ScreenME Podcast

#33: Before startups: Building an entrepreneurial mindset in children. A talk with Olesja Rotar (Avatud Kool, Estonia)

What does entrepreneurship look like before startups even enter the picture? In this episode of the ScreenMe Podcast, Ulrike Rohn speaks with Olesja Rotar to explore how an entrepreneurial mindset begins to form in childhood. Moving away from the usual focus on startups, universities, and ecosystems, this conversation goes back to the very beginning: curiosity, initiative, and the ability to notice problems in everyday life. Drawing on her experience running a business club for school kids at Avatud Kool (starting from first grade) in Tallinn, Estonia, Olesja challenges the idea that entrepreneurship is about money or scaling ventures. Instead, she shows how children can develop entrepreneurial thinking through small, real-life actions. Asking “why”, taking initiative, managing time, and learning from failure are at the core of this early mindset. The episode also reflects on the realities of raising and teaching children today: constant entertainment, reduced intrinsic motivation, and the role of parents and teachers in either enabling or limiting independence. Through examples ranging from Lego case studies to student-led projects, Olesja illustrates how meaningful, hands-on experiences can help children connect ideas to the real world. This episode reframes entrepreneurship not as a career path, but as a way of thinking and acting long before any startup is founded. Key quotes “If you see a problem and do something about it, that’s already entrepreneurship.”  “Entrepreneurship is not always about big money and fame.” Bio Olesja Rotar is an educator and project manager specialising in entrepreneurship education and knowledge transfer. She studied public administration and political science at Tallinn University, with a focus on economics, advertising, and imagology. She began her career as an investigative journalist at Äripäev’s Russian-language edition, Delovye Vedomosti, before joining Tallinn University, where she spent over a decade working at the intersection of academia, industry, and public sector collaboration. As part of her work, Olesja contributed to numerous international initiatives, including the INTERREG project Startup Passion in the Baltic Sea Region, where she managed trainings and hackathons for students across Estonia, Latvia, and Finland. For the past seven years, she has led extracurricular commercial activities at Avatud Kool in Tallinn (grades 1 - 9), developing and managing after-school programmes. Motivated by a gap in the school curriculum, she founded a student business club, giving young learners hands-on experience in entrepreneurship through real-life projects such as student-run coffee shops. Keywords entrepreneurship education, children, entrepreneurial mindset, project-based learning, curiosity, initiative, problem-solving, early education, business skills, startups vs entrepreneurship, motivation, learning by doing, creativity, failure and resilience, real-world learning, youth development Host: Ulrike Rohn Sound: Tanel Kadalipp (episode 1-14), Sangam Panta (episode 15 - https://bfmentrepreneurhub.tlu.ee/screenme-podcast/ [https://screenme.tlu.ee/podcast/]

#32: Student entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial mindsets at university. A talk with Anette Kairikko (Turku University of Applied Sciences, Finland) and Merle Levassor (Tallinn University, Estonia)

In this episode of the ScreenME Podcast, Ulrike Rohn is joined by Anette Kairikko from Turku University of Applied Sciences in Finland and Merle Levassor from Tallinn University in Estonia. Together, they explore what student entrepreneurship really means today. The conversation takes a broad view of student entrepreneurship, going far beyond start-ups and company creation. The guests discuss entrepreneurial mindsets, learning environments, and how universities can support students who engage in entrepreneurial activities alongside their studies. Drawing on a recent collaborative research project in Estonia and Finland, they reflect on students’ motivations, challenges, support structures and skill needs. The episode highlights the importance of experiential and interdisciplinary learning, mentoring, peer networks, and institutional flexibility. It also addresses wellbeing, workload and burnout risks among highly active students, the role of international and regional ecosystems in small markets, and how universities can better recognise learning that takes place outside the classroom. Overall, the episode offers practical and policy-relevant insights for universities that want to strengthen entrepreneurial education, support student entrepreneurs, and embed entrepreneurial competences across disciplines. Key quotes “Student entrepreneurship should be seen as a wider phenomenon – not only as starting a company, but as engaging in entrepreneurial activities and learning environments.” “Traditional lecture-based or business-plan-heavy teaching approaches were frequently described as outdated or demotivating by student entrepreneurs.” “Mentoring is one of the key elements in supporting student entrepreneurship.” “Interdisciplinarity is essential – innovation flourishes when people from different backgrounds work together.” “Study time is a perfect moment to try, test and even fail in a safe environment.” Bios Anette Kairikko (PhD) works as a Principal lecturer at Turku University of Applied Sciences and leads the Research group Entrepreneurship and value creation. Her research interests cover many facets of entrepreneurship including SME growth and innovation, entrepreneurial ecosystems, sustainable value creation, and entrepreneurship education. She has 25 + years of versatile experience from business and entrepreneurship. In addition to research and development projects, she has long experience of lecturing at higher education and being a practitioner in large and small companies including start-ups. Merle Levassor works as a Coordinator of Entrepreneurship Studies supporting the staff and students of Tallinn University interested in entrepreneurial activities and recently launched the universitys' first first pre-incubation programme.  Additionally, she is pursuing her doctoral degree in Political Sciences in the School of Governance, Law and Society both at Tallinn University. The topics she is focusing on professionally are impact entrepreneurship and impact measurement, social innovation and social economy, and civil society engagement in policymaking. She has previously worked as a junior researcher on a European Commission project SoFiMa that mapped the investment needs and readiness of Estonian impact enterprises and is now working alongside many of the same partner organisations to develop a national competence center for social innovation in Estonia under a project of The European Social Innovation Alliance (ESIA) co-funded by the European Union as part of the European Social Fund (ESF+ Social Innovation+ Initiative). Host: Ulrike Rohn Sound: Tanel Kadalipp (episode 1-14), Sangam Panta (episode 15 - https://bfmentrepreneurhub.tlu.ee/screenme-podcast/ [https://screenme.tlu.ee/podcast/]

#31: What is entrepreneurial foresight? A talk with Ksenija Djuricic (EM Strasbourg Business School, France)

In this episode, Ulrike Rohn talks with Ksenija Djuricic, an expert in entrepreneurship and foresight. They discuss the concept of entrepreneurial foresight, emphasizing its importance as a learned competence that combines deep and broad knowledge. The conversation explores how entrepreneurs can build future-oriented visions, the significance of contextual knowledge, and the role of weak signals in identifying trends. Ksenija shares insights from her experiences working with various entrepreneurs, and from her research, highlighting the differences between novice and expert entrepreneurs, and offers advice for aspiring entrepreneurs navigating a complex and uncertain world. Some takeaways * Entrepreneurial foresight is a learned competence. * Deep and broad knowledge are essential for entrepreneurs. * Contextual knowledge influences future-oriented vision. * Teaching entrepreneurship should focus on contextual knowledge. * Especially novice entrepreneurs rely on external knowledge sources. * Foresight tools are often used unconsciously by entrepreneurs. * Learning from experience is crucial in entrepreneurship. * Entrepreneurs must be adaptable and open to change. Some  quotes “Entrepreneurial foresight is an individual competence; it is something that can be learned.” “When you are highly experienced, this deep and broad knowledge allows you to see what we call, in future studies, weak signals.” Bio Ksenija Djuricic is Associate Professor specializing in entrepreneurship, foresight, and strategy at EM Strasbourg Business School, University of Strasbourg, France. In 2022, she obtained a double doctoral degree from the University of Strasbourg, France (Ph.D.) and the University of Turku, Finland (Sc.D.). Prior to embarking on my graduate and postgraduate studies, she engaged in collaborations with foreign and local investors and entrepreneurs, which contributed to the initiation and development of new entrepreneurial projects in Serbia. Keywords entrepreneurship, foresight, knowledge, future thinking, systems thinking, deep knowledge, broad knowledge, entrepreneurial mindset, decision making, weak signals Host: Ulrike Rohn Sound: Tanel Kadalipp (episode 1-14), Sangam Panta (episode 15 - https://bfmentrepreneurhub.tlu.ee/screenme-podcast/ [https://screenme.tlu.ee/podcast/]

#30: Sync Happens: Building a platform for fairer music licensing. A talk with Alice Kattago (co-founder of SyncHub, Estonia)

In this episode of the ScreenME Podcast, host Ulrike Rohn talk to Alice Kattago, alumna of Tallinn University's BFM and co-founder of SyncHub, a platform aiming to make music licensing simpler, faster, and more transparent. Starting from her journey through music publishing, artist management, and pan-European music industry research, Alice explains what music sync actually is—and why licensing music for film, advertising, games, and other audiovisual media is still such a painful process. The conversation explores how SyncHub emerged from firsthand industry frustration, how platform thinking and network effects shape creative markets, and why pricing, rights clearance, and trust remain major bottlenecks. Alice and Ulrike also dive into the big, unresolved questions around AI-generated music, human creativity, and ownership—raising fundamental questions about value, authenticity, and the future of the music industry. Key Takeaways * Music sync is everywhere—but poorly understood * Complexity pushes buyers toward generic solutions * SyncHub fixes coordination problems * AI music blurs boundaries fast * Entrepreneurship is about persistence, not just ideas Keywords music sync · music licensing · creative industries · platforms · entrepreneurship · music tech · copyright · pricing · AI-generated music · network effects · creative markets · BFM alumni · startup journeys · cultural value · rights management Key Quote ''It really helps to be around other founders and mentors who are realistic about both the rewards and challenges." About Alice Kattago  Alice Kattago is the co-founder of SyncHub, a platform that brings together music buyers and music sellers, facilitating the entire licensing process. She has a background in sync, music publishing and artist management, and is currently also a research coordinator for pan-European projects European Music Exporters Exchange and Europe in Synch. She is also an alumna of BFM with an MA in Communication Management.  www.synchub.ee Host: Ulrike Rohn Sound: Tanel Kadalipp (episode 1-14), Sangam Panta (episode 15 - https://bfmentrepreneurhub.tlu.ee/screenme-podcast/ [https://screenme.tlu.ee/podcast/]

#29: Influencers as entrepreneurs. A talk with Christian Zabel (TH Köln, Germany)

In this episode of the Screen Meet podcast, Ulrike Rohn interviews Christian Zabel about the evolving landscape of influencers as entrepreneurs. They discuss the changes in influencer operations over the years, the unique characteristics that differentiate influencers from traditional entrepreneurs, and the key competencies required for success in this field. The conversation also touches on the importance of market knowledge, the role of AI in the influencer economy, and what should be taught to aspiring influencers in educational settings. Takeaways * Influencers have evolved from video creators to significant market players. * The influencer market is driven by personal branding and creativity. * Understanding the marketplace is crucial for aspiring influencers. * Dynamic capabilities are essential for adapting to changes in the influencer economy. * AI is transforming content production but may increase competition. * Market orientation is more important than technical skills for influencers. * Creativity alone does not guarantee success in the influencer space. * Influencers must balance authenticity with commercial interests. * Teaching entrepreneurial skills is vital for future media professionals. * The influencer economy is rapidly changing, requiring constant adaptation. Keywords influencers, entrepreneurship, digital transformation, media industry, dynamic capabilities, creative industries, influencer marketing, AI in media Christian Zabel is Professor for Innovation and Corporate Management at TH Köln – University of Applied Sciences since 2016. His research focuses on the digital transformation of media companies, production and distribution of digital media and on the development of digital markets and ecosystems (including streaming services, VR, influencer marketing and online advertising). He regularly publishes in internationally renowned journals, including Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Journal of Media Economics or European Journal of Innovation Management. Previously, he headed the product management of t-online.de [http://t-online.de/], Germany’s largest online publisher. From 2008 to 2012 he was executive assistant to Deutsche Telekom’s CEO René Obermann, overseeing strategic cooperation with the media industry. Christian Zabel studied journalism in Dortmund and Brussels and political science at Sciences-Po Paris (IEP). His doctoral thesis focused on the innovation competition in the German television production sector. Host: Ulrike Rohn Sound: Tanel Kadalipp (episode 1-14), Sangam Panta (episode 15 - https://bfmentrepreneurhub.tlu.ee/screenme-podcast/ [https://screenme.tlu.ee/podcast/]