Episodes

  • It's time for the season finale! In the sixth episode, we talk about how to build a startup around physical products.

    This time, we are visited by the founder and CEO of Comodule - Kristjan Maruste. Comodule is a micromobility and IoT solutions company which connects electric vehicles to the internet. This year, Comodule also entered the scooter-sharing market with the brand Tuul, which is claimed to be the most durable and eco-friendly e-scooter in the world. 

    Tune in to hear Kristjan speak about how Comodule has set up their production line, both of scooters and IoT chips, in Tallinn. He emphasises that people tend to fall under the spell of status quo - if the industry at large does their production in China, surely it cannot be done elsewhere? Kristjan also brings new perspectives to numerous matters regarding autonomous vehicles, the future of transportation and micro-mobility. With inspiring confidence, he might also throw in humble claims like Comodule will soon be the Tesla of small e-vehicles.

    Startup in Estonia podcast is hosted by Adam Rang (@adamrangpr).

    Comodule: https://www.comodule.com/

    #startupinestonia

  • In the fifth episode, we talk about how to support the mental health of you and your team. 

    For the first time in this series, we had the pleasure of bringing in two guests from a startup that's widely known for setting a great emphasis on supporting the well-being and mental health of their employees - Pipedrive. You can hear from their senior People & Culture Manager Leelia Rohumaa and Personal Coach Jorgen Matsi.

    Tune in for a very well-rounded overview of addressing mental health topics in any working group or company. A good starting point that is stressed in the episode is that everyone's case is different and there is no universal situation for addressing the matter. However, Jorgen and Leelia do a great job of laying out a framework for finding the best solution for these kind of situations. They share their views on how to make vacations and rest have the desired outcome, when to seek and what to look out for in professional help as well as how over-achieve and make no excuses while taking care of one's mental health. 

    Startup in Estonia podcast is hosted by Adam Rang (@adamrangpr).    

    Pipedrive: https://www.pipedrive.com/ 

    #startupinestonia

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  • Startup in Estonia is a podcast where we discuss different pillars of a successful startup ecosystem by showcasing examples from Estonia. In the third season, we are looking into how to build a successful startup.  

    In the fourth episode, we talk about how to help save the planet & still make a profit. The guest of this episode is Sandra Särav (@sandrasarav). She is the head of sustainability at Bolt, an Estonian startup which, on top of being one of the biggest and more successful ones in general, is also one that very much emphasises the importance of doing their business in an environmentally friendly way.  

    Tune in to hear Sandra talk about the different sustainability methods used in Bolt, all the way from recycling garbage to making their rides carbon-neutral. She also touches on the various benefits of having a green business strategy and gives tips on implementing greener measures for any company.  Other topics covered include greenwashing, educating customers, the future of green and many more.  Get ready for a thorough look into how to solve one of humanities biggest challenges whilst still staying true to the nature of a startup - changing the world, expanding globally and making a profit.   

    Tune in to the fourth episode of the Startup in Estonia podcast!  

    Bolt: https://bolt.eu/ 

    More episodes on our website: https://startupestonia.ee/podcast 

    #startupinestonia

  • Startup in Estonia is a podcast where we discuss different pillars of a successful startup ecosystem by showcasing examples from Estonia. In the third season, we are looking into how to build a successful startup.

    In the third episode, we talk about how to avoid the mistakes of first time entrepreneurs and founders. The guest of this episode is Taavi Tamkivi (@taavitamkivi). He has 15 years of experience working in Estonia’s most celebrated startups such as Skype and TransferWise. In 2018, he took his wealth of experience on data science and cyber fraud and started his own startup company Salv, which is now helping companies beat financial crime with an innovative anti-money laundering solution.Tune in to hear Taavi reflect on his career of working at the forefront of Estonia’s biggest startup success stories. He is also humble to admit that despite those experiences, there was still a lot of unknown when it came to starting his own company: “I had seen companies grow from 50 employees to 2 000, but never from 1 to 50.”

    Get ready to gather valuable tips on founding a company and climbing the career ladder from this episode of the Startup in Estonia podcast.

  • Startup in Estonia is a podcast where we discuss different pillars of a successful startup ecosystem by showcasing examples from Estonia. In the third season, we are looking into how to build a successful startup. 

    In the second episode, we talk about successfully pivoting and keeping your business flexible to keep up with the market needs and beat the competition. The guest of the episode is Karoli Hindriks (@karolihindriks). She was Estonia's youngest inventor with a patented product at the age of 16, also the CEO of MTV Estonia at just 23 and is now the founder and CEO of Jobbatical. Jobbatical started as a platform to connect  highly skilled people with companies, giving businesses a chance to choose from a global talent pool. Over the course of several pivots and smaller adjustments, their most recent business model focuses on helping companies with the relocating process of hired talent. Karoli talks about the journey and the overall importance of being willing to let go of promising ideas. The show also touches on what implications to keep an eye on when pivoting, as Karoli shares plenty of tips and stories from her illustrious career.

    Jobbatical: https://jobbatical.com/

    #startupinestonia

  • Startup in Estonia is a podcast where we discuss different pillars of a successful startup ecosystem by showcasing examples from Estonia.

    In the third season, we are looking into how to build a successful startup. We're going to talk to more amazing founders of startups, both large and small to hear their perspective and get some valuable advice from them based on what they did right and just as importantly, what they did wrong.

    In the first episode, we are going to find out how to create a compelling company story for your startup. Every company has a story and a good one can be a cornerstone of good marketing and PR. It can inspire both customers and investors. It can foster a deeper understanding of you and your product, as well as add greater trust and familiarity to your business. If you don’t tell your story then someone else might do it for you - perhaps a cofounder you split from after a disagreement or perhaps a cynical journalist - and their story about your company might become the dominant public narrative, whether deserved or not.

    The guest of our podcast is Rain Rannu (@rainrannu). With more than 15 years of experience in the startup scene, Rain is the founder of mobile payments service provider Fortumo, founding partner at early-stage investment fund Superangel and a filmmaker. His latest movie ‘’Chasing Unicorns’’ is a fun narrative about a female founder trying to make it a male-dominated tech world, from Europe to Silicon Valley, based on based on real-life stories of European startups.

    Startup in Estonia podcast is hosted by Adam Rang (@adamrangpr).

    More about ‘’Chasing Unicorns’’: http://tallifornia.com/

    #startupinestonia

  • Startup in Estonia is a podcast where we discuss different pillars of a successful startup ecosystem by showcasing examples from Estonia.

    In the second season, we take a deeper dive into verticals of startups such as Educational Technology, AI & Machine Learning, Cyber Security, Financial Technologies, Talent/HR and more.

    In the fifth episode, we are focusing on financial technologies, covering the topic with Kaidi Ruusalepp, the CEO of Funderbeam and Norris Koppel, the CEO of Monese.

    Kaidi Ruusalepp is the founder and CEO of Funderbeam, the global funding and trading platform of private companies built on blockchain. Kaidi is a former CEO of Nasdaq Tallinn Stock Exchange and the Co-Founder of Estonian Service Industry Association. She is also an Ex Member of Startup Europe Advisory Board at European Commission.

    Norris Koppel is the founder and CEO of Monese, an online banking platform that offers quick current account opening for all EU residents. Norris founded Monese after his first-hand experience of the hassle involved with opening a bank account in a new country. Prior to starting Monese, he built multiple FinTech companies in the UK.

    The podcast is hosted by Joao Rei.

  • Startup in Estonia is a podcast where we discuss different pillars of a successful startup ecosystem by showcasing examples from Estonia.

    In the second season, we take a deeper dive into verticals of startups such as Educational Technology, AI & Machine Learning, Cyber Security, Financial Technologies, Talent/HR and more.

    In the fourth episode, we are focusing on educational technology, covering the topic with Ede Schank Tamkivi, the CEO of Eesti 2.0 and Märt Aro, co-founder of Nordic EdTech Forum "N8".

    Ede Schank Tamkivi is the CEO of Eesti 2.0,  a non-profit organisation that aims to inspire the next generation of Estonians to choose a future in technology. Ede is also an author and a journalist. 
    Märt Aro is the co-founder and Chairman of The Board of Nordic EdTech Forum "N8". He has co-founded 3 NGO’s and 4 companies for education development, including  DreamApply.com Student Admission Platform, which is used by more than 200 universities from 30+ countries.

    The podcast is hosted by Joao Rei.

  • Startup in Estonia is a podcast where we discuss different pillars of a successful startup ecosystem by showcasing examples from Estonia.

    In the second season, we take a deeper dive into verticals of startups such as Educational Technology, AI & Machine Learning, Cyber Security, Financial Technologies, Talent/HR and more.

    In the third episode, we are focusing on the future of mobility, covering the topic with Martin Villig, the co-founder of Bolt (formerly Taxify) and Ardo Reinsalu, the CEO and co-founder of Stigo.

    Ardo Reinsalu is the CEO and co-founder of Stigo, a B2B scooter share company. Stigo has also launched the world fastest folding electric scooter and is leading the last-mile transportation development. Ardo's previous experience includes management of high-tech and med-tech companies.

    Martin Villig is the co-founder of Bolt (formerly Taxify), leading ride-hailing platform in 100+ cities in 30 countries across Europe and Africa with over 25M passengers and 500K drivers. Martin has 20+ years of experience, either founding and working with software and internet related businesses (eg: Nasdaq Stock Exchange, Skype and Fortumo) and he is the co-founder of Estonian Startup Leaders Club and Garage48 Foundation.

    The podcast is hosted by Joao Rei.

  • Startup in Estonia is a podcast where we discuss different pillars of a successful startup ecosystem by showcasing examples from Estonia.

    In the second season, we take a deeper dive into verticals of startups such as Educational Technology, AI & Machine Learning, Cyber Security, Financial Technologies, Talent/HR and more.

    In the second episode, we are focusing on AI & Machine Learning, covering the topic with Triin Mahlakõiv, the co-founder of North Star AI and Kristjan Korjus, Head of Data at Starship Technologies.


    Triin Mahlakõiv is the co-founder of machine intelligence community North Star AI, that unites ML practitioners, supports AI education and raises awareness of applied ML solutions in business. She is also an advisor on fundraising, partnerships, community growth, strategic sales and marketing. 

    Kristjan Korjus is the Head of Data at Starship Technologies. He has led a successful GitHub project where they were first to replicate the notorious Atari playing AI by DeepMind and he is a co-author of the 3rd best selling book in Estonia in 2014 “Bedside Reading About Mathematics”. Kristjan has a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Tartu.

    The podcast is hosted by Joao Rei.

  • Startup in Estonia is a podcast where we discuss different pillars of a successful startup ecosystem by showcasing examples from Estonia.

    In the second season, we take a deeper dive into verticals of startups such as Educational Technology, AI & Machine Learning, Cyber Security, Financial Technologies, Talent/HR and more.

    In the first episode, we are focusing on cyber security, covering the topic with Ralph Echemendia from Seguru and Marily Hendrikson from Startup Estonia.

    Ralph Echemendia is a world-renowned cyber security expert, known internationally by his alter ego “The Ethical Hacker.” For over 20 years, Ralph has delivered training on hacking and other security information to corporations including the US Marine Corps, NASA, Google, Microsoft, Oracle, AMEX, Intel, Boeing, Symantec, and IBM. In the recent two years Ralph has been based in Tallinn, Estonia, working on his startup Seguru, world's first truly multifaceted security app for your mobile device. https://www.seguru.io/

    Marily Hendrikson is the Cyber Defence Project Lead for Startup Estonia. Marily's role is to find the factors in the startup ecosystem which help to create new cyber security startups and support the growth of existing startups.

    The podcast is hosted by Joao Rei.

  • Startup in Estonia is a podcast about launching new businesses and the ecosystem needed to nurture great ideas. We talk to the founders both new and established startups and the benefits they gain setting up their businesses in Estonia through the startup visa programme.

    The sixth episode features Maarika Truu and Marten Kaevats. Maarika has been active in the Estonian startup ecosystem in various fields; managing sales in Pipedrive, organizing hackathons for Garage48 and is currently the head of Startup Estonia. Marten is the national digital advisor for the Government Office of Estonia.

    Maarika and Marten discuss how the government is involved in the startup ecosystem development and what are the plans for future.

  • Startup in Estonia is a podcast about launching new businesses and the ecosystem needed to nurture great ideas. We talk to the founders both new and established startups and the benefits they gain setting up their businesses in Estonia through the startup visa programme.

    In the fifth episode features two investors. Allan Martinson is a serial entrepreneur and investor who is currently the CEO of LeapIn, startup providing location independent company creation online. Margus Uudam is the founding partner at karma.vc, an early-stage venture capital firm, specialised in late seed and A round investments in Europe Previously Margus was the Head of Venture Capital Investments at Ambient Sound Investments.

    Allan and Margus discuss the current investment landscape and the state of the startup ecosystem in Estonia.

    The podcast is hosted by Joao Rei.

  • Startup in Estonia is a podcast about launching new businesses and the ecosystem needed to nurture great ideas. We talk to the founders both new and established startups and the benefits they gain setting up their businesses in Estonia through the startup visa programme.

    In the fourth episode Evgenia Trofimova, CEO of Sharedtrip and Youssef El Moumni, CEO of Realified give the founders perspective on Estonia. With both of them with a really international background, Evgenia and Youssef discuss on why they chose Estonia to work on their startup.
    The podcast is hosted by Joao Rei.

  • Startup in Estonia is a podcast about launching new businesses and the ecosystem needed to nurture great ideas. We talk to the founders both new and established startups and the benefits they gain setting up their businesses in Estonia through the startup visa programme.

    In the second episode Sten Tamkivi, CPO of Topia, founder of Teleport & longtime General Manager at Skype and Martin Sokk, long-time Head of Product at TransferWise and startup HR specialist discuss the evolvement of the Estonian startups throughout the years and set a (bright) look to the future. The podcast is hosted by Joao Rei.

  • Startup in Estonia is a podcast about launching new businesses and the ecosystem needed to nurture great ideas. We talk to the founders both new and established startups and the benefits they gain setting up thier businesses in Estonia through the startup visa programme.

    In the second episode Maris Prii, COO of RebelRoam and former COO of Startup Wise Guys and Rivo Riistop, Startup Sector Strategist for Startup Estonia are discussing on how the need in the startup community was the start of the Startup Visa in Estonia. The podcast is hosted by Joao Rei.

  • Startup in Estonia is a podcast about launching new businesses and the ecosystem needed to nurture great ideas. We talk to the founders both new and established startups and the benefits they gain setting up thier businesses in Estonia through the startup visa programme.

    In the first episode Avery Schrader, a founder of Modash (https://www.modash.io/) from Canada is sharing his story on how he ended up in Estonia with the help of the Startup Visa programme. Merilin Lukk of Startup Estonia is giving insights to the Startup Visa scheme, how it came to be and what are the benefits of it for startup entrepreneurs. The podcast is hosted by Joao Rei.