and VC funds and has mentored founders through programs including Techstars, Seedcamp, and Creative Destruction Lab.
Erik Reinhold
CEO
Pärnu County Development Centre
Erik is an experienced leader with 25 years of service in the Estonian Defence Forces, where he led teams and trained other leaders. He has studied leadership and strategic planning across Europe and the US, and has also supported businesses and non-profit organisations as a leader and consultant.
Olari Miiter
Entrepreneur, Architect,
AI Implementation Strategist
Kolmas Vaade
Olari is an entrepreneur, architect, and AI implementation strategist. He helps companies integrate AI into their business strategy and processes while developing new AI-powered products and business models.
Meet the crew
Mayri Tiido
CoastHack Moderator
Mayri is an adult educator and circular economy professional. She has more than 8 years of international experience as a hackathon moderator, mentor and organiser.
Kristina Põldots
Oganizer
CEO
Forwardspace Coworking Center
Kristina leads Forwardspace, a startup support organisation and entrepreneurial community in Pärnu. With a background in UX/UI, service design and mentoring, she also founded the public speaking community Kõneklubi. She is passionate about building communities, connecting people and creating opportunities for new ideas to grow.
Kaydi Tomson
Organizer
Manager
Pärnumaa Business Incubator
Kaydi is a business development and marketing professional with extensive experience in entrepreneurship support and regional development. As Head of Pärnu Business Incubator, she supports ambitious founders and growing companies, connecting them with mentors, experts and opportunities to turn ideas into viable businesses.
Eerik Hannus
Organizer
CEO
Pärnu HUUB
Eerik is a community builder and social entrepreneur who empowers young people to shape the future of their cities. He co-founded the youth innovation center HUUB and Ronimaa bouldering hall and works daily to connect, mentor and inspire young people to turn their ideas into action.
CoastHack is also made possible by an amazing crew of volunteers, photo- and videographers, content creators and behind-the-scenes helpers. 💙
This Friday – sign up now!
