Startup Estonia launches a White Paper for 2021-2027

In 2021, Startup Estonia will be entering its sophomore year edition with a fresh set of ambitious goals for our small yet vibrant startup ecosystem and its impact on Estonia as a country. For that, we spent most of 2019 seeking feedback and debating with local and international founders, investors, ecosystem builders, and policymakers.

We had to evaluate how and to what extent the Estonian startup ecosystem contributes to the country as a whole, as well as what is and should be its global positioning and unique offering. We also went back to basics to define the core terms and definitions for all ecosystem players for clarity in language, goals and understanding. As a result we created a white paper, which highlights the potential future development of our startup ecosystem. 



Developing a startup ecosystem involves numerous components and cooperation. That's why we invited the startup community organizations of Estonia to join us in Pärnu for the Startup Community Development Days on 21.10-22.10. Together we looked into the future and shared ideas for a collective vision for our ecosystem. 

After two days full of discussions, workshops (shoutout to our good friends Jussi and Miikka from Ghost Company, who helped us to structure the workshops) we found common ground on various future goals and values. Community members eagerly voiced their opinions and expressed willingness for deeper involvement and mutual responsibility for the future development of our startup ecosystem. Our community aspires to contribute in solidarity to the organisation and implementation of various future activities alongside other members of the community. Additionally, future priorities include an increased emphasis on science-based thinking & decision-making as well as greater cohesiveness and diversity in our startup ecosystem.

Whats next? We acknowledge that it is a great challenge to turn the ideas gathered in Pärnu, as well as the priorities stated in our white paper into an all-inclusive new course for our ecosystem. We will continuously initiate communication and joint effort towards the next steps and an action plan for turning ideas into reality. 

There's plenty of reasons to be proud of the work that's already been done in our startup ecosystem. With that, we must stay aware of the fact that a lot of it is still on the way. In solidarity, let's continue shaping a bright future for our ecosystem! 

Photos: Marie Rosalie Hanni