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Estonia is compact, but full of big opportunities and a safe home for high-tech businesses across industries — from Energy to Timber and Electronics. Last week, Estonia hosted twenty leaders from global companies and investors during the Invest Estonia Summit.
The summit included representatives from ABB, Airbus, Amazon Web Services, Baltic Hydrogen Group, Clean Industrial Solutions, Deep Wind Offshore, MDC Max Datwyler, ET2S, Horizon Pulp & Paper, HANZA, Kühne+Nagel, Karmsund Group, and Karista.
Many have already scored substantial wins over the years operating in Estonia.
- For example, the Entrepreneurship Awards named HANZA Mechanics the best foreign investor of 2024, as they massively expanded their production in Tartu with €10M investment in their sheet metal facility, adding 4,000 square meters of production space. Erik Stenfors, founder and chairman of HANZA, noted that Estonia has been crucial for his company since its founding, now employing 1,200 people locally. “Estonia offers what international investors seek: business simplicity, competence, and strong drive to move forward.”
- Kühne+Nagel’s top manager recently shared how the company successfully bet on Estonia over a decade ago, building an IT hub with 500 high-tech jobs. Why? Estonia’s advanced digital infrastructure, low corruption, and cultural compatibility with Germany made it an attractive alternative.
- ABB, which operates in Estonia since 1992, is also doubling down their commitment. The company invested a record €8.58 million in 2024, marking the largest annual commitment to its local operations. The investment focused on two major projects: building ABB’s global wind turbine service centre and expanding facilities to manufacture ultra-large synchronous stators up to 50 MW at its Jüri technology campus.
To keep this going, the government is adding new support measures and dropping regular barriers. Minister of Economic Affairs and Industry Erkki Keldo outlined key government initiatives supporting business expansion in Estonia. “We’ve created a large-scale investment support measure for industrial investments exceeding €100M,” Keldo explained. “Companies receiving positive decisions from the first application round will be announced in just a few weeks, with ongoing support available.” Prime Minister Kristen Michal highlighted Estonia’s tax policy principles, digital success story, and NATO contribution.
According to Joonas Vänto, Head of Invest Estonia, the presence of such a strong delegation is a sign that country’svalue proposition to investors is very strong and that it is seen as a promising place to develop business. “The encouraging messages received from our highest representatives regarding Estonia’s national priorities during the meetings create a favourable environment for attracting capital-intensive investments here, which are critical for Estonia’s economic growth,” said Vänto.
