BLOG
Large life changes are discussed in intricate detail with those closest to you, from idea, to execution, to retrospect. Friends react with pleasure or disdain to new ideas or jokes, and this determines whether you'll carry them forward or drop them. If you buy a new hat and all your friends honestly (not just playfully) hate it, you will definitely stop wearing it.
The gala for Estonian Startup Awards 2022 took place on January 27, 2023. Almost 500 startuppers and impact makers gathered at The Glass Hall of the Song Festival Grounds to officially wrap up 2022 and celebrate the biggest wins of the year. Here are the biggest takeaways from the year, inspiring words from the winners, and the full list of all the nominees.
Siim Alatalu, CR14’s CEO shares professional insights from the frontlines of their booming startup sector - defence and security tech - with continued funding and growth predicted for 2023. On January 27, CR14 is taking the stage at Estonian Startup Awards to present the Defence and Security Tech of the Year award. Thank you for the hard work and the support, CR14!
Sunly is a hardware-led startup that is building a renewable energy platform, developing new solutions, and investing in fresh technologies that can boost our region’s energy transition. Their investment radar includes young startups whose clever ideas need a boost. In 2023, Sunly’s team is also boosting the success of the Estonian Startup Awards!
Besides building the world’s fastest-growing SaaS company with a super diverse team from 80+ countries, Deel is also dedicated to boosting the Estonian startup ecosystem - in 2023, they are supporting the success of the Estonian Startup Awards 2022. How was 2022 and what do they predict for the Estonian startup scene in 2023?
Swedbank, the largest bank in Estonia, has taken on a mission to help Estonian startups succeed. Their support of the ecosystem strategically covers the full lifecycle of a startup - from cool cooperations with early-stage founders, to partnering with community-leading organizations, Swedbank’s resources are channeled far and wide. In the upcoming quarter, you can find Swedbank’s team at sTARTup Day and the Estonian Startup Awards 2022.
Hedman law firm’s core values include unwavering faith in tech and new business models, which comes in handy when most of their clients are raising investments, building digital services, and scaling up to international markets. Even though Hedman’s heart belongs to law, you’ll find many startup founders among the team. Being forward-thinking and tech-minded, it’s no surprise that Hedman has been at LIFT99 since day 1… well almost.
The LIFT99 kitchen island is often a place of uproarious laughter and, unsurprisingly, lunchtime chatter, with the coffee machine putting in some serious overtime in the background. In all of the commotion, it’s easy to sometimes not notice some of the quieter residents. Among these kitchen island residents we also find Chantal, even though she has been here at LIFT for a while now, she is as shrouded in mystery as is the routine behind her curls.
Artisanal Cheese Sandwiches™, a perfectly orange dog and dope sweaters - that’s what comes to mind first when we think of Martin Ahe. He seems to be an unstoppable force for good, brightening the dark and dreary winter days at LIFT. But how did he end up at LIFT99? Why does he speak so many languages that even his dog is multilingual?!? That’s why we sat down with him and asked him.
Estonian Startup Awards 2021 gala took place on January 21, 2022. Over 300 startuppers and impact makers of the sector gathered at Vaba Lava to officially wrap up 2021 and celebrate the biggest wins of the year. Most noteworthily, 8 award trophies found a new home - scroll down to see the FULL SHORTLISTS and WINNERS of Estonian Startup Awards 2021.
Ragnar Sass - founder of Pipedrive (unicorn), LIFT99 & Salto (unicorns to be), and investor in 40+ startups, has put together 24 questions he considers when investing in startups.
Today, we are making them public, knowing they will help both startup founders & future angel investors.
IN THE LIGHT OF THE BIGGEST STARTUP COMPETITION AND ACCELERATOR IN ESTONIA - “AJUJAHT” COMING TO AN END: HERE'S THE STORY OF MARKUS MERESMA, THE CO-FOUNDER AND CEO OF MENTORNAUT AND WINNER OF THE ESTBAN BUSINESS ANGELS AWARD FOR 100K AT “AJUJAHT”.
