Beside the story of e-Estonia, another one is being written. This is the one of Estonian cleantech innovation, with the author of it being its world-class startup ecosystem.

Thirteen years ago, the surrounding area of the national airport in Estonia was nothing but a garbage dump next to some dilapidated housing. Today, the area boasts one of the most exciting and innovative business campuses in Europe. More than 10 000 people work in this increasingly smart part of town, today known as Ülemiste City, and it is a base for more than 400 companies. Smart and green city solutions are also being developed elsewhere in Estonia.

Hiiumaa is the quietest of Estonia’s big islands. More than half of the county is covered by forests, making it the greenest in the country, and yet it is the centre of the Estonian plastic industry. Dagöplast, owned by the Norwegian group BioBag since 2015, is one of the biggest employers on the island; they are now looking to have a positive impact on the waste management of Hiiumaa to make the island truly green.

Developed after regular jobs ended for the day, in a whitewashed space optimistically named the ‘development centre’, this autonomous snow-clearing robot, now known as Lumebot, has gathered an impressive amount of traction over the last year. The company’s COO Kaspar Kikerpill addressed a packed-out room at Telliskivi’s Palo Alto Club on Wednesday 28th August, taking the curious crowd through their story, from the early days of the project to where it’s at today.

Even though only a third of Estonian shipbuilding companies operate in Saaremaa, that third also generates 80% of the sector’s turnover, thereby making it one of the fastest growing industries on the island.

The electronics industry, which is the backbone of economic life in Saaremaa, is fronted by OÜ Ouman Estonia – a major player that has been in business for over 20 years, reports Ärileht.

Axinom, a company developing entertainment systems for aircraft and software solutions for large media companies across the globe, has about 2/3 of its 150 employees in Estonia.

Estonia is considered to have one of the most highly-developed national ID card system in the world. Much more than a legal photo ID, the mandatory national card also provides digital access to all of Estonia’s secure eServices.