Posts Tagged ‘Estonia’
Nearly half the people in Estonia use artificial intelligence
The latest data from Statistics Estonia’s internet use and digital skills survey reveal that there are now 564,800 households with an internet connection, accounting for 95% of all households in Estonia. Compared with 2024, the number of households with internet access has increased by 20,000.
Tiina Pärson, leading analyst at Statistics Estonia, said that internet use is a common practice among younger and middle-aged people (16–54-year-olds), with almost 100% of them using the internet.
Internet use has increased significantly among the elderly. For example, compared with last year, internet use has risen by five percentage points in the 55–64 age group and by six percentage points among 65–74-year-olds. Compared with 2020, the increase has been even greater, at 11 percentage points among people aged 55–64 and 20 percentage points among people aged 65–74. “One key factor is the natural change of age groups. People who are already accustomed to using the internet are moving into older age groups, leading to greater digital competence among the elderly,” the analyst explained.
Read full announcement (external link)
Originally published on 16 Sep
Read MoreKarma Ventures participates in DRUID AI’s $31M Series C funding round
DRUID AI has secured $31 million in a Series C funding round, led by Cipio Partners, with participation from TQ Ventures, Karma Ventures, Smedvig, and Hoxton Ventures. The funding will advance DRUID AI’s mission to empower companies to create, manage, and orchestrate conversational AI agents, and will be used to accelerate the global expansion of its enterprise-ready agentic AI platform under the leadership of its new CEO, Joseph Kim.
“This investment is both a testament to DRUID AI’s success and a catalyst to elevate businesses globally through the power of agentic AI,” said Kim. “Customer success is what it’s all about, and delivering real business outcomes requires understanding companies’ pain points and introducing innovations that help those customers address their complex challenges. That’s the DRUID AI way, and now we’re bringing it to the world through this new phase of global growth.”
In 2024, DRUID AI grew ARR 2.7x year-over-year. Its award-winning platform has powered more than 1 billion conversations across thousands of agents. In addition, the DRUID AI global partner ecosystem has attracted industry giants Microsoft, Genpact, Cognizant, and Accenture.
Read full announcement (external link)
Originally published on 16 Sep
Read MoreRail Baltica marks ceremonial signing of historic electrification contract
At the beginning of September, Riga hosted the European Hydrogen Valleys Investment Forum (EHVIF TechTour 2025), reaffirming hydrogen as one of the central themes for Europe’s future energy landscape. The event gathered more than 220 participants – including start-ups, investors, corporate representatives, experts, and policymakers.
In total, 40 start-ups and hydrogen valley projects presented their innovative ideas, while more than 40 investors and industry leaders shared their perspectives on developing and financing clean energy solutions. The event concluded with eight companies being recognized by the expert jury as Top Presenters.
Special attention in the programme was devoted to discussions on hydrogen production, storage, distribution, and use in mobility and industry, as well as on governance and cooperation models. One of the key highlights was the pitching session, where the H2Value project was presented – the first cross-border initiative to build a green hydrogen value chain between Latvia and Estonia. The project’s goal is to gradually establish the entire chain, from production and storage to distribution and real-life application in transport.
Read full announcement (external link)
Originally published on 15 Sep
Read MoreTallinn initiates detailed plan for the film complex area
The Tallinn Urban Planning Department has initiated the detailed planning process for the properties at Paljassaare tee 5 and 7 and the surrounding area in Põhja-Tallinn, creating the conditions for the comprehensive implementation of the film stuudio complex Tallinn Film Wonderland.
Deputy Mayor for Urban Planning Madle Lippus noted that this is an important decision for the future of the Paljassaare district. “Although this man-made peninsula is currently still largely an industrial landscape, the initiated planning provides an opportunity to bring new development potential to Tallinn through the construction of the film studio complex and the supporting infrastructure,” she said.
The planning area covers approximately 7 hectares. The goal is to create a new identity and development potential for the district, including the construction of a world-class film studio.
Read full announcement (external link)
Originally published on 11 Sep
Read MorePlural leads Teton.ai’s $20M Series A round
Teton.ai, a Danish predictive intelligence company that uses proprietary AI and computer vision technology to provide predictive care for older people, has raised $20 million in a funding round led by Plural. Other participants in the round include Bertelsmann Investments, Antler Elevate, and Nebular, with follow-on investment from PSV Tech. The funding round will be used to launch nationwide in the United States, deepen its operations across Europe, and continue to push the boundaries of predictive AI in care.
“Teton is at the cutting edge of a much-needed transformation in healthcare,” said Taavet Hinrikus, Partner at Plural. “Within a short time, its technology is already reducing costs and resource needs while achieving the most important thing – improved health outcomes. It’s a complete game-changer for owners, operators, caregivers, families, and residents. The strength of Teton’s team and technology means it’s set to become the market leader as it solves a huge global problem.”
According to the company, healthcare, particularly senior care, faces systemic and urgent challenges. Populations are aging, and comorbidities are increasing. Care staff are over-burdened and exiting the industry at higher rates than ever. Costs are already steep and rising. Teton looks to bridge the gap between care needs and care capacity, enabling wider access to premium care for ordinary families and their loved ones.
Read full announcement (external link)
Originally published on 9 Sep
Read MoreThe First Half of 2025 for the Estonian Startup Sector: Maturing Through Efficiency and Adaptation
The new half-yearly report on the startup sector for 2025 demonstrates gradual changes in key metrics. On the one hand, the sector shows robust growth, maturity, and further potential. On the other hand, it is shifting toward efficiency, with barely noticeable growth in the workforce for the entire sector and a slight decrease in employee numbers for the youngest startups. The challenges of the national economy, with the GDP having contracted for approximately 2.5 years until the end of 2024 (Eesti Pank, 2025 Q1, Q2) are making new entrepreneurs and investors wary, resulting in fewer new companies and a smaller overall volume of investments. However, the growth of the startup sector isn’t stagnating, as revenue per employee is rising sharply.
Sample
Currently, there are a total of 1,566 startups in the Estonian sector, of which 1,321 (84%) are economically active according to EMTA data; also, about 50 companies are in a problematic state, such as liquidation or bankruptcy. There is a clear trend in the decline of the number of registrations, which has been ongoing since 2022. The startup sector is maturing, though it remains relatively young: the average age of the companies is about 7 years old. Important note: the EMTA data concerns only economically active companies, therefore, according to EMTA the number of people currently employed in the economically active companies of the startup sector is 15 011, while for the Department of Statistics, the number of employees for all companies in the sector is 17082.
Read full announcement (external link)
Originally published on 4 Sep
Read MoreTrading on the Baltic and Finnish gas markets to move to the European Energy Exchange platform
Starting from 9 September 2025, trading on the Baltic and Finnish gas markets will shift from the GET Baltic platform to the European Energy Exchange (EEX).
The change will enable Estonian market participants to strengthen their connection with the Baltic and Finnish markets and gain access to European markets, including the possibility to trade with Contract for Difference (CfD) between these markets. For consumers, this means that gas prices in Estonia will follow European price trends more closely. With the help of CfD, gas sellers will be able to better hedge their risks, which should reduce sales margins.
“As a result of successful cooperation between the gas exchanges EEX and GET Baltic, as well as between Elering and other Baltic/Finnish transmission system operators, we will continue offering implicit capacity allocation, which ensures greater liquidity and better price convergence between the Finnish-Baltic gas market areas,” said Airi Noor, Head of Market Development at Elering.
Read full announcement (external link)
Originally published on 8 Sep
Read MoreEstonia secures strong position in NATO DIANA defence innovation programme
Today, as part of the second year of the NATO DIANA innovation accelerator, the companies selected for the programme’s next phase were announced. A total of 2613 companies applied to join the second cohort of NATO DIANA, of which 73 were chosen for the first phase – including two Estonian startups. Each team selected for phase two will receive up to €300 000 from NATO DIANA, in addition to the €100 000 grant funding awarded in the first phase.
Seven companies took part in the programme at the NATO DIANA Estonian accelerator, including two Estonian firms – Wayren and Telearmy. Now, as only 15 companies from across the alliance move forward to the second phase, three of them are teams accelerated their growth in Estonia’s accelerator, including both Estonian startups. Alongside the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, Estonia is one of the only countries represented by two or more firms, giving Estonia one of the strongest showings among NATO nations in the second phase.
“I am very pleased to see Estonia’s contribution to NATO DIANA stand out so strongly. The fact that three teams accelerated here – including two of our own defence industry companies – have advanced to the next stage shows how quickly Estonian entrepreneurs can adapt, act and seize opportunities. The same applies to our Defence Forces, who have been on board with testing new solutions. I dare say that Digital Nation 2.0 will gain momentum thanks to the successes of our defence industry,” said Hanno Pevkur, Minister of Defence.
Read full announcement (external link)
Originally published on 4 Sep
Read MoreEstonian AI startup Vocal Image raises $3,6M
Estonia continues to adopt AI and build new success stories powered by it. This week, Estonian voice coaching platform Vocal Image raised $3.6M in seed funding to expand its AI-powered communication training app, writes TechCrunch. The funding was led by Paris-based Educapital, with participation from Estonian Specialist VC and German Generations Fund.
The investment will fuel expansion and new language localisations beyond the app’s current English, Spanish, German, French, Ukrainian, and Russian offerings.
Read full announcement (external link)
Originally published on 2 Sep
Read MoreChanges in RB Rail’s Management Board
The joint venture RB Rail AS, responsible for implementing the Rail Baltica global project, announces changes in its Management Board. Effective 1 September 2025, the Board will be composed of five members: Marko Kivila (Chairperson and Chief Executive Office), Marius Narmontas (Chief Operating Officer), Emilien Dang (Chief Technical Officer), Thierry Boussillon (Chief Programme Management Officer), and Ojārs Daugavietis, who joins as Chief Financial Officer. The Management Board provides strategic leadership and ensures the coordinated delivery of the Rail Baltica project across the three Baltic States.
According to Arenijus Jackus, Chairperson of the RB Rail’s Supervisory Board, the Rail Baltica project and the joint venture have faced notable transformation over the past two years considering external challenges and new geopolitical and economic realities. This has required adjustments to project planning, optimisation of solutions and implementation steps, optimization of the joint venture and the whole project management set-up as well as stronger risk and stakeholder management.
Read full announcement (external link)
Originally published on 1 Sep
Read More