Cute parcel robots on the streets, driverless vehicles, no dumb paperwork, no bureaucracy (99% of banking is done online, 99% of public services are offered online 24/7, 99% of doctors’ prescriptions are digital, etc) – all this digitally well-organized and comfortable life gives residents of Estonia plenty of time to develop themselves and to come up with new IT solutions.
How does digitalisation make life in Estonia easier? What services are available online? How secure and private is the country’s digital identity system? All these questions will be answered by former Prime Minister Taavi Rõivas, Estonia’s government CIO Siim Sikkut, Cleveron’s co-founder and BDM Indrek Oolup, Testlio´s co-founder and CTO Kristel Kruustük and Rector of TalTech Jaak Aaviksoo.
It all started even before Skype
Estonia’s journey to becoming the world’s most digitally enabled nation began 25 years ago when visionaries committed to IT as a country strategy. Today, Estonia is a recognised leader in digital identity, cyber security and blockchain and has produced numerous innovations in consumer, enterprise and government sectors.
IT is taught from primary school onwards in Estonia and the country ranks in the top 10 globally for the teaching of maths and IT. Numerous universities and vocational education centres collaborate with industry on knowledge and technology transfer, ensuring the workforce possess professional knowledge and practical experience.
Estonia is good place to invest
Estonia is definitely a good place to invest, confirms Kristel Kruustük to Dennis Wholey. “Skype was founded here in Estonia and it showed us, the Estonians the way that everything is possible. Estonian people are very fervent here. There are so many great companies here and they are successful because we think global from day one,” explains Kruustük.
World-class human capital, unique digital capabilities, a competitive business environment with advantageous tax system make Estonia a smart, agile location for businesses with global ambitions. There are 550 startups here in Estonia ready to conquer the world following the four Estonian unicorns: Skype (read more), Bolt (read more), Playtech (read more) and TransferWise (read more).
Want to invest in Estonia? Read more about the IT R&D opportunities Estonia offers or send us an e-consulting request to get more detailed information or a personalised value proposition.
