Invest Estonia’s Hamburg Office recently celebrated its 20th anniversary, which symbolises two decades of fruitful cooperation and partnership between Estonia and Germany. In addition to the AI-guided creative journey, the business community was enchanted by a concert led by maestro Kristjan Järvi, adding sparkling bling to the lively cultural and business bonds between Estonia and Germany.
Strong business foundation
The Estonian-German business community has been instrumental in fostering economic cooperation and promoting trade and investments between the two countries. Germany is one of Estonia’s largest trading partners, and there are around 400 companies registered in Estonia with German equity participation, spanning across a wide array of industries. Many Estonian unicorns and soonicorns also set a strong footprint in Germany. For example, Estonian-founded superbattery manufacturer Skeleton Technologies currently operates a plant in Dresden, Germany, and builds a €220M state-of-the-art ultracapacitors factory in Leipzig. Whilst, German Daimler AG has invested in Estonian unicorn-league companies like Bolt and Starship Technologies. “We invest to gain new knowledge,” Björn Avemark, Global Head of Strategy and Business Transformation at Daimler Truck Financial Services, noted to the Estonian newspaper Postimees, highlighting Estonia as a market where a great deal of innovation can be found.
„Germany is an important trading partner for Estonia, and it is good to see that the Hamburg office has played an important role over the past 20 years. Above all, our role is to build strong bridges with investors and business leaders, to bring the right people together and to inform them about the business opportunities in Estonia. So once again our anniversary celebrations were linked: Germany and Estonia strengthened their business and cultural ties. It took place with networking, a bit of AI and some magical music,” says Riina Leminsky, Director of FDI & Business Development at Invest Estonia. „AI muse is a good example of how a good symbiosis and networking of technology, culture and business can create something that empowers everyone involved to make Estonia greater and the world a better place.“
Over the past two decades, numerous initiatives and collaborations have emerged, resulting in mutually beneficial outcomes. The presence of management from prominent companies such as Axinom, Fehrmann High-tech metals and windows | fehrmann, Fieldfischer Fieldfisher Deutschland – Wirtschaftskanzlei | Fieldfisher, Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG (Home – HHLA) , Kühne + Nagel, and MK-Kliniken MK-Kliniken AG etc. at the celebration only exemplified the high-level commitment and engagement of German businesses in Estonia.
The full album of the event can be seen here.
A cultural bond
To further enhance the celebratory atmosphere and reinforce the cultural ties between Estonia and Germany, the event was followed by a concert by renowned conductor Kristjan Järvi.
Järvi is famous for his dynamic and versatile performances, which span a wide range of musical genres, from classical to contemporary. He is particularly noted for his ability to engage with audiences and bring a fresh perspective to traditional repertoire, as well as his innovative collaborations with musicians from other fields. This was once again proved.
The concert, titled Midnight Sun, took audiences on a captivating musical journey inspired by the Nordic phenomenon of the never-setting midnight sun. Järvi led the Baltic Sea Philharmonic in an unforgettable showcase of music, sound, and emotion. In addition to the well-known compositions by Sibelius, Arvo Pärt, and Stravinsky, the orchestra also introduced compositions by its musicians from Lithuania, Poland, and Estonia, providing a tour premiere.
As part of the concert series, Kristjan Järvi unveiled the digital forest experience “Estonia, the Muse”. This innovative work, co-developed with the Artificial Intelligence Center Hamburg (ARIC), AI & Robotics Estonia (AIRE) and Invest Estonia, aims to evoke creativity and inner peace within users. Estonia as a Muse symbolises the harmonious blend of nature and technology, it is an idea inspired by the unity and interconnectedness represented by the torsion field theory. The digital forest experience allows users to tap into their inner child, gain new perspectives, and find solace in a hectic world. According to the audience feedback, “Estonia, the Muse” is a surreal experience at the borders of artificial intelligence, nature, and creativity. ARIC and AIRE are both co-financed by the European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIH) programme – a network of EDIHs that aims to collaborate over Europe, among others, to promote the use of artificial intelligence in society.
The introduction phase of the app commenced with insights available for download via the tour program of the Baltic Sea Philharmonic. The Estoniia app is set to launch its first AI components in August. But if you want to add a little bit of magic into your everyday life now, you can try listening to this playlist co-created by Järvi and titled Summer Splendour.
You are welcome to enjoy the relaxing journey of inspiration on Spotify here or step into the digital forest by clicking here.
