Global Startup Ecosystem Report 2021 Ranks Estonia Among Leaders

 By Kristen Rainey

October 10, 2021

Recently, the Global Startup Ecosystem Report of 2021 was published. The report has covered 275 startup ecosystems globally and highlighted Estonia as one of the strongest ecosystems of startup companies. The report ranked Estonia at number 6 on the list. 

The Foreign Trade Minister of the country, Andres Sutt, said that the high ranking is connected to the attitude of the country towards its booming startup community. He said that Estonia is large enough for companies to test out different ideas and viability of businesses, as well as small enough to go beyond the local market quickly. 

He also said that the ranking is very important for Estonia, as it will increase the pace of innovation in the country and will further help the economy and business industry to grow in the country. The minister also said that the revenue from labor taxes alone brings as. much as 100 million Euros to the state budget and he predicts that the figure will further increase in the future.

Global Ecosystem Report 2021

The report, which was done by Startup Genome and the Global Entrepreneurship Network, GEN, shows that as much as half of the top ten of the emerging startup ecosystems are from Europe. Many of the ecosystems were applauded as the majority of them managed to attract international talents. 

However, for Estonia, this was different, as, in the country, many of the startups are created by locals. There is a special system in Estonia, which helps the development of the field further. It is called the e-Residency Programme. This program makes sure that international talent and experience are used to further develop the local market and reach global-level success. 

While working on the report, the two companies have analyzed over 280 innovative ecosystems and more than 3 million companies. The report claims that although the year was very much turbulent, the startup industry still managed to have a successful year. 

According to the report, North America dominated the Global Rankings and as much as 50 percent of the Top 30 ecosystems were from the North American region. Asia represented 27 percent of the Top 30, and Europe – 17 percent. It was also noted that the global startup economy is worth over $3.8 trillion in Ecosystem Value. 

As for the Emerging Ecosystem Rankings, here, the top 10 are led by Europe. The Emerging Ecosystems were collectively worth over $540 billion in Ecosystem Value. This is as much as a 55 percent increase compared to last year. 

The data published with the report indicates that the Startup industry is growing very fast. The best thing about it is that the growth is not limited to any one region alone, rather, the industry is increasing around the world. 

Startup Industry in Estonia

Over the past few years, the role of Estonia in the startup industry has grown a lot. Many of the resorts around the world list Estonia as a leading position in terms of the startup industry. For example, the EU-Startups listed Estonia among three of the best European countries to set up a startup. 

The country remains to be a very attractive destination for startups because of its massive and powerful educational system, highly digitized procedures, and the ease to get the work as well as entrepreneurial visa.

There are numerous very successful startups from Estonia very well-known around the world. A great example of a successful startup company from Estonia is Bitsgap, which is a company aiming to make crypto trading easier. 

The main aim of the company is to help crypto traders get the most out of the crypto trading market. It offers traders tools to easily analyze the cryptocurrency market. Bitsgap has already managed to become one of the leaders in the industry and is one of the best choices for trading crypto. The team behind the company is full of experts with years of experience in the market. 

Bitsgap is just one example of a successful Estonian startup company. There are many others that have become very popular around the world.

There are many reasons that make Estonia such a great place for startups. First of all, it is the attitude of the country towards startups. The country has worked very hard over the years to make the job of startups a lot easier. 

In addition, the majority of the startups in the country only hire top talent, which ensures the highest quality at all times. Most of the startups in the country are very innovative and work on services and products aimed at making people’s lives easier. 

Startup Genome, which worked on the report, continues to increase its coverage. The analysis expanded from just 60 ecosystems in 2018 to almost 300 in 2021. The Emerging Ecosystems report looks at the countries that are still at the early stages of growth and development but already have shown substantial commitment and increase.

Resoruce: Baltic Times

Digital Leadership: Estonian pioneers ranked in Apolitical’s top 100

The nominations for Apolitical’s 2018 list drew on the contributions of numerous academics, experts, and public servants to craft a holistic and diverse cast. The final selection — reviewed by independent experts from around the globe — includes four Estonians: former CIO Taavi Kotka, former President Toomas Hendrik Ilves, European Commissioner for the Digital Single Market Andrus Ansip, and our dear CIO Siim Sikkut.

We are clearly very proud of their achievements and would like to highlight them in brief for you.

When former President Ilves received the Mohn Prize in 2017, he said, “What Estonia has done in the past quarter century is the work of many people.

I did outline what at the time was considered a quirky and impossible vision, but so many smart people took to the idea that soon Estonia was racing ahead on its own.

It took a spark to light a torch that in turn was carried by many. Call it the Zeitgeist…”

It would be hard to overstate the contributions of the former president to state of Estonian’s ICT society today. During his tenure, President Ilves was appointed to several high ICT positions in the European Union: chairman of the EU Task Force on e-Health (2011-2012) and chairman of the European Cloud Partnership Steering Board (2012-2013). Additionally, President Ilves chaired ICANN’s Panel on Global Internet Cooperation and Governance Mechanisms (2013), the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Cyber Security (2014), and the World Bank’s World Development Report on “Digital Dividends.” All while being an outstanding spokesman on the necessity of a robust digital infrastructure for Estonia.

Taavi Kotka

In an interview with Forbe’s former CIO Taavi Kotka said when joining the Estonian government

“I asked for the parking spot behind the government building, and I asked for full political support no matter how crazy my ideas were. I must admit that they fulfilled their promise, and it was harder to get the parking spot than support.”

You may know Kotka as the man who spearheaded the e-Residency program, which to-date has over 41,000 applicants from 161 countries, but he has played a vital role numerous other Estonian projects: data embassies, country in the cloud, VAT fraud detection, etc. Needless to say his ‘crazy ideas’ have contributed immensely to Estonia’s outstanding reputation.

Andrus Ansip

From mayor of Tartu to Prime Minister to the Vice President for the European Commission and European Commissioner for the Digital Single Market, Andrus Ansip has always been closely associated with the digital revolution. His impressive resume distinguishes him as  a forerunner of e-Society and digital governance. It was Ansip who gave Estonia’s first Digital Signature.

Today, Ansip’s work with Digital Single Market is an ambitious attempt to unify the regulations and transactions of the internet companies across the EU; which has implication from everything from e-commerce to cyber security. In short, Ansip has taken on the monumental endeavor of tearing down regulatory walls to transition the EU’s Single market into the digital age.

Siim Sikkut

Last but not least, Siim Sikkut our current government CIO. Picking up where Kotka left off, Siim’s vision and policies steer the strategic initiatives for digital governmental development. As such, he was also one of the co-founders of the innovative e-Residency program.

Siim is shaping the status-quo in real time. He is clearly forward-thinking and future-focused; among his bold ventures is the introduction of autonomous vehicles for the purposes of assisting the elderly.

Font: e-estonia.com