Posts Tagged ‘Estonia’
Opinon Beyond profitability
The economic case for Rail Baltica can be found in examples of other major infrastructure projects that were initially deemed too big not to fail
Read MoreTrind Ventures leads Aampere’s €1.6M funding round
Aampere, an E-mobility startup, has closed a €1.6 million funding round led by Trind Ventures, with participation from Gimic Ventures and several experienced business angels from the mobility sector. Aampere will use the funding to accelerate product development and expand its European market presence beyond Scandinavia and the Benelux region.
The European market for used electric vehicles remains highly fragmented and largely analog, characterized by opaque processes, manual handling, and isolated national solutions. Aampere is breaking these outdated structures by creating a fully digital, Europe-wide platform for selling used electric vehicles. With this, the startup is establishing a sustainable and efficient circular economy for e-mobility and driving Europe’s electrification forward.
Aampere provides a digital platform where private and commercial sellers can sell their used electric vehicles across Europe within 48 hours.
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Originally published on 5 Nov
Read MoreEstonia strengthens Nordic ties with high-level Finland visit
For Estonia, there’s no neighbour as strategic and important as Finland — aside from the historical and cultural ties, the country leads in the ranking of trade and investment partners. Strengthening these ties is more important than ever.
Last week, Minister of Economy and Industry Erkki Keldo Erkki Keldo led a dynamic Estonian business delegation to Finland on November 3-4, bringing together leading tech companies and industry leaders to deepen cross-border partnerships and explore new opportunities in innovation and manufacturing.
The two-day visit centred on the Finnish-Estonian Business Forum “Smart Neighbours: Future of Industry,” where Ministers Keldo and Finland’s Sakari Puisto talked about the robust economic partnership between the two nations. The forum featured a standout panel discussion with industry heavyweights Risto Siilasmaa (WithSecure, F-Secure), Sten Tamkivi (Plural, Skaala), and Jussi Herlin (KONE), moderated by Kirke Maar from AI & Robotics Estonia.
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Originally published on 7 Nov
Read MoreRobotex and TiES sign partnership agreement to strengthen robotics education
The international robotics organisation Robotex International, registered in Estonia, and the Finnish science and technology society Tietotekniikan ja Elektroniikan Seura (TiES) have signed a partnership agreement to expand cooperation in robotics education and competitions both in Finland and internationally.
Under the agreement, Robotex Finland will be organized in cooperation with Amazing Robots, taking place on 4 November in Helsinki as part of the Teknologia 25 fair. The joint initiative aims to bring together young engineers, students and technology enthusiasts, offering them opportunities to develop their skills and contribute to shaping the future of robotics.
“This partnership is a great example of how two frontrunners in technology education organisations can join forces to inspire the next generation of innovators,” said Nathan Metsala, CEO of Robotex International.
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Originally published on 6 Nov
Read MoreNEW MEMBER: Nordic Science Investments joins EstVCA
We are excited to announce that Nordic Science Investments, an early-stage venture fund advancing research-empowered entrepreneurship across the New Nordics, has joined EstVCA as a new member!
Launched in February 2024, the fund has currently invested in 19 spinouts and startups, working at the crossroads of scientific disciplines and emerging technology, transforming frontier research into scalable, globally competitive companies.
Madis Lehtmets, Managing Director at EstVCA: “Nordic Science Investments is an excellent addition to the EstVCA community, enriching it with valuable knowledge and experience from the science-based innovation field. As EstVCA has become increasingly outward-looking, building relationships across Europe and beyond is more important than ever. Having a new member with a strong Nordic presence and partner-level connections adds significant value to our network.”
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Originally published on 27 Oct
Read MoreFrom pledges to deployment: What NYC Climate Week 2025 revealed
Last week we had the chance to participate in NYC Climate Week 2025, which has rapidly grown into one of the most important international gatherings for clean technologies. With ~100,000 participants, ~1,000 official events, and countless side-meetings, New York now positions itself as the alternative to COP and Davos — but with a sharper, more operational edge.
Here are some key insights:
1. The Conversation is Maturing
This year was less about general “climate” rhetoric and much more about energy systems, AI, resilience, and security. The room was filled with operators and infrastructure players, not spectators. Importantly, even conservative infrastructure investors are openly discussing the investability of cleantech projects. For Estonian companies, this is a strong signal: if you can demonstrate scalability and resilience, capital is ready to listen.
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Originally published on 29 Sep
Read MoreEXIT: Trind Ventures’ portfolio company Tise has been acquired by eBay
eBay, a global commerce leader that connects millions of buyers and sellers worldwide, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Trind Ventures’ portfolio company, Tise – a consumer-to-consumer (C2C) social marketplace headquartered in Oslo, Norway.
The acquisition will strengthen eBay’s global proposition in C2C, building on the significant momentum it has made in elevating the customer experience. Tise’s social-first, highly intuitive platform will open the door to a vibrant community of Gen Z and Millennial enthusiasts who continue to drive demand across categories.
Oliver Klinck, VP, GM Global Markets Success & C2C at eBay: “This acquisition is a natural next step in our investment in Tise, which will allow us to accelerate Tise’s strategy and unlock new opportunities for innovation. With Tise’s on-trend inventory, loyal community, and social-first approach, we’ll strengthen eBay’s C2C offerings and more deeply connect with the next generation of enthusiasts.”
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Originally published on 25 Sep
Read MoreEstonian running app KULG raises €100,000 in pre-seed funding
The mobile app KULG, which helps runners achieve long-term and sustainable progress with personalized training recommendations, has raised 100 thousand euros in pre-seed funding. With this investment, early investors have committed a total of 120 thousand euros to the Estonian startup in 2025. With the support of this funding, KULG will grow its engineering and AI teams, accelerate product development with new features, integrations, and mobile apps, and expand into new markets. KULG participated in the Tehnopol Startup Incubator’s accelerator programme.
The anchor investor of the funding round is a well-known, anonymous angel investor with decades of experience in technology and product scaling, combined with a passion for endurance sports. “We’ve been incredibly fortunate to bring on board an early investor who not only understands the problem we’re solving but also supports us in building the solution for runners in a highly competitive space,” said Maris Heinaru, KULG CEO and founder. Heinaru is a certified running coach, a marathon runner for 16 years, and currently holds the Estonian women’s age-group marathon record.
“Thanks to KULG app, my coach has a real-time 24/7 overview of my training. This helped me prepare much better for the recently held Tallinn Marathon and achieve a podium spot (bronze),” said runner Marek Truumaa. He added: “I’ve started monitoring the volume of my high-intensity training sessions and keeping them close to the recommended 20% of my weekly total. In KULG, this is very easy to track. As a result, I can now handle significantly higher training loads than before.”
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Originally published on 24 Sep
Read MoreThe Baltic Pavilion at EXPO 2025 Osaka: Recognised Among the Best
The Baltic Pavilion at EXPO 2025 Osaka has already welcomed around 800,000 visitors — a strong sign of its growing popularity. Its success has also been confirmed on the international stage: at the TEDA Awards, organised by the Experience Design Association, the pavilion won 2nd place in the Visitor’s Choice category and 5th place for Best Mascot.
The TEDA “Expolympics” competition highlights the most creative, innovative and impactful experiential design solutions at EXPO. This year, more than 160 countries and organisations are taking part.
“Visitor interest in the Baltic Pavilion has been strong from the very first days of the Expo, and we are delighted that the way we present Lithuania and the Baltic region has also been recognised by the international jury. Our aim was not only to capture attention, but also to build lasting connections — combining modernity and innovation with elements that reveal our identity and uniqueness. Standing out among so many participating countries is no easy task, and we are proud that Lithuania has succeeded,”
– Lina Antanavičienė, Commissioner General of the Lithuanian Pavilion at EXPO 2025 and Ambassador
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Originally published on 24 Sep
Read MoreElcogen launches new high-volume solid oxide fuel cell factory in Europe to meet global demand for clean energy solutions
We are very pleased to announce that we have now officially opened ELCO I, a new state-of-the-art manufacturing facility on the outskirts of Tallinn, Estonia. The launch marks a pivotal step in scaling up the company’s role in the global energy transition.
The 14,000 m² facility significantly increases Elcogen’s available production capacity from 10 MW to 360 MW, positioning the company as one of Europe’s largest manufacturers of high-efficiency Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) and Electrolysis (SOEC) technology. Elcogen’s components – cells, stacks and modules – are integrated into third-party systems for a wide range of applications including distributed energy, off-grid and stationary power, industrial backup, green hydrogen production, and Power-to-X solutions.
“This new facility is built for scale, speed, and global impact,” said Enn Õunpuu, CEO of Elcogen. “As demand for reliable Solid Oxide-based clean energy solutions accelerates worldwide, Elcogen is now uniquely positioned to deliver the high-performance technology the market needs, at commercial volumes.”
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Originally published on 17 Sep
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