Dream land for Start-ups: Why is Skype so many Estonians Empire has made

wants to leave When "The Boss" of his thoughts dangle, then he's doing in Iceland. Not in the geographical sense, but in a room, the "Iceland" is called. The 42-year-old Este, then sits on one of the eight swings, a table swing, a Laptop and a colleague Hanging in front of you, and brainstormt in the collective. "The Boss" is in white font on the black felt Slippers, which the chief wears. Silently, he shuffles through the light, spacious, 700 square feet of office space, a Loft converted brick building. It is located in the heart of Talliskivi, the most fashionable and trendy neighborhood in the Estonian capital Tallinn. Ragnar he is, just like the legendary Viking and Danish king.

And also Ragnar Sass is a kind of king – as the founder and head of "Lift 99". A think-tank, the beneficiaries would have to pay in 2016, from Start-up founders Start-up founders created, without anything in return. "I want to give a piece of what I get out of life," says Sass, who is one of Estonia's most successful Start-up entrepreneurs.

expert knowledge against expert knowledge, to grow faster together,

27 years after regaining independence from Russia, Sass, thus strengthening a market that is benefiting from the in Estonia with its 1.3 million inhabitants, a very successful driven digitization of more and more. "There are now 550 Start-up companies. Alone in Tallinn, there are 400, with 400,000 inhabitants, so a Start-up on 1000 inhabitants. This is top in Europe“. 14 countries, 14 Reporter – solutions, which can be for our society as a model

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Lift 99 works like a knowledge Pool, which is based on reciprocity. "We provide the experts, our experience in specialty areas, free of charge, in exchange for the experience of others. One is good Management, the other in the field of IT. We exchange skills and get better and cheaper,“ says Sass.

Digital structural change: opportunities, instead of in fear to freeze

Estonia has been at the forefront of the digital Revolution in Europe. The interest of the technical progress in traditional industrial Nations such as Germany huge. However, the debate around the digitalisation of the working world in Germany is still marked heavily by Fears that are associated with it. Fears of job losses, which brings a progressive automation.

In Estonia, the impact of the automation of industrial processes, keep within limits of course, since there are hardly any industry. However, the Start-up scene is the proof of how much potential there is in the digitization, because it creates new jobs.

"The Finns had a Nokia, we. had suddenly Skype"

After 1991, the Estonian banking system after the withdrawal of the Russians on the Online Banking has been changed, then the schools and finally the whole of the public administration followed, it was mainly the development of Skype by Estonian engineers, and the creation of hundreds of new companies, gave the decisive impulse "The Finns had a Nokia, and we suddenly had Skype. It was a success, to the daring of the dreams no one would have,“ recalls Sass.

Many Estonians, who at the time worked for the Sweden-based Instant-Messaging service, which was quickly expanded for IP telephony and video chats, left the company and invested their revenue in building their own Start-ups.

From the province in the world: Estonian Taxi Start-up Uber competition

the most successful start-UPS includes, for example, "Taxify", 2013 in Tallinn by Markus Villig founded, then just 19 years old. In Germany, the service, the App and taxi drivers to customers is not taught, even at the Start. In 25 other countries in Africa, Central America and Eastern Europe, where half a Million drivers have registered, to operate according to Taxify-information 10 million customers. And the pressure for market leader Uber, is larger: In the past year, the Chinese were at Taxify, 2018, Daimler announced a plan to invest in the Estonian operation.

the Masquerade-App MSQRD back to Estonian development. "The thing started with us as a prototype. Three months later, the Software for $ 100 million was sold to Facebook,“ explains Sass. He himself founded in 2010, among other things, "Pipedrive", a software company for Customer Relationship Management, the worldwide of 70,000 companies as customers. And with its non-commercial "Garage 48" king Ragnar have come years ago the, what is the basis for Mega-successes such as MSQRD created: a Hackathon, Start-up, the project prototypes will be developed.

New business models through analysis of anonymized mobile phone data

know The fantasy of the Estonian Start-up actors are hardly any limits. In Tartu, in Southeast Estonia, there is a company by the name of "Positium", specializing in the analysis of the anonymous movement coordinates of cell phone users. The evaluated data will help city planners, business people or public service providers optimize their offers.

One of the most curious studies has made the Start-up of the Peipsi lake, a popular summer holiday destination, the area is located in the East of the country for more than half of the Estonian and the Russian state. Positium CEO Erki Saluveer:"at some point, had come to our ears, that every year in the Winter, more and more people at this lake, although it is completely frozen."

Saluveers Team found that it is mainly the Latvians and Lithuanians, specializing in ice fishing. At home, there is no comparable inland lakes, which is why they make the pilgrimage in winter in droves to the Russian border. "There are no tourist, winter-proof accommodation. The anglers have demand, especially in the case of schools and libraries, if they could sleep there on the floor.“ At the end of a list of needs came out of it, the impetus for private investors to the creation of winter-proof accommodation. "And also the notärztlichen services in the Winter had to be completely re-organized," adds Saluveer.

control of agricultural subsidies, thanks to satellite-Software – made-in-Estonia

Mart Noorma, Ex-Vice-rector of the University of Tartu and in 2015, the head of the first Estonian space programme is now in "Milrem Robotics", the unmanned robotic vehicles to develop. They are used for fire-fighting, mining, in agriculture or in the military. "The machines can do everything better, safer, and faster than humans," says the 45-Year-old, in Estonia everyone knows as the host of "Rakket 69", a TV knowledge quiz. "Equipped with solar cells, these devices are operated in the future with clean energy."

One of his PhD students have developed a satellite technology, with the use of EU funding in large scale will be controlled. "It is determined with the aid of extremely accurate radar technology, the growth of cereals, treated with subsidised fertilizers. Through simple controls, large-scale fraud can be uncovered.“

learning Apps by students for students – thanks to a Start-ups

The Start-up company "Foxcademy", however, was developed in Tallinn. You developed Apps for Tablets and Smartphones, which are used in Estonia successfully in the digital classroom. "The teaching is so diverse, it raises the learning motivation of the students felt," says Kaarel Rundu from the German school in Tallinn. The company's founders are all graduates of his school. Up to 2020, to stand in Estonia, the entire teaching material is also available digitally.

Estonia's schools are already connected since 1999, is fully connected to the Internet. The digital upgrade was the first step, the Estonian government, with the in 1996, the Foundation stone for the digitalisation of the public administration. The action was christened "Tiigrihüpe" what 'tiger jump' means.

companies in Estonia in just one day

reasons, Since 2014, the Estonian government also facilitates foreign entrepreneurs to set up companies in Estonia. The program is called "e-Residancy". Although it is not new citizenships. However, if you register a digital ID as an "e-Resident" has received, it can open up within one day, a new business in Estonia.

The prospect is economically attractive, because corporate profits, which flow into reinvestment projects must not be taxed in Estonia. The best conditions for young companies to grow quickly. Although the Estonians are still far from your goal of having by 2025 about 10 million e-residents. But about 35,000 digital New citizens there are in the meantime, let's hope that the number can be significantly increased.

recipe for success: a Fast Internet connection and good wire to the government

“The Estonians trust their government, this is unique,” the Estonian Start-up-king Ragnar Sass. "If something is not running or there are problems, then we have a direct line to the government." Estonia, Sass, was very small, everyone know everyone, which is of course an advantage. The government then go on to help in the regulation will be loosened. "And we stimulate in turn, the economy. A simple yet brilliant principle.“

In the Start-up Estonia, the Internet, digitalization of the company's founding, Skype, Uber SIM data security