For the past 30 years, Invest Estonia has been helping international organisations make the most of the Estonian business environment.
It’s a task that requires a keen eye for opportunities to collaborate across sectors, industries, and geographies.
With a life-long interest in economics, academia, and biotech, Kristi Kõrge certainly fits the profile. Her career began with studying the effects of North Sea proteins on the crystallisation of frozen food. She then went on to get a PhD in biodegradable food packaging made with antimicrobial chestnut extract. A remarkable start to a career, allowing for a seamless transition into business development by providing in-depth knowledge and firsthand insight into the challenges innovators in knowledge-based industries face when entering the market.
Armed with that experience, Kõrge has now been pursuing her passions at Enterprise Estonia, where she first joined the Innovation Department to work on intellectual property (IP) and scientific cooperation. Today, she leads the business development team at Invest Estonia, one of the world’s top investment promotion agencies.
Kõrge’s role as Head of Business Development in Estonia presents ample opportunities to boost the Estonian business environment and entrepreneurship through foreign direct investments (FDI). “In this role, my main goal will be to support the Invest Estonia team in bringing its strategy for industrial FDI to life,” she says. Her team does this by mapping value chains and identifying opportunities to benefit both Estonia and the businesses that choose to build and grow here.
The Invest Estonia team
Kõrge’s decision to work in FDI was driven by a strong personal ambition to help address one of the biggest challenges in science and tech commercialisation today: getting novel technologies to the pilot plant stage. As part of her broader goals in helping international business find its footing in Estonia, Kõrge hopes to witness the start of as many pilot plants as possible, boosting the rate of commercialisation of novel technologies and ultimately building high-value industries in the long term. “This requires bringing together a wide range of expertise and building stronger cooperation between value chains,” she says.
When it comes to expertise and strong cooperation, Estonia is the place to be
“Estonia’s greatest asset is its openness to smart collaboration, exemplified by its people,” Kõrge says. “The country has a clear focus on educational development, integrating STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics) methodologies in parallel with ICT studies.”
Aside from the sheer brainpower, Estonia offers all the benefits of a compact, agile business environment (think of society-changers like the e-Residency programme), the world’s most competitive tax system, and an ambitious commitment to sustainability.
“All of this makes Estonia a blue-green hidden gem and a blank canvas for groundbreaking business,” Kõrge says.
So what are the most promising sectors to invest in?
“Offshore wind, energy, and defence are some of the more exciting sectors worth looking into right now in Estonia,” Kõrge says. “From a tech and IP perspective, gaming and biotechnology, including health and pharma, are brimming with opportunity. Estonia has become the scalable location for knowledge and digital business.”
If you want to make the smoothest business deals of your life in Estonia, Kristi Kõrge is just one of many experts who can set you up for success. Take a look at the all-star lineup here, or simply get in touch via our super smooth e-Consulting tool.
