When we announced the Malta 2026 Startup Ecosystem Insight Lab earlier this year, the ambition was to explore how doctoral-level thinking and structured reflection could support founders navigating uncertainty and complex strategic decisions.
Since then, that ambition has been tested in practice.
Over the past weeks, GSBM and DoctorateHub have worked with founders from the SuperCharger Ventures accelerator through a series of interactive workshops and follow-on Founder Insight Lab sessions. Rather than focusing on academic research, the initiative explored how founders can better structure challenges, surface assumptions, understand strategic trade-offs, and make more informed decisions while growing their businesses.
Perhaps the most valuable outcome, however, was not a particular framework but a broader ecosystem question.
Across conversations with founders, mentors and innovation stakeholders, a recurring theme emerged: how can startups gain more structured opportunities to pilot, validate and refine innovation through stronger ecosystem connections?
This question will now form the centrepiece of the Startup Ecosystem Insight Lab during FESTA 2026, taking place on 30 June in Valletta.
The session will bring together founders, ecosystem partners, researchers, educators and public organisations to explore whether Living Lab approaches could strengthen collaboration across Malta’s innovation ecosystem and provide founders with improved access to real-world testing environments, users and support mechanisms.
Joining the discussion will be representatives from SuperCharger Ventures, Xjenza Malta, participating founders and ecosystem partners, contributing different perspectives on how Malta can continue to strengthen its position as an innovation-driven economy. The discussion is intended not as the conclusion of the initiative, but as the starting point for exploring future collaboration and new forms of ecosystem support.
With participation limited to around 60 attendees, the session is designed as an interactive roundtable bringing together a balanced representation of founders and ecosystem stakeholders.
We look forward to continuing the conversation and exploring together what the next chapter of Malta’s innovation ecosystem could look like.
Interested in joining the discussion?
A limited number of places are available for founders and representatives from education, research, industry, public organisations, and innovation support organisations.
If you would like to contribute to the discussion, register your interest here.