INNOVATE™ Estonia

Innovations of the World

INNOVATE™ Estonia

INNOVATE™ Estonia is more than just a book; it’s a testament to the relentless spirit of Estonian innovators who are pushing boundaries and redefining industries. From transformative tech solutions to sustainable business practices, Estonia has become a hub for ideas that are not only impactful locally but also resonate on a global scale. This edition will delve into the stories behind these innovations, offering readers a glimpse into the dynamic ecosystem that has positioned Estonia as a leader in digital transformation and entrepreneurship.

What sets INNOVATE™ Estonia apart is its focus on the people and companies who are making a difference. By featuring in-depth profiles, insightful interviews, and inspiring success stories, this edition aims to capture the essence of what it means to be an innovator in Estonia today. Whether it’s a startup revolutionizing the healthcare industry, a tech company setting new standards in cybersecurity, or a social enterprise driving positive change, INNOVATE™ Estonia will highlight the diversity and depth of innovation happening across the country.

As part of the INNOVATE™ series, this edition will not only celebrate Estonia’s achievements but also connect its innovators with a global audience. By bridging local ingenuity with international exposure, we hope to inspire collaborations, foster partnerships, and ignite new opportunities for growth. INNOVATE™ Estonia is an invitation to explore the future of innovation in one of the world’s most forward-thinking nations.

Featured Thought Leaders

Featured Thought Leaders

Featured Innovators

Featured Innovators

MIFUNDO

THE VERIFIED AND PASSPORTABLE FINANCIAL IDENTITY CONNECTING EUROPE’S CREDIT MARKETS

EUROPE’S FIRST INTEGRATED CREDIT INFRASTRUCTURE Mifundo provides European banks with cross-border credit data that allows consumer credit histories to move between countries. This technology removes one of the last remaining barriers to financial mobility in the European Union: fragmented data locked within national borders. For millions of people who live,...

MINDVALLEY

REIMAGINING THE FUTURE OF EDUCATION

Mindvalley is the world’s leading personal growth education platform, serving over 20 million students across the globe. Its mission is ambitious yet profoundly simple: to transform education by teaching the skills that truly matter for human flourishing – from mindset and well-being to leadership and entrepreneurship. Founded in 2003 by...

AISTRA

DEVELOPING AI SKILLS AND DECENTRALIZED AI READINESS ACROSS SECTORS

AISTRA: Building AI Literacy and Decentralized AI Readiness Across Sectors In Estonia’s fast-moving digital ecosystem — where nearly every public service is online and global corporations test future-ready solutions — one consultancy has quietly shaped the national conversation on how artificial intelligence should work: technologically, ethically, and organizationally, while advancing...

LIFT99

AT THE HEART OF ESTONIA’S STARTUP ECOSYSTEM

A startup usually starts with a simple vision. So did LIFT99, meant as a hub where startups take shape and founders can grow, connect and inspire one another. And like a startup itself, LIFT99 has grown to something much more powerful. LIFT99 stands today as one of the most influential...

ROOFIT.SOLAR

INNOVATING FOR A COOLER PLANET

A Global Mission for Sustainability Roofit.Solar, an Estonia-based company, is transforming the global energy landscape with its mission: “For a cooler planet.” Founded on the principles of sustainability and innovation, Roofit.Solar seamlessly combines cutting-edge solar technology with high-quality metal roofing to offer a visually appealing and energy-efficient solution. Global Reach...

VOON

IS AN ESTONIAN GREENTECH COMPANY THAT HAS SET ITS SIGHTS ON TRANSFORMING A MAJOR ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEM INTO A SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY

Co-founded by a young entrepreneur just in her twenties, Eliise Lehtsaar, the company produces biodegradable air filters from waste wool, offering a solution to the staggering figure of nine billion plastic ventilation system filters discarded worldwide each year. For Voon, the goal is straightforward yet compelling: why continue to landfill...

FinEst Centre

Creating Smarter Cities Through Collaborative Innovation

FinEst Centre for Smart Cities is a research and development centre driven by the passion to enhance the quality of life in urban areas. It brings together cities, researchers and entrepreneurs to co-create scalable, research-based solutions for the most pressing urban challenges. Based in Tallinn, Estonia, the centre serves as...

Brand Estonia

Succeeding at change is Estonia’s superpower.

In just three decades, Estonia has built a thriving liberal democracy and the world’s most advanced digital society. Estonia gives the world in flux an example to follow. Succeeding at change is Estonia’s superpower. 100% digital. 0% bureaucracy. Known globally for e-governance and the e-Residency programme, Estonia also boasts the...

CLARICY

POWERING DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION WITH DEEPTECH

Founded in 2022 by Johanna Stina Haar (MA) at the age of 24, Claricy is an Estonian DeepTech company that helps small and mid-sized enterprises navigate digital transformation. Johanna holds a bachelor’s degree in finance and a master’s degree in IT management, complemented by experience as both a financial specialist...

JÄLLE TECHNOLOGIES

TURNING BATTERY WASTE INTO THE WORLD’S THINNEST & STRONGEST MATERIAL

Jälle Technologies is tackling one of the fastest-growing technological and resource challenges: the tidal wave of spent lithium-ion batteries. As the world shifts towards electric mobility and renewable energy, millions of tons of used batteries are expected to flood the market by 2030. These batteries contain valuable metals such as...

TARTU

IT’S TIME TO sTARTUp

Don’t tell anyone, but Tartu is like a Steve Jobs’ garage for business. If you have innovative ideas or want to be part of the next great venture, Tartu is the place to be. It is a city that supports innovations with an effective ecosystem, a savvy talent pool, and...

B.EST SOLUTIONS

REDEFINING SECURE DIGITAL IDENTITY WHILE STRENGTHENING LOCAL ECOSYSTEMS

Can a digital state be built from scratch with external expertise and support? B.EST Solutions has spent the past 15 years proving that it can. Founded with the mission of adapting Estonia’s pioneering digital state experience to new contexts, the company has become a trusted developer and operator of national...

RAY FOIL

FROM ESTONIA’S INNOVATION ROOTS TO THE FUTURE OF EFOILING

In the quiet tech landscape of Estonia, a bold idea was born—one that would soon reshape the way people move on water. Andres Nöps, an electrical engineer with a background in elite athletics and a passion for clean energy, began designing a new kind of electric hydrofoil. It had to...

DATEL

EMPOWERING SMART COMMUNITIES

PIONEERING SPACE TECHNOLOGY FOR SMARTER INFRASTRUCTURE AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT Datel AS, an Estonian IT powerhouse with over three decades of expertise, stands out as a leader in geo-informatics, infrastructure solutions, and pioneering space-based technology. Since its establishment in 1990, Datel has consistently driven innovation and development in IT and communication...

MIFUNDO

THE VERIFIED AND PASSPORTABLE FINANCIAL IDENTITY CONNECTING EUROPE’S CREDIT MARKETS

EUROPE’S FIRST INTEGRATED CREDIT INFRASTRUCTURE Mifundo provides European banks with cross-border credit data that allows consumer credit histories to move between countries. This technology removes one of the last remaining barriers to financial mobility in the European Union: fragmented data locked within national borders. For millions of people who live,...

HELMES

DRIVING DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION AND ENGINEERING A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE

DRIVING DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION AND ENGINEERING A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE For over 30 years, Helmes has been a trusted partner in digital transformation, specializing in software engineering and consulting services. Headquartered in Estonia—a global leader in digital innovation—Helmes operates in 20 locations worldwide with a team of over 1,500 experts. The company...

DIOTECH GROUP

MAKING RENEWABLES RELIABLE: DIOTECH’S ENERGY STORAGE MISSION

Diotech OÜ is an Estonian energy-technology company operating as a system integrator in the fields of energy storage, solar power, electrical infrastructure, lighting, and EV charging solutions. According to its website, the company’s mission is to accelerate society’s shift to carbon-neutral electricity production and consumption. Over recent years, Diotech Group...

POWERUP ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES

BEYOND THE HYPE: POWERUP ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES MAKES HYDROGEN A COMMERCIAL REALITY

While the concept of a “hydrogen economy” has been a topic of political discourse and future-gazing for years, one Tallinn-based company is demonstrating that for many applications, the future is already here. PowerUP Energy Technologies, founded by scientist and entrepreneur Ivar Kruusenberg, is moving beyond theoretical promise and deploying certified...

ALPA KIDS

LOCALISED E-LEARNING GAMES FOR CHILDREN ACROSS THE GLOBE

Founded in 2018, ALPA Kids creates digital learning games for children aged 3–8, developed in close collaboration with local teachers and researchers to ensure pedagogically sound, age-appropriate content in each child’s native language. ALPA Kids mission is to turn children’s screen time into a safe, enriching learning experience by offering...

STARTUP GARAGE

PUTTING STUDENTS IN CHARGE TO LEAD ESTONIA’S NEXT TECH WAVE

We hear more and more talks about the scarcity of startups and the risk-averseness of young people who will be responsible for a future that seems ever more uncertain. However, there are vast opportunities everywhere, especially in Estonia. Whether it be defence, cleantech or deeptech as a whole, we possess...

FIENTA

REDEFINING TICKETING FOR THE RELATIONSHIP ERA

When Fienta first launched, it was built to solve a deeper problem: how can event organisers build stronger relationships with their audiences – not just sell tickets? A decade later, the Estonia-based company has grown from a grassroots solution into a global platform, helping event organisers in more than 50...

DATAVIE

EFFORTLESS GDPR FOR MODERN BUSINESSES

MEET DATAVIE – GO FROM ZERO TO COMPLIANT IN JUST A FEW HOURS In today’s rapidly digitizing world, the burden of data protection compliance often falls on already overstretched employees. Hiring a full-time Data Protection Officer (hereafter referred to as DPO) is a luxury many small and mid-sized businesses either...

THREOD SYSTEMS

EYES IN THE SKY, PRECISION ON THE GROUND: HOW THREOD’S DRONES ARE CHANGING MODERN WARFARE

Estonia’s quiet high-tech success story is redefining how unmanned aircraft support precision strike missions. When Estonia regained independence three decades ago, few imagined the small Baltic nation would become a center of aerospace innovation. Yet in 2012, a group of engineers and defense specialists in a small village near Tallinn...

Saunum

Revolution in Sauna Technology

SAUNUM’S UNIQUE BENEFITS SAUNUM’S UNIQUE VALUE PROPOSITION: HEALTH, INNOVATION, AND MARKET DIFFERENTIATION The Story of Saunum Andrus Vare, Thermal Engineer and The Creator of Saunum: “Inspired by the experience of my grandparents’ 100-year-old smoke sauna, I set out to create an innovative solution that combines the best features of a...

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The Publisher

Jüri Siilivask

Jüri Siilivask

Jüri Siilivask is a passionate founder, angel investor, and startup advisor with a deep commitment to building services and products that genuinely add value to people’s work and lives. With over 15 years of experience in business development, product leadership, team building, and executive coaching, Jüri has become a prominent figure in Estonia’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.... click to read more

Daniel Esterhuyse

Daniel is the Head of International Publishing Partnerships at Innovations of the World. Born and raised in South Africa, he currently resides in Johannesburg with his wife of 19 years, their 12-year-old daughter, and three cats—FluffPuff, Roxy, and Gizmo, all girls.  An entrepreneur since his school days, Daniel has co-founded various small and large businesses.... click to read more

Sven Boermeester

Founder and CEO of Global Village Ventures LLC (USA) and Global Village Publishing Inc (Canada), an international publishing house producing, amongst other projects, the successful “Best of “series in over 60 countries around the world. With so much excitement around Innovation and Entrepreneurship, we launched the INNOVATE Series, a project showcasing success stories from innovation... click to read more

The Publisher

Jüri Siilivask

Jüri Siilivask

Jüri Siilivask is a passionate founder, angel investor, and startup advisor with a deep commitment to building services and products that genuinely add value to people’s work and lives. With over 15 years of experience in business development, product leadership, team building, and executive coaching, Jüri has become a prominent figure in Estonia’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.... click to read more

Daniel Esterhuyse

Daniel is the Head of International Publishing Partnerships at Innovations of the World. Born and raised in South Africa, he currently resides in Johannesburg with his wife of 19 years, their 12-year-old daughter, and three cats—FluffPuff, Roxy, and Gizmo, all girls.  An entrepreneur since his school days, Daniel has co-founded various small and large businesses.... click to read more

Sven Boermeester

Founder and CEO of Global Village Ventures LLC (USA) and Global Village Publishing Inc (Canada), an international publishing house producing, amongst other projects, the successful “Best of “series in over 60 countries around the world. With so much excitement around Innovation and Entrepreneurship, we launched the INNOVATE Series, a project showcasing success stories from innovation... click to read more

Other Ecosystems