NestAI expands to Latvia to advance defence AI on NATO’s Eastern Flank
NestAI, a European AI lab for defence, is opening an R&D centre in Latvia to build defence AI capability alongside the forces and industry operating on NATO’s Eastern Flank. The centre is the next step in NestAI’s growing Nordic and Baltic presence, following the company’s expansion to Sweden announced in August.
As NestAI builds its presence in Latvia, the company is developing the center into a team of 30 scientists and engineers, and has set an investment target of €10 million for the centre over the next few years. The announcement coincides with NestAI’s participation in the Riga Conference on 11 September 2026, where Peter Sarlin, NestAI Founder and Executive Chairman, will meet with Latvian government and academic representatives and speak on European defence AI.
“NestAI’s decision to establish an R&D centre in Latvia is a strategic investment in a sector with significant growth potential. The planned €10 million investment and 30 new jobs for scientists and engineers will bring together knowledge, technology and international cooperation in Latvia. Attracting projects of this kind demonstrates our ability to compete at European level for high-value-added investment,” says Minister of Economics Viktors Valainis.
Read full announcement (external link)
Originally published on 21 Sep
Announcements are published as a service to readers. The sender is responsible for all content. Announcements for publication can be submitted to announcements@thehanseatic.com.
In 2025, the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Investment Fund (EIF), which together form the EIB Group, provided financing to Finnish public sector bodies and companies across a range of sectors, from sustainable transport and social infrastructure to advanced technologies and small business finance. The funding supported climate action, energy security, innovation and access to finance for startups and small and medium-sized enterprises. Total EIB Group financing amounted to around €1,6 billion and the support helped mobilise total investments in Finland of about €4.9 billion – equivalent to 1.8% of GDP or €868 per person.
Among the year’s key projects was EIB support for new tram infrastructure in the Helsinki metropolitan area, strengthening sustainable urban mobility and reducing emissions from transport. The EIB also financed upgrades to hospitals and schools across Finland, improving energy efficiency and resilience in essential public services, as well as investments to enhance safety and reliability at the Olkiluoto nuclear power plant, supporting secure low-carbon electricity generation.
Read full announcement (external link)
Originally published on 4 Feb
German energy company Danpower Group is acquiring a majority stake in SW Energia OÜ, one of Estonia’s leading district heating providers, says the official press-release. Danpower Group is a Potsdam-based energy company specializing in district heating and renewable energy solutions for municipalities, industries, and residential areas across Germany and now Estonia.
The deal, signed on January 27, awaits approval from the Estonian Competition Authority and aims to accelerate the transition to renewable energy in Estonia’s heating sector.
Read full announcement (external link)
Originally published on 5 Feb
Viking Line is starting 2026 by renewing its offer of travel and transport powered by a high share of renewable European biogas. After multiplying the use of biofuel tenfold last year, the Åland-based shipping company has now secured another year at the same ambitious level.
The biogas is used alongside liquefied natural gas on the company’s newest ships, Viking Glory and Viking Grace, which operate daily between Turku and Stockholm. This combination results in very low sulphur and particle emissions, as well as a greatly reduced climate footprint.
Read full announcement (external link)
Originally published on 3 Feb
The author of the most promising idea in the business idea competition at this year’s Icebreakers’26 business opportunity festival will receive €10,000 to support the development of their entrepreneurial venture.
Icebreakers’26 will take place at the University of Latvia’s (UL) House of Science in Torņakalns on March 5. The festival’s central theme is “Change the Rules of the Game,” accentuating the audacity to think and act differently in order to create innovations and develop entrepreneurial skills. It is a theme that encourages participants to challenge conventions, step out of their comfort zones, and seek new solutions that drive change in business, research, and society. It encourages the use of knowledge, creativity, and collaboration as a foundation for sustainable development—and participants to not merely follow trends, but actually change the rules of the game.
Read full announcement (external link)
Originally published on 4 Feb
Lithuanian capital markets infrastructure provider Axiology has secured €5 million in seed funding to expand its regulated, blockchain-based platform for issuing, trading, and settling securities across Europe. The investment will support the rollout of new tokenised securities capabilities under the EU DLT Pilot Regime and accelerate the company’s go-to-market strategy.
The funding round was led by Exponential Science, e2vc, and Coinvest Capital, with participation from TIBAS Ventures and Plug and Play. Existing investors, including BSV Ventures, NGL Ventures, and others, also joined the round. To date, Axiology has raised €7 million in total.
Read full announcement (external link)
Originally published on 4 Feb
At a media event hosted today by the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia, it was announced that the Slovenia‑based energy company NGEN Group is entering the Latvian market with a €50 million investment.
According to information provided by investors, a deal has been concluded whereby NGEN Group has become the 100% owner of SIA “Liepāja ESS” to implement a stand-alone grid-connected battery energy storage project with a capacity of 100 MW and a storage capacity of 200 MWh in Grobiņa parish, Dienvidkurzeme region, at the Grobiņa substation. Construction work is planned to be completed this year.
Read full announcement (external link)
Originally published on 3 Feb
To secure the status of Europe’s frontier DefenceTech destination, Estonia is moving fast, and is now building a pipeline for defence startups to win major international funding. Estonia’s Ministry of Defence, in collaboration with the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications, has established a pre-accelerator programme called the Defence Business Lab, according to the official press release.
Designed to help local companies compete more effectively in major international defence funding competitions, the programme aims to prepare early-stage development teams for successful applications to NATO DIANA (Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic) and the European Defence Fund (EDF), two significant sources of defence funding.
Read full announcement (external link)
Originally published on 2 Feb
Innovation in Finland defines the way business operates. The country fosters ecosystems where global players connect, and technology leadership spans AI, connectivity, electrification, and defense. For international investors and partners, Finland offers advanced solutions and a collaborative model that accelerates impact.
“We are living in an AI supercycle,” notes Nokia’s Veli-Pekka Luoma, emphasizing Finland’s shift from connecting people to connecting intelligence. This vision is backed by robust infrastructure, cutting-edge R&D, and a commitment to sustainability.
Read full announcement (external link)
Originally published on 2 Feb
Enersense has signed an agreement with Lithuania’s VŠĮ Plačiajuostis Internetas, the state-owned organisation responsible for developing Lithuania’s broadband infrastructure, for the design and construction of telecommunications towers. The towers form part of Lithuania’s nationwide programme to expand high-speed broadband infrastructure.
The towers are steel lattice communication structures that form part of Lithuania’s essential digital infrastructure.
Read full announcement (external link)
Originally published on 29 Jan
Cast AI, the leading Application Performance Automation platform valued at over $1 billion, today announced it has won the European AI Award 2025 in the AI Business category. The award, presented by the European AI Forum (AIEF), recognizes outstanding achievements in AI that are shaping business, science, policy, investment, and ecosystem development across Europe.
Cast AI was honored for its platform that automates AI application performance in Kubernetes environments, delivering significant cost optimization and operational efficiency. The company was one of only three winners selected in the AI Business category, chosen from nominees across the continent for their contributions to economic growth, industrial competitiveness, and societal benefits through AI.
Read full announcement (external link)
Originally published on 2 Feb