Life in Estonia. Autumn 2023 by EAS, Enterprise Estonia

No61 2/2023

A new forest economy Empowering e-mobility Think global, test in Tallinn Estonia as AI muse PoCo: the new home of pop art A sauna state of mind

Focus on GreenTech

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Three lucky respondents will get a ticket to Latitude59 2024

Cover "Estoniia Muse" by Alyona Movko-Mägi

The economy should fit within the limits of nature Executive publisher Positive Projects Pärnu mnt 69, 10134 Tallinn, Estonia lifeinestonia@positive.ee

The green transition is one of the main priorities of the government. The economy should fit within the limits of nature; a smaller footprint is a competitive advantage. Estonia aims to be climate-neutral by 2050 and reduce its greenhouse gas output by 70% by 2030. Making this a reality has a direct impact on how we structure our economic and social lives.

Editor Reet Grosberg reetgrosberg@positive.ee

Language editor

Systemic change is necessary to stave off the effects of climate change, decrease pollution, and maintain biodiversity. The right momentum is already here: according to a recent report by the World Economic Forum, Estonia is now in the top 10 developed economies for effective energy transition, and it also among leaders in sustainable tourism.

Daniel Warren Design & layout Positive Design Print

Yet challenges remain. Russia’s war in Ukraine has driven Europe’s transition to renewable energy sources. Estonia is among the countries embracing this shift, which reduces greenhouse gas emissions and keeps energy prices low – the foundation for economic competitiveness. With the goal of generating 100% of its electricity from renewables by 2030, Estonia is making strides towards meeting the most ambitious climate objectives.

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High-quality and accessible data are key to creating new services, products, and investments. Estonia's fully digitalised energy grid has enabled the creation of solutions that reduce energy consumption for households and businesses. Open data and digitalisation are essential to a successful green transition in all sectors.

Estonian Investment Agency supports companies investing and expanding in Estonia. World-class human capital, unique digital capabilities and a competitive business environment make Estonia a smart, agile location for businesses with global ambitions.

Photo by Stenbock House

Estonia is committed to improving the quality of life by renovating public places with digital solutions. These solutions will not only increase productivity and the quality of construction but also provide better supply and value chains.

Forest coverage in Estonia is over 50%, and we are digitising forestry to understand its condition better. Estonia is undergoing both a green and digital transition, providing accessible, interactive solutions to simplify and explain processes.

investinestonia.com

The production of the magazine has been inspired by green technology

Kristen Michal Minister of Climate of the Republic of Estonia LI F E I N ESTON IA N o 6 1

medical field by creating nanofibrous materials that can be used in wound treatment.

News and Events

Always a charger nearby

Estonia was the first country in the world to build a countrywide EV charging network. Now the three biggest operators – Enefit VOLT, Eleport and Alexela have 560 charging points all over the country. At the same time, VOOL offers EV charging for apartments, private houses and offices.

Estonia’s goal for 2030: To be the greenest digital government in the world ICT helps make many areas more environmentally friendly. However, ICT has its own ecological footprint. As a leader in digital state technology, Estonia’s public sector is now looking to make its ICT more sustainable.

12 GreenTech Week. Be part of the future city Tallinn proudly holds the title of 2023 European Green Capital. The city showcases its biodiversity, sustainability governance and eco-innovation. In addition, Tallinn will also be the world capital of green technology in November, hosting the GreenTech Week.

16 Estonian companies are evolving transport

25 Powering the future PowerUp Energy Technologies is making waves with its ambitious vision for a greener, hydrogen-powered future. Thanks to a cooperation with the ESA, PowerUp’s transformative journey is taking them into space exploration.

28 SRC Group rethinks maritime fuel storage The maritime industry is making significant strides toward a greener and more sustainable future. SRC Group’s novel Methanol Superstorage solution allows existing commercial ships to play a pivotal role in the decarbonisation trajectory of the shipping industry.

Estonian companies like Auve Tech, Clevon, Elmo, Starship and Bolt, to name a few, develop mobility services. More and more self-driving cars and delivery robots are functioning at home and abroad.

CONTENT

Gelatex is working with 70 companies around the world to grow meat from animal cells in bioreactors. They are also helping to leapfrog the

Fusebox: Refining energy management In today's fast-paced corporate landscape, every penny counts, and companies are seeking innovative ways to reduce costs. Fusebox is revolutionising the way businesses handle their energy consumption.

34 Estonia is a trendsetter in forestry and the timber industry Half of Estonia is covered by trees and our companies are demonstrating that they can become global trendsetters and standard makers: Arbonics builds a new forest economy to fight climate change, Timbeter uses AI to measure timber, and Fibenol takes sustainable industry to a new level.

37 Horizon Pulp & Paper – investing in unique paper products Horizon Pulp & Paper plans to invest in building a state-of-the-art R&D facility, helping to develop new specialty paper products in Estonia. This is all to substantially enhance the international competitiveness of the company.

Nanofibre leads to bioreactor-grown meat and scarless wounds

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Climate change pushes research to develop drought-tolerant plants

From Europe to the US: new early-stage fund helps to break ground in the States

Kristjan Järvi unites human creativity and AI

While some parts of Europe are ravaged by floods, other regions are suffering from desertification and water scarcity. How can more drought-tolerant plants help? The scientists of the University of Tartu might know the answer.

42 The first European permanent magnet factory is being built in Narva The new factory in Narva is a game-changer for Europe: Neo will be the first of its kind in the western world to produce permanent magnets, essential for the green transition of many industries – a crucial component for electric vehicles and wind turbines.

Cross Ocean Ventures has established its operational hub in Estonia. The fund invests in and helps European startups expand to the US market. Serhat Pala, the fund’s CEO, explains his decision to choose Estonia for one of the hubs in Europe.

49 SmartCap Green Fund – financing innovative Estonian GreenTech companies

More and more investors are investing in green technologies. Estonia is contributing to the green transition with the 100-million-euro SmartCap Green Fund, which is financed by the European Union NextGenerationEU Recovery and Resilience Facility funds.

Modular data centre grows with the clients

Greenergy Data Centres’ facility in Tallinn is the most energy-efficient and secure data centre in the Baltics. Their long-term vision is to enable digital growth by building a network of sustainable data centres in Central and Eastern Europe.

Portfolio PoCo: Where international pop art icons and Estonian art stars meet

Invest Estonia’s Hamburg office celebrated its 20th anniversary with a concert of Kristjan Järvi in Elbphilharmonie. This marked an opportunity for a new collaboration between the Estonian and Hamburg AI communities, as Järvi’s latest project ‘Estoniia Muse’ is also linked to AI.

68 Michelin quality in the midst of a bog A new trendsetter in Estonian food culture came into the spotlight at this year’s Michelin Awards. Under the leadership of Daanius Aas, Restaurant Soo was included in the Michelin Select and awarded the Michelin Green Star. Daanius Aas became the Michelin Young Chef of the Year.

72 Every year is a year of sauna for Estonians

Linnar Viik, one of the founding visionaries of digital Estonia, finally exposed his secret passion: pop art. He realised his ambitious idea to exhibit and expand his collection into a pop art museum in Tallinn.

2023 is the year of the sauna in Estonia. Estonians simply love the sauna and the Southern Estonian smoke sauna tradition was even listed as UNESCO intangible heritage in 2014.

80 Events Calendar: Highlights from October to April

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By Eve Peeterson, Head of Startup Estonia

In a bold stride towards global tech prominence, Estonia is joining hands with its neighbouring countries to challenge the juggernauts of the tech world in the US and Asia.

Catalysing a Nordic Tech Powerhouse Estonia proudly claims the third spot among the leading startup hubs in the Nordics, a recognition conferred by the recent StartupBlink report. Furthermore, our nation has surged to 10th place in the global ranking of emerging ecosystems, a feat acknowledged by the esteemed Global Startup Ecosystem Report. However, success stories often coexist with unexplored potential. According to “The Next Generation of Tech Ecosystems Report,” published by Dealroom, the combined valuation of Estonian, Finnish, and Swedish tech enterprises, nearing 400 billion euros, hints at immense possibilities. It’s noteworthy that the Nordic and Baltic nations are the world leaders in generating unicorns per capita, second only to Silicon Valley. But despite this, when measured against China, European investments in DeepTech are presently merely half the magnitude; when gauged against the United States, they stand at just one-third.

The Nordic Tech Valley vision To outpace the US and Asia, it’s crucial that we consolidate our resources and operate as

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a united front alongside our neighbouring nations. Transitioning from a national to a global perspective, Estonia, Finland, and Sweden are coming together within the framework of the Nordic Tech Valley, envisioning a collective rise as a global tech force capable of standing on par with their US and Asian counterparts.

DeepTech: Catalyst for a flourishing ecosystem Nordic Tech Valley focuses on deep technology because harnessing scientific discoveries for business is becoming one of the main drivers of ecosystem growth. The Nordics aim to create a successful DeepTech region in Europe that produces highly disruptive technologies and exports them to the rest of the world. While Estonia’s existing collaborations with its neighbours are commendable, opportunities for shared growth remain untapped. Each nation’s stakeholders, such as the country’s authorities, entrepreneurs, incubators, accelerators, and private and public sectors, primarily prioritise their own interests. However, the global competitiveness pathway necessitates viewing the Nordic region as a cohesive entity.

Inaugural steps and insights The inauguration of the Nordic Tech Valley took place during the Latitude59 tech conference in Estonia. Experts from the region converged to deliberate on technology transfer, collaborative resource pooling, global visibility, and the allure of DeepTech talent and investments. A consensus emerged – a united, regional perspective bolstered by Swedish foresight, Finnish public-private funding models, and Estonian agility could spawn a dynamic interconnected ecosystem. Mart Maasik, Head of Entrepreneurship & Investment Director of the University of Tartu, highlighted the pivotal role of DeepTech in the sector’s evolution – it could account for up to half of the added value in the technology sector in the future. “For the emergence and success of new companies, it is essential that scientists do not feel isolated during their transition from academia to the business world,” said Maasik. Kari Sinivuori, co-founder of Finnish DeepTech startup Uute Scientific, emphasised the synergy between venture capitalists and universities, propelling co-funding research groups and scientific projects.

Photo by Jarek Jõepera

Uniting Nordic forces: The emergence of the Nordic Tech Valley

Inka Mero, CEO of Voima Ventures, illuminated the landscape of DeepTech investments, revealing both progress and room for growth. With investments at 4.5 billion euros out of 21 billion euros in the Nordics, early-stage startups remain underserved. The need for capital infusion for nascent ventures has never been more urgent. Erki Mölder, co-founder of Health Founders, highlighted European Union regulatory bottlenecks hampering innovation, especially in the health sector. “Overregulation in medical technology puts us at a disadvantage compared to the United States or China, where there is much more flexibility and freedom,” he said. A conducive regulatory framework is pivotal in fostering innovation in diverse fields.

Magnetising talent for growth The cornerstone of success for any tech hub is the ability to draw and inspire top talent. Nordic Tech Valley recognises this and envisions a cascade effect – a surge in research and entrepreneurial initiatives attracting more minds and capital. By synergising the strengths of each Nordic ecosystem, a singular, all-encompassing hub could emerge.

Paving the path ahead The importance of connected European innovation valleys was also underscored during Prime Minister Kaja Kallas’ visit to Copenhagen in May, where she advocated for a Nordic cooperation platform. She envisions the creation of a new Silicon Valley in the North, propelled by collaboration, pooling resources, and a shared ambition for global recognition. Highlighting Estonia’s remarkably open, resilient, flexible, and dynamic business environment, the Prime Minister acknowledged our strong startup culture. Nonetheless, global competition is undeniable within the vast realm of startups and technology. “In terms of global competition, we are all too small to attract money from outside. We are too small to go alone, but the Nordic-Baltic region together has a population of 33 million and generates around 2 percent of global GDP. By working smartly together, we can develop a private equity and venture capital ecosystem that is

both sizeable and agile and thus attractive to prominent investors in third markets. Putting assets together could also create an opportunity for bigger tickets from large institutional players. In other words, instead of competing, we can build a new Silicon Valley – let’s call it the New Nordic Tech Valley,” Kallas said.

Confronting challenges with unity In a world where the solutions to our most significant challenges lie in the realms of science and technology, their role in driving industrial and societal transformation cannot be overstated. These tools hold the potential to reshape our planet’s future, and in this endeavour, the New Nordics stand as torchbearers. There’s a real chance for the region to ascend as a global leader, spearheading solutions to some of humanity’s most pressing global issues. Nordic Tech Valley’s mission is to unlock DeepTech’s potential by empowering stakeholders. This mission takes shape through tangible initiatives: fostering cross-border collaborations among researchers and research institutions, fortifying connections between early-stage DeepTech startups and investors and cultivating a dynamic research-to-business environment for research teams, startups, investors, corporates, and supporting entities. As we stand on the threshold of possibility, it all commences with the mindset of collectively defining the New Nordics as a “we” and extending this perspective to co-create a new era of technological brilliance.

Photo by Stenbock House

The present moment is the best time to take action. Numerous other European countries are progressively enhancing their support for startups and talent attraction. The understanding that talent begets talent and prosperous startups magnetise others is gaining traction.

Recovery persists despite market volatility. Responding to the situation and seeking innovative solutions, tech entrepreneurs hold a significant role in this resurgence. Reflecting on history, evidence suggests that economic downturns can actually propel new ventures. During such times, capital and talent tend to gravitate towards companies offering value and exhibiting heightened competitiveness. This serves as a poignant reminder of the significance of leveraging each other’s strengths at this point.

Estonian DeepTech Action Plan key metrics for 2030 Number of DeepTech startups 500 Number of DeepTech scaleups 75 Share of DeepTech investments 30% LI F E I N ESTON IA N o 6 1

sTARTUp Day puts Tartu on the map as a startup city

Photo by Kiur Kaasik

The 8th edition of sTARTUp Day, the biggest business festival in the Baltics, will take place in Tartu during the last week of January – right before the European Capital of Culture 2024 opening celebrations take over the city.

sTARTUp Day 2024 24th -26th of January 2024 in Tartu, Estonia 4000 participants, 150+ speakers Stage and seminar program, expo area, pitching competitions, vibrant side events.

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'The DeepTech sector in particular is exhibiting fast growth’

Photo by Pilleriin Kivisikk

Mart Lättekivi

The festival goes back to 2016, when the initiators sought to bring together the city’s entrepreneurial community, inspired by the iconic Slush festival in Helsinki. “Until then, local entrepreneurship support organisations had organised smaller events separately. But everyone realised we could have a bigger impact by joining forces behind an event on a much larger scale,“ explains Mart Lättekivi, Head Organiser of sTARTUp Day. Eight years later, the communal efforts have borne fruit. sTARTUp Day has become one of the flagship events in the city, attended by 4,000 entrepreneurs, investors and entrepreneurial-minded guests each year. With less than 100,000 inhabitants, Tartu itself has become a thriving startup hub. The number of startups based in Tartu city and county has grown to 107 (as of August 2023), according to the Startup Estonia database, while an increasing number of tech companies have opened local offices in the city. The DeepTech sector in particular is exhibiting fast growth, thanks to the nurturing environment of the University of Tartu and its research centres. DeepTech is also strongly embedded in the sTARTUp Day festival program. “Partly, this comes from our team – the festival is organised in collaboration with eight community organisations that include the University of Tar-

Photo by Edmond Mäll

tu, Tartu Science Park and Tartu Biotechnology Park,” notes Lättekivi. “But investors are also taking notice. The biggest syndicate investments in our last two pitching competitions have been awarded to scientist-led DeepTech and Biotech startups,” he cites the success of companies like LightCode Photonics, Nanordica Medical and Gearbox Biosciences. Of course, the three-day festival covers much more than DeepTech, reflecting the interests of its diverse audience. For instance, the upcoming January edition includes tracks on marketing and branding, work culture and ‘personal pivots’, where organisers want to share career stories with unexpected twists. “Not every company becomes – or should become – a unicorn. Likewise, not every founder story ends with a successful exit but can take many turns – which may prove equally insightful and inspiring,” says Lättekivi. The first day of the festival is reserved for side events, including Investor Day, networking events, tours and even ice swimming. On the two main days, the festival buzz is centred around the University of Tartu Sports Hall, where 150+ entrepreneurs and experts will be sharing their insights and experiences on two stages and in seminars. Over 70 innovative organisations will exhibit at the festival’s expo area, while the region’s top startups will be

vying for a prize pool of over 350,000 euros at the sTARTUp Pitching competition. Each year, the team has stepped up its efforts towards more sustainable event organisation. For instance, the festival fully switched to reusable dishes and cups in 2021. “We have also drawn up a detailed sustainability rulebook for our catering partners and expo area companies, and encourage participants to opt for sustainable choices, like using public transport, when enjoying the festival,” comments Lättekivi. What makes sTARTUp Day special, according to the Head Organiser, is its unique atmosphere born from the collaborative spirit, often admired by international guests. At the 2022 European Enterprise Promotion Awards, sTARTUp Day was recognised by the European Commission as one of the Top 3 initiatives supporting the internationalisation of business in Europe. “It has always been part of our mission to showcase Tartu’s strong and supportive business ecosystem while offering our guests the chance to combine doing business with having a good time,” reflects Lättekivi. “I think the unique opportunity to hold the next sTARTUp Day in the kickoff week of the European Capital of Culture 2024 will help us raise the bar even higher, and put on the best festival so far.” LI F E I N ESTON IA N o 6 1

By Kaidi-Kerli Kärner, Strategic planning director Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications

With the help of ICT, we can make many areas more environmentally friendly. Agriculture, manufacturing or services can all be made more sustainable if we use data and ICT in a smart way. But little has been talked about how much ICT itself has an ecological footprint. This is what Estonia is starting to tackle now. Being a leader in digital state technology for several years, it is understandable that the effect of Estonia’s ICT on the environment has increased as well. Therefore, Estonia’s public sector is looking to make its ICT more sustainable in several areas at the same time.

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Photos by Sergei Zjuganov

Estonia’s goal for 2030: To be the greenest digital government in the world

'Digital waste is one key component of the ICT ecological footprint’

First off, what specifically in ICT creates the biggest ecological footprint? In 2022, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications ordered an analysis carried out by Ernst&Young to determine the effect of different areas of ICT in the public sector. The analysis of green digital government looked at five things: data centres, cloud services, workstations, digital trash, and software solutions. The scope of analysis included 12 public sector institutions and 4 local governments. The results were surprising. One might think that going digital abolishes all negative environmental effects but is not fully the case. According to Shaping Europe’s digital future, the electricity consumption of the ICT sector currently forms around 5-9% of the world’s total consumption and over 2% of total emissions. Ernst&Young analysis found that when we look at Estonia specifically, the total impact of all workstation equipment used throughout Estonian state agencies (laptops, desktop PCs and monitors) is 26,000 t CO2 over the equipment’s life cycle. What does that mean? “Well, simply put, the carbon footprint of Estonia’s public sector ICT equipment usage for the average effective equipment lifecycle of 4 to 6 years equals the use of 5555 diesel cars every day for a full year,” says Ernst&Young senior consulting manager Raivo Ruusalepp. And just one laptop creates 100kg CO2 per year. To offset the impact of just that one laptop, we would have to plant about 4 trees every year. But the laptops of public servants are not the biggest contributors to the problem. The biggest footprint is created by servers and data centres. The problem is that many public institutions still have their own small server rooms

and those often are not built for purpose. So, they don’t use renewable energy nor do they reuse the heat created by servers. Private sector, especially telecom companies are a great example of how modernising server rooms can have a positive effect. Telia’s experience shows that contemporary data centres can offer the same service in a considerably greener way compared to in-house server rooms. For instance, the consolidation of the equipment reduced the requirement for physical space by sixfold. “Our clients value our efforts of providing sustainable services and since servers were one of our main energy consumers, it makes sense to invest in modern servers housing that reuses heat” says Helena Hiis, Telia brand manager. So, Estonia is consolidating data

waste is one key component of the ICT ecological footprint. Digital waste is all the files, documents, photos, videos etc on our computers and phones. And until the space runs out on our devices, unfortunately not many of us regularly clean up and organise our digital cupboards and drawers. Holding on to power point presentations from 5 years ago or forwarding an attachment to 20 co-workers instead of sharing it as an uploaded file are very common habits.

centres but also looking at ways data centres could be using more energy-efficient buildings alongside green energy.

Border Guard has managed to avoid buying extra server space for 4 years, thanks to regular clean ups. And therefore has saved a considerable amount of money. To educate public sector employees on what the effects of digital trash is and how to clean up, the ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications created a free online training on Digital State Academy.

The same goes for cloud services as well. Consolidating services to a state cloud and following cloud first principle will help tremendously to lower the negative effects of ICT. One of the areas that still has a smaller effect is software. It may not have a big footprint today, but that may all change quickly. New energy-intensive technologies like big data, blockchain and cryptocurrency may very quickly require large amounts of energy. At the moment, popularising more micro services and cloud-based tools can already help to minimise the effects of software. These are all things that need decision-making on a higher level. But actually, every person can make a difference and help minimise the effects of ICT on the environment. Digital

And all of this adds up. As a result of the analysis, we found out that not many public sector institutions organise routine digital clean up days, but those who do, benefit from it a lot. For example, the Estonian Police and

Knowledge of all of these areas is a great starting point for Estonia to start tackling the environmental footprint that our digital state creates. Most countries in the world have not yet started to tackle these issues strategically, so currently we can only benchmark Estonia’s own progress. The goal according to Estonia’s national Digital Agenda for 2030 is to make Estonia the greenest digital government in the world. It is an ambitious goal but being a forerunner in digital governance for years now and with plans to expand our digital services, it is only natural that we start to look at what we can do to use our ICT in a more sustainable way.

'One laptop creates 100kg CO2 per year. To offset that impact, we would have to plant about 4 trees every year’

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By Maarja Pakats

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Photo by Kaupo Kalda

GreenTech Week. Be part of the future city

Photo by Renee Altrov

Tallinn GreenTech Week 13.-17.11 Tallinn NEXPO 13.11 GreenEST Summit 2023 14.-16.11 Cleantech Forum Europe 14.-15.11 Smart Cities Convention 16.11 Green Governance Conference 17.11 Balanced Economy Forum “Elephant in the Room“ For more information: nexpotallinn.com

Walking with a Starship delivery robot

In 2023, Tallinn proudly holds the title of the European Green Capital and showcases its biodiversity, sustainability governance and eco-innovation. In addition to being the European Green Capital, Tallinn will also be the world capital of green technology in November – one of the year’s highlights will be the GreenTech Week, taking place on the 13th - 17th of November, with events like Cleantech Forum Europe, Tallinn NEXPO, Smart Cities Convention, Green Governance Conference and Balanced Economy Forum. The main goal of GreenTech Week is to promote cooperation between green technology specialists and dialogue between European cities and companies. Up to 500 investors, innovators and entrepreneurs of green technology will be in Tallinn. “The European Green Capital Year gave us the push to bring a green technology event and one of Europe’s most important green technology forums to Estonia,” said Mayor of Tallinn Mihhail Kõlvart. He added that organising the event creates an opportunity for Estonian green technology companies to present their ideas to specialists in the field, investors and the public sector. “We help both Tallinn and other Estonian companies reach the right people and get additional investments in the field of green technology,” Kõlvart concluded. The most innovative ideas from Europe, Asia and the United States will be hosted in Tallinn during the international technology event NEXPO Tallinn. The exhibition is primarily intended for companies with innovative technologies and smart city solutions. One of the main focal themes

of the expo is mobility, however, the event will also cover the topics of energy & power, materials & chemicals, resources & environment, agriculture & food and enabling technologies. “In the 13th century, Tallinn joined the Hanseatic league, a union of trading around the Baltic Sea, and Tallinn became an important trading point between East and West. NEXPO wants to restore this important role in a modern format – to be a meeting place for Eastern and Western companies. The more we are known as a business and meeting point, the more companies and entrepreneurs will find their way here,” Andres Kask, the project manager of NEXPO Tallinn, said. “We are very happy that Tallinn’s and Estonia’s own tech-giants have shown interest in participating at NEXPO, including Auve Tech, Clevon, Comodule, Fibenol, Gelatex. At the end of summer, we had 80 companies in total, all of whom have an exciting product or service to show at the exhibition! We invite everyone who is still contemplating, to join NEXPO. And of course, everybody is welcome to the exhibition itself in November,” Kask concluded. In addition to NEXPO Tallinn, the Cleantech Forum Europe will take place during the GreenTech Week. Cleantech forums are one of a kind and the longest running innovation events in the world. Since 2002, the events have brought together the most influential innovation leaders in cleantech – business leaders, CEOs of startups and growth companies, investors, government agencies and other actors from all areas of resource innovation. LI F E I N ESTON IA N o 6 1

Production of VOK Bikes in Tallinn

GreenEST Summit is the largest green technology conference in the region, connecting and facilitating networking among the Estonian greentech industry through coordinated matchmaking. The Smart Cities Convention will bring together city delegations from all over the world to the topic of public strategic innovation, the human-centred application of smart city tools, and linking the public and private sectors. Balanced Economy Forum brings examples of future economic models from other parts of the world and to encourage Estonian decision-makers to conceptualise and implement a balanced economic model. Thanks to these events, such potential business and know-how for companies opens, the like of which has not been seen in Tallinn or even Estonia before. More than 30 city delegations and over 2000 green technology enthusiasts from all over the world will be in Tallinn. You are invited to join us and be a part of the future city!

Think global, test in Tallinn! In addition, Tallinn invites companies to test their sustainable innovation solutions in the capital city of Estonia. The Test in Tallinn initiative welcomes companies from around the world to test their smart solutions on the streets of Tallinn in three focus areas: mobility, energy efficiency and renewable energy. These areas have shown the greatest impact

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and legislative readiness; they are where today’s cooperation between the city and local entrepreneurs has been the most effective. Tallinn and Estonia already have a positive image both in terms of the ease of doing business, the creation and growth environment for startup companies and the digital society in general. The strength of Tallinn is our smallness, flexibility, and the technological openness of society. “Solving the urban challenge is crucial to reaching global climate goals and cities have a key role to play in the transition to a low carbon economy. We invite anyone around the world to come and build or try out their ground-breaking new ideas, prototypes, or products. We are committed to finding the best options and support for the companies,” Mayor of Tallinn said. The city supports the testing of innovation projects in the city environment for a period of up to 12 months, on a case-by-case basis. For the development and piloting of innovative solutions, the city offers assistance in finding suitable opportunities and locations (city properties, construction objects, buildings), identifying the relevant departments and contacts in the city organization for validating and implementing innovation projects, and, if possible, providing necessary open data for conducting test projects. Nine companies in two rounds have already been selected to partner with the city. “Interest in the Test in Tallinn programme has exceeded all expectations, 20 applications have been received in the first half of 2023, nine projects have been approved by the city to test their technol-

Test in Tallinn projects in progress Green Gravels (Estonia), a foam glass gravel production company. Within the project, they want to test the value chain of the circular economy and the possibilities of using the product in Tallinn.

Testing a new 10Lines robot for parking lot marking

muniAI (Israel) is developing a smart dashboard camera, designed to collect various data for identifying obstacles, road potholes, potential hazards, etc. The company aims to test its solution with Tallinn City Transport (TLT) vehicles, which will continuously collect constantly updated datasets from various locations. Tallinn is seen as a valuable opportunity to test the solution in diverse weather conditions, including snowy roads, fog, and heavy rainfall. GScan (Estonia) develops cosmic radiation-based solutions for 3D modelling in co-operation with research institutes NICP, iCV Lab and the University of Tartu. The company wishes to test its technology on the heritage buildings of Tallinn’s Old Town, where it is important that the analyses do not damage the heritage value. Elisa Corporation (Finland) is developing an innovative 360-degree camera with artificial intelligence-based combined software, designed to detect the current status of different objects and capture them through the camera lens. The company has previously successfully tested its solution for assessing the condition of maritime containers in Helsinki Harbour. The next step is for Elisa to test its technology at the TLT depot, near the main gates, to assess the technology’s capability in evaluating the condition of TLT vehicles.

Smart beehives Photos by Tallinn Strategic Management Office

ogy in Tallinn. People from different parts of the world are constantly writing to us with the desire to know more, which is great. Test in Tallinn can be considered a success, as every innovation project contributes to Tallinn’s ambitions to be a smart city – a city with effective, sustainable management providing the best services to our residents and visitors,” said Mark-Emil Talivere, Innovation Expert at Tallinn City Enterprise Centre. “The first tests are already in progress,” Talivere revealed. “One of the world’s smallest ToF sensors, developed by the Estonian startup Cleanhand OÜ, is already collecting data from the sewage tank under Männi Park, which helps the government of Mustamäe district to make the best decisions regarding the organisation of emptying the tank. An additional hundred trash cans at public transport stops in the Mustamäe district will be digitised in order to make more environmentally friendly and cost-effective decisions.”

Hydro Engineration (Estonia) deals with hydrogen-based cleaning of internal combustion engines. The company wishes to test various hypotheses on urban public transport vehicles regarding the benefits that hydrogen-based engine cleaning can provide to improve the maintenance of urban transport, thereby helping to reduce emissions. Futugrid Technologies (Estonia) aims to test smart energy consumption management with the city of Tallinn. The objective is to integrate various electric devices in the city into a unified network, forming a quickly responsive power reserve that can be used as a restoration reserve for electric grid frequency. SSE Digital Services (UK) has developed an artificial intelligence-based hardware and software solution to collect data on traffic flows, pedestrian and cyclist numbers, and trajectories. SSE Digital Services and Intel’s technology require the unique locations and challenges of Tallinn to efficiently train the artificial intelligence. Gruff Technology (Estonia) has developed a smart plug to reduce electricity consumption. The company aims to cooperate with the city of Tallinn to refine its value proposition, receive feedback for scaling, and test hypotheses regarding product usability.

“The product of Green Gravels is tested as a lightweight filling material for the parking lot of the new Mustamäe State High School. This is a significant innovation project, because in addition to the filling of foam glass rubble, the parking lot is also covered with green asphalt – a concept developed by the company Fibenol to replace conventional bitumen with wood lignin.“

Ampron (Estonia) intends to test LED information displays, placed at bus and train stops and other high-traffic areas, to disseminate crisis information. The company aims to obtain significant references from the city of Tallinn to expand to other urban environments, better understand the challenges of Tallinn in this field, and test the value proposition and solution of the product.

ll innovators and GreenTech companies are welcome to test in A Tallinn – applications can be submitted at any time.

For more information see: www.tallinnovation.ee/testintallinn Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis. LI F E I N ESTON IA N o 6 1

By Sven Paulus

Identify a problem, come up with a solution, build it, test it locally and then go global. That's the mindset of companies developing mobility services in Estonia, where self-driving cars and delivery robots are increasingly making their way outside the home country.

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Photo by Clevon

Estonian companies are evolving transport

Photo by Auve Tech

Auve Tech targets the Japanese market Having made waves a few years ago with its electrical, self-driving bus, Auve Tech is currently focused on developing autonomy software, or self-driving vehicle software and vehicles. “We have been working on developing vehicle intelligence and reliability. We call it the second generation vehicle, where the vehicle’s vision, cognition capabilities and capacity have been significantly increased compared to the first generation. The new car has been named MiCa and some of them have been exported to Japan,” says Kaarel Variksaar, CEO of Auve Tech. “The main goal of developing autonomy is to create the world’s best self-driving vehicle, where cars are able to operate autonomously in mapped areas,” says Variksaar. The fruits of the development work of Estonian engineers are appreciated in Japan, he adds. At the moment their big challenge is to increase production capacity. “Although there is a lot of interest in our buses and production ramp up is very challenging at the moment. So in this regard, we are currently focused on Japan,” Variksaar says. Auve Tech is a fairly young company that has created two different levels of autonomous vehicles. According to the CEO, based on feedback from customers and partners, their main strengths are that Auve Tech’s buses are more reliable and the ride is smoother. “Design, development and production are all under one roof and Väino Kaldoja, the company owner and main initiator of product developments, is operative in the management of the company. This gives us great flexibility and the ability to react quickly,” Variksaar says.

Today, there are around 1.5 billion cars in the world, and nearly 50% of public space is under roads and car parks. “If the rest of the world were to catch up with Europe in car ownership, the number of cars would have to grow to 6 billion, more than the planet can sustain. In addition, people’s mobility and the need to transport goods has changed dramatically and will continue to do so,” explains Variksaar. The autonomous vehicle developed by the company is designed with the aim of significantly reducing the use of personal vehicles to cover shorter distances and transport goods. “Our buses use green energy and we have tried to use recyclable materials in their production,” Variksaar says, giving an example of how Auve Tech is contributing to the green transition.

Robot couriers are taking over the streets Clevon, a spin-off from Cleveron, an automated pick-up lockers manufacturer, develops and manufactures autonomous robot carriers (ARCs), making last-mile delivery more innovative, environmentally friendly and efficient. Clevon’s fully electric ARCs have customisable configurations, to fulfil a multitude of business needs and offer an efficient and timely customer delivery experience. The robots can reduce failed deliveries, carbon emissions, cost of delivery per customer and stolen packages. Clevon brings a secure, on-demand and extremely energy-efficient delivery service that has proven itself in all-weather conditions on multiple continents. LI F E I N ESTON IA N o 6 1

Sander Sebastian Agur Photos by Clevon

Clevon’s aim has been to launch pilot projects in the USA, Europe and the Middle East and develop all their technology in-house. Due to demand from all over the world, the first pilots were launched in Tallinn (Estonia), Vilnius (Lithuania), Londerzeel (Belgium) and Texas (USA) in 2022-2023. Today the company delivers parcels and groceries to people’s homes. “In Vilnius, three Clevon robot carriers cover the entire city centre. You don’t see this many driverless vehicles on the roads anywhere in Europe and we were the first to do it,” says Sander Sebastian Agur, CEO of Clevon. Last year, the company opened an office and service centre in the US, near Dallas. Nearby in the town of Northlake, an unmanned robotic courier delivers packages from PostNet’s parcel centre to multiple customers using public roadways. More recently, Clevon joined the Curiosity Lab demo centre in Peachtree Corners, USA, part of the Smart City. In partnership with T-Mobile, Clevon is exploring and testing 5G deployment options there. “We are undercutting legacy cost structures and are the only company in the US today that has the freedom to scale our services in five states,” said Agur. There is also interest in the robotic courier in the Middle East and Clevon plans to set up an operations service centre in Saudi Arabia. In addition, a branch of Clevon academy will be opened in the country to enable locals to learn about robotics and support the company’s manufacturing processes. “By the time production ramp up at the beginning of 2025, the plan is to have hundreds of robotic couriers on the market and we are currently testing different service providers and ways to find the most environmentally friendly solutions for production,” says Agur.

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E-car sharer calls for giving up personal cars Last year, Elmo, a carve out from e-cars sharing company, became the first in the world to start bringing electric cars to customers’ doorsteps using its own road legal teledriving technology. This year, it expanded to Helsinki and Finland is now the second country in Europe to have teledriven cars on public roads. Co-founder and CEO Enn Laansoo Jr. explained that from the customer’s point of view, it is the most convenient service in the car sharing market, which just requires downloading the Elmo app on your phone: “You just select the time and car you want. We get the order and teledrive the car to your doorstep.” Elmo, which started as an electric car rental company a decade ago, is now a company with more than 100 environment friendly cars, more than 24,000 customers and they are making more than 100 doorstep deliveries every week with teledriven cars. The company is also looking to expand into new markets and sectors with teledriving technology licensing and offering teledriving as a service – as well as attracting wheelchair users for teledriving. Unlike its competitors, Elmo does not consider it necessary for its cars to be parked on every street corner waiting for the client, because that would be a waste of resources. “It doesn’t meet the basic criterion that one shared car replaces ten personal cars,” says Laansoo. Thus, with teledriving Elmo’s cars are constantly on the move and the company can serve the same customer base with 40% fewer cars.

Photo by Renee Altrov

By making it as convenient as possible to bring a rental car to the doorstep, one of the company’s goals is to get people to give up their personal cars for shared cars. This is the noble and environmentally friendly DNA of Elmo, as statistics show that virtually one in three cars in Estonia is idle.

Technology innovators join forces Innovative products from Bolt, which revolutionised the taxi business, and Starship, the creator of parcel delivery robots, have changed the way people move and buy goods. Those Estonian companies are all about creating better cities, and this year they signed a partnership agreement. “As a first step, Starship’s electric robots will make deliveries for Bolt Market and Bolt Food. We are planning to start the pilot project of Bolt Market, i.e. grocery deliveries, this year,” says Bolt President Jevgeni Kabanov. Following a successful pilot, the service will be extended to other markets. According to Kabanov, there is a lot of potential for growth in the long-term, as Bolt has more than 150 million customers in 45 countries and 500 cities, and Starship also has more than 50 service areas around the world. When asked what Estonia’s trump card is that makes it a good place to develop mobile services, Kabanov says that Estonians are tech-savvy and ready to embrace innovation. “Estonia also has the advantage of less bureaucracy. The public sector’s attitude to innovative services is supportive, which means that good ideas can be quickly turned into reality in Estonia. Estonia is also Bolt’s home market and we are an important local employer,” Kabanov says.

Photo by ELMO Rent

Jevgeni Kabanov

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Always a charger nearby By Ronald Liive

VOOL

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Photo by Ardo Kaljuvee

Eleport Photo by Rudolfs Liepins

From the world’s first countrywide EV charging network to the smartest EV charging network Ten years ago, Estonia was the leading pioneer of electric vehicles (EV) in the world. Even before the mainstream media started to write about EV mass adoption and the need to build infrastructure to support the cars, the Estonian government decided that EV’s were here for good. In 2013, Estonia became the first country in the world to build a countrywide EV charging network. As private companies were not so keen on EV’s back then, the network was state owned until 2018. Charging points were distributed on all major roads, in towns, next to petrol stations, cafes, shops, banks and ports. In total, there were 165 chargers with about 40-60 km of distance in between them.

Alexela

Over the years, the popularity of EV’s has grown. By now, there are over 10 companies that operate EV charging networks in Estonia with the total of chargers being well over the thousands. The three biggest operators – Enefit VOLT, Eleport and Alexela have 560 charging points with the chargers themselves exceeding thousands all over rural and city areas in Estonia. Now with the help of private companies, Estonia is driving from being the world’s first countrywide EV charging network towards being the smartest and fastest EV charging network. LI F E I N ESTON IA N o 6 1

Photo by Renee Altrov

Historic network Enefit VOLT was the lucky one that managed to win the auction after which the state sold off their fondly named ELMO charging network. In the conditions of the auction it was stated that the winner needs to offer public EV charging for the foreseeable future and update the network with the newest standards and charging speeds available. It needs to be noted that when ELMO was built, the chargers used the CHAdeMO charging standard which was made popular by Japanese car brands like Nissan and Mitsubishi or simply put it used the Japanese standard. Back then, the European car makers had not started to mass produce EV’s and had yet to agree upon a European charging standard. With the help of the European Union, the standard was finally agreed upon around the time that ELMO was sold off. Type2 for low speed and CCS for fast charging.

phased out in Europe. According to Enefit VOLT’s press representative Mattias Kaiv, by the end of 2023 they will have 205 public charging points.

From Estonia to all over CEE Eleport was the first privately owned company that decided to start building a countrywide EV charging network in 2016. And they have been successful with a projected 175 chargers available by the end of 2023. While many European EV owners are accustomed to using Ionity, Shell, Tesla, Fastned and others, they need to keep an eye on the developments of Eleport as they have ventured out of their home market of Estonia.

Enefit VOLT has since replaced many of the chargers with a CCS capable charger with a minimum speed of 47 kW. The company has promised not to turn a blind eye to Nissan and Mitsubishi owners and has agreed to keep enough CHAdeMO chargers up and running so a road-trip around Estonia would still be possible.

With the help of an investment from the mobility giant Bolt, Skype co-founders investment fund Ambient Sound Investments and others, the company has already opened charging locations in Latvia and Lithuania. Eleport will also open their first chargers in Poland by this year. Eleport’s CEO Raul Potisepp plans and dreams big. Over the next few years, they are planning to invest 100 million euros to expand the network to Central and Eastern Europe.

Since those manufacturers themselves stopped using CHAdeMO and have followed the example of their European counterparts by moving on to CCS, it’s just a matter of time until the Japanese standard is

“Eleport now plans to become the largest EV charging network in the CEE region, with more than 100,000 EV charging stations by the year 2030,” Potisepp promised.

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Photo by Ardo Kaljuvee

Future proof network Energy giant Alexela is the first petrol station operator to see a future in EV’s. They started to rapidly modernise their stations by adding EV charging points in the spring of 2020. What sets Alexela apart from others is future proofing. From their very first charger, they have always offered the fastest charging speeds possible. This summer, Alexela was the first company to open a 400 kW charger in Estonia. Let it be said that the most common EV’s are capable of receiving a maximum of 150 kW charge at the moment. The priciest versions of Porsche’s and Tesla’s and some heavy trucks can manage a 270 kW charge for some time. Alexela’s head of e-mobility Alan Vaht said that they are so far ahead of the market development that these chargers should not have any troubles in the next 10 years in terms of new electric vehicles entering the market. Alexela’s internationally known competitors, Circle K and Neste, have opened their charging points in Estonia now as well.

Photo by Ardo Kaljuvee

While the three EV charging network operators were keen on publishing how many charging points they have, all of them noted that charging points and chargers are not equal numbers. In total, they have 940 charging points but considering that many of the locations have at least two chargers and there are over ten companies in total offering either slow or fast speed charging in Estonia the total number is well over many thousands.

Alexela's head of e-mobility, Alan Vaht LI F E I N ESTON IA N o 6 1

Photos by VOOL

Power to the masses Electricity is a thing that we all use but not many of us truly know the workings of the electrical system. VOOL is a startup that is working towards helping to get the maximum out of your power connection. Specifically, they are focusing on the popular three-phase connection used in most European households. As the name suggests, a three-phase connection means there are three wires connecting your apartment or house to the electrical grid. To get the most of a three-phase connection, the household needs to be properly connected to it. To put it plainly – your microwave, TV, washer and other appliances need to be evenly spread throughout the breaker box. In reality, most of Europe is not taking full advantage of the three-phase connection which results in overloaded systems even though the grid and breaker box could actually manage the load it is under. To fix this problem, VOOL has created a software-based solution that helps to utilise the connection properly. In simpler terms – VOOL’s solution helps to balance out the load so the end user can use all of their electrical appliances without the need to worry whether their circuit box breaker will be activated or not. Just like in commercials – it doesn’t end there. VOOL also produces an EV charger that, besides utilising the previously mentioned effective use of a three-phase connection, also lets the customer earn money with it. If the owner chooses, they can let other EV owners charge their cars also. The price for it can be set from a companion app. According to the CEO Juhan Härm, most of their client base is located in the Baltics and Nordics but some of them have been from the United Arab Emirates and Switzerland.

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“Although our specialty lies in automatic phase switching and multi-level dynamic load control, we can also support other bottlenecks in electric car charging. Our software supports customers even if they have EV charging hardware from another manufacturer,” the CEO described. VOOL’s success can be measured in numbers. In September, they announced another funding round of 3 million EUR that they closed which brings their total investment amount to 7.62 million EUR. Undoubtedly, their most famous investor is the President of Estonia, Kersti Kaljulaid (2016-2021). Commenting on her investment, President Kaljulaid said to “Life in Estonia” that her investment into VOOL has been mutually beneficial because it helps her to navigate in the GreenTech world. “VOOL is an interesting company. The technical and physics side of it is so simple that you wonder how it hasn’t been done before. But that’s exactly why they have great potential. That’s why I invested in them,” she said.

Photo by Telia

Powering the future By Ronald Liive

Andre Visse (left), Telia's chief technology officer, and Ivar Kruusenberg, founder and CEO of PowerUP Energy Technologies, with PowerUp's hydrogen generator

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PowerUp’s hydrogen generators revolutionising Estonia and beyond In the ever-evolving landscape of technological innovation, one Estonian company is making waves with its ground-breaking approach to energy solutions. PowerUp Energy Technologies, a pioneer in hydrogen-based generators, is rewriting the playbook on power generation and distribution. Their ambitious vision is for a greener, hydrogen-powered future. With the global rise in demand for large battery banks, PowerUp envisions a greener solution for consumers. Their hydrogen-based energy systems offer a smaller, lighter, and more environmentally friendly alternative to traditional battery banks. Thanks to a cooperation with the European Space Agency, PowerUp’s transformative journey takes them into space exploration.

Powering Estonia’s connectivity PowerUp’s journey towards reshaping energy solutions began well over 15 years ago when the CEO Ivar Kruusenberg started his scientific studies on fuel cells. In 2016, Kruusenberg went to the USA for post-doctoral studies at the University of California, Berkeley, Silicon Valley. Years of hard work have started to pay off. The company started a collaboration with one of Estonia’s leading telecommunications companies

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Telia last year, aimed to test the capabilities of PowerUp’s solution in real-world conditions. A cell tower’s backup energy is normally provided by diesel generators whereas PowerUp produces hydrogen generators. The two-part pilot has been successful. Demonstrating the generators’ ability to provide instant backup power during blackouts caused by harsh weather conditions. PowerUp’s generators are scalable and this was also tested during the pilot. The success of the Telia partnership has spurred PowerUp to explore broader horizons. PowerUp has been in constant consultation with the telecom giant and other telco companies during the design process for the next iteration of their product line. PowerUp envisions a future in which their innovative hydrogen generators become the cornerstone of energy security for critical infrastructure. By developing generators with higher output power, they aim to cater not only to Estonia but also to other countries seeking greener energy solutions. The ongoing talks with Telia promise an exciting future, one where Estonia and Telia could pioneer the integration of hydrogen and green energy solutions across Europe and the world. PowerUp’s ambition to redefine energy solutions has led them to explore partnerships beyond Estonia’s borders. They are currently engaged in a similar project with Tele2, another major telecommunications company. The success of their pilots has laid the foundation for discussions on a wider overhaul of backup power solutions at cell towers.

The future of energy security and venturing beyond Estonia PowerUp has garnered additional interest from telcos outside Estonia, reflecting the global shift towards hydrogen solutions and renewable energy storage. According to the company’s representative, there are discussions underway with telcos from outside the EU, more specifically from India, Turkey, Japan, and the USA.

Currently, PowerUp’s largest modular system can generate up to 6kW. However, ongoing development aims to create a 19-inch rack solution with a net power output of 10kW, demonstrating their commitment to continuous improvement and innovation.

Collaboration with the European Space Agency

One of their notable international projects involves collaboration with Estonia’s Environmental Investment Centre (KIK) to develop fuel cell generators for testing in Pakistan’s National Radio and Telecommunication Corporation (NRTC). This endeavour highlights the global relevance and appeal of PowerUp’s innovative energy solutions.

One of the most notable collaborations in PowerUp’s portfolio is with the European Space Agency. This partnership focuses on developing fuel cells for Moon and Mars missions. PowerUp is working on a lightweight fuel cell stack targeting an impressive 1 kW/kg power-to-weight ratio, a significant milestone in space technology.

PowerUp’s main clientele currently comprises telecommunications companies, military organisations, and governmental institutions. Their generators offer backup power for critical infrastructure, ensuring uninterrupted communication services during power outages. As they develop generators with varying power outputs, PowerUp expects to expand into markets with different energy requirements.

These fuel cells will serve as alternative energy sources when solar power or batteries are insufficient, allowing rovers to operate seamlessly during missions. The project is currently undergoing rigorous testing at the Joint Research Commission facility in the Netherlands, adhering to stringent European Cooperation for Space Standardisation guidelines.

Their generators are also compatible with solar panels and batteries, making them ideal for off-grid power solutions, providing full power autonomy. Additionally, they have recreational applications, such as powering camper vans and sailing boats, further diversifying their potential customer base.

By integrating fuel cells with batteries, PowerUp aims to reduce the reliance on extensive battery capacities while providing recyclable and renewable energy solutions. The global shift towards hydrogen infrastructure makes hydrogen fuel cells a promising option for consumers and businesses alike.

At present, PowerUp produces 400W and 1kW modular generators that can be combined for higher power output. Their development team is working on a 2.5kW modular generator, which will cater to markets with higher energy demands. This development is funded by KIK and is expected to hit the market soon.

PowerUp takes its environmental responsibility seriously. Their products produce no waste or CO2 emissions during use. Furthermore, they are committed to recycling and reusing components of their generators. PowerUp collects used generators from customers at the end of their lifecycle to ensure responsible disposal and recycling.

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By Ronald Liive

The maritime industry is making significant strides toward a greener and more sustainable future. One such advancement comes from SRC Group, which has garnered Approval in Principle (AiP) from Lloyd’s Register for its ground-breaking Methanol Superstorage solution. This innovative design promises to be a space-efficient retrofit solution for methanol fuel storage, allowing existing commercial ships to play a pivotal role in the decarbonisation trajectory of the shipping industry. SRC Group is a global EPCI service provider with extensive experience in managing marine and offshore projects, including tailored solutions and short lead times. SRC Group offers a range of services, including design&engineering, and interior, technical and electrical refits.

A giant leap towards decarbonisation Methanol has emerged as a leading alternative to heavy fuel oil (HFO) in meeting the stringent net-zero emissions requirements set by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) for ships by the year 2050. However, despite its environmental advantages, the storage of methanol onboard ships has posed significant challenges, particularly due to its larger storage volume requirement compared to traditional fuels.

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SRC Group’s Methanol Superstorage is set to revolutionise the way methanol is stored on ships. This innovative solution offers an astonishing increase in tank capacity of up to 85%, enabling ships with years of service life ahead to carry larger quantities of this clean-burning fuel. What sets Methanol Superstorage apart is its minimal impact on the ship’s general arrangement, making it a practical choice for retrofitting existing vessels. The heart of Methanol Superstorage lies in the cost-effective, classapproved, A60 fire-rated, certified structural composite ship-building material, which has a proven track record spanning over two decades in various maritime and offshore applications. SRC Group’s ingenious solution utilises a 25mm thick barrier, replacing the need for a conventional cofferdam. This barrier serves a triple purpose: it protects the methanol tank from fire, acts as a robust barrier against leakage, and drastically reduces the space requirement compared to traditional storage methods. Peter Karanen, Chief Technology Officer of SRC Group, highlighted the significance of Lloyd’s Register’s (LR) Approval in Principle. “Approval in Principle indicates that, based on LR’s 2022 Requirements for Ships Using Methanol or Ethyl Alcohol and a full review of the methanol tank arrangement and risk-based certification, a solution to retrofit methanol storage with up to an 85% greater tank volume is wholly feasible,” he stated.

Photos by SRC Group

SRC Group rethinks maritime fuel storage

A commitment to sustainable shipping Hannes Lilp, CEO of SRC Group, emphasised the importance of methanol as a leading alternative marine fuel for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. “Due to long-established use in other industries, availability, and performance, green methanol is the alternative marine fuel offering the strongest potential to reduce ship greenhouse gas emissions at scale,” he said. Lilp heads the multidisciplinary company based in Estonia, which has long been at the forefront of sustainable shipping practices. His company specialises in ship conversions and retrofits, focusing on integrating various technologies to meet the growing demand for eco-friendly vessels. One of the key challenges faced by the maritime industry is reducing its carbon footprint and meeting increasingly stringent environmental regulations. SRC Group has made significant strides in addressing these challenges by developing innovative solutions to make ships greener. SRC Group’s Methanol Superstorage is a testament to their commitment to ensure that existing ships play a significant role in the energy transition towards a greener maritime industry. Lilp also highlighted other eco-friendly technologies and practices in the maritime sector. These include shore power modifications, energyefficient vessel designs, and air lubrication system to reduce drag and improve fuel efficiency or even sails for big cargo ships. He stressed that the maritime industry must embrace a multifaceted approach to sustainability, considering factors such as vessel type, operating conditions, and environmental impact. As the shipping industry continues its journey towards sustainability, innovative solutions like Methanol Superstorage are paving the way for

cleaner, more efficient, and environmentally responsible practices. SRC Group’s pioneering technology is set to make a lasting impact on the sector by enabling existing ships to embrace the benefits of methanol as a clean fuel while contributing to a more sustainable future on the high seas.

Maritime sustainability puzzle SRC Group has also played a significant role in the offshore wind farms that are becoming quite popular around the world. They play a crucial role in the mobilisation and reffiting of offshore maintenance vessels. SRC has developed mobile workshops and maintenance vessels tailored for tasks like servicing wind turbine blades, which can be over 150 metres long. While SRC’s innovations have garnered significant attention within the maritime industry, Lilp remained modest about their accomplishments. “Shipowners, regulators, and technology providers must work together to drive sustainability forward. Our innovations are just one piece of the puzzle, but together, we can achieve a greener maritime sector,” he said. He also emphasised that every vessel is unique, making it challenging to provide a one-size-fits-all solution to reduce carbon emissions. SRC’s innovations offer a ray of hope for the maritime industry’s efforts to reduce its environmental impact and transition towards a greener future. One of the challenges and considerations related to alternative fuels in the shipping industry is that there is no clear choice at the moment. While liquid hydrogen is also talked about as a potential solution, it isn’t possible to simply switch yet. Lilp mentioned that ship investments are typically significant, and ship owners need to consider factors like the current market value of their vessels, whether it makes sense to retrofit or build new ships, and the technology choices involved.

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Photo by Siiri Kumari

Nanofibre leads to bioreactor-grown meat and scarless wounds By Sven Paulus Märt-Erik Martens

Although growing meat from animal cells in bioreactors still seems like a far-fetched idea, Estonian company Gelatex is working with 70 companies around the world developing this field. They are also helping to leapfrog the medical field by creating nanofibrous materials that can be used in wound treatment. “Life in Estonia” spoke to Märt-Erik Martens, CEO of Gelatex, about these topics.

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In which areas does Gelatex work?

How did you get the idea to work in this field?

We are involved in the development and, in the future, the production and licensing of high-tech materials. The areas in which we offer our materials are quite complex. The common denominator is industrial mammalian cell growth and tissue engineering. This includes wound care and regenerative medicine, where we help the body to rebuild damaged tissue.

Our original goal was to make a skin-like textile out of gelatine, and nanofibres offered the way to do it. One of the biggest problems we had to solve at the beginning was how to produce nanofibres on a large scale.

We use cells in laboratory tests for drug development and the cosmetics industry and we develop cultured meat from cells. The latter is a business and technology of the future for us, and it will take a few years before our products reach the market through our customers.

In the textile industry, a square metre of synthetic material costs between two and twenty euros, but A4-sized nanofibres cost a thousand euros at a time. We had to make a big innovative leap to develop the technology to produce nanofibres cheaply. This unique technology, called halospinning, is now patented in the US; soon in China and other regions. It allows us to produce nanofibres in quantities that have not been seen before.

We had an article published in the journal Nature, where Estonian scientists used our materials, and this confirmed that this market was attractive and made more commercial sense than the textile market.

How much have you grown in this period? Once we had a patent application filed, we brought in the first round of investment in 2021 and from there we have grown. Today, we employ 13 people and operate on an area of about 1000 square metres. We have our own production facility, a full-capacity chemistry lab, a cell lab, and we do mammalian cell experiments on our own materials. We also design and build our own machines. We are one of the leading companies in the field of growth substrates for cultured meat production, and we also collaborate with a number of major medical technology corporations. Our materials are used by several research groups, two at the University of Tartu and one at TalTech. We collaborate with ten universities abroad because we have the capability to produce nanofibres on such a scale that is attractive for universities developing materials. They provide us with their recipe and our technology enables the material to be made. We are in the development phase today and are approaching the commercialisation phase, which will require the certification of production, and we are currently raising the next round of funding for this.

What are nanofibre materials and where can you use them?

What have been the biggest challenges in your journey?

They consist of fibrils less than one micrometre in diameter. While a hair is 40-100 micrometres, our materials are about 500-700 nanometres and we can go up to 100 times smaller than a strand of hair. What makes the materials special is that they are the right size for the cells, so when you put the cells on top of them, you get nests between the fibrils that are very suitable for the cells, which in turn form a tissue.

The biggest challenge is that when you introduce a new technology, it doesn’t fit into the existing model from the start. You always need new processes, technologies and clinical trials to prove the product in the first place, and that takes a long time these days.

This material acts like an artificial extracellular matrix, or cell adhesive, which binds all the cells in the skin tissue together and provides elasticity. This is one of the superpowers of our materials. Another super property is porosity, which is why they are used in filter materials. For example, normal masks are microfibrous, but nanofibrous masks can achieve 99.99% efficiency. We work with bio-based source ingredients, such as bio-based proteins, polysaccharides and synthetic polymers, which we convert into nanofibres using patented technology. Our work ranges from vegetable proteins for cultured meat to very high-tech medical polymers used in sutures, for example. One of the applications is in medicine, where we can create wound dressings that help the wound to heal and form tissue so that scar tissue does not form. The nanofibrous material can be placed inside the wound, and the cells of the body grow into the material, forming new muscle tissue and then skin tissue on top of it, without any scar tissue remaining. The material itself dissolves into the body.

You also deal with cultured meat. What does it involve and how far have you got with it? Cultured meat is meat of animal origin, grown not in the body of an animal but in a bioreactor. It has the same texture and nutritional value as conventional meat because the source, the animal cell, is the same. Cultured meat is not something scary, it is very safe, disease free and any problems the animal has are solved there. We don’t produce the meat ourselves, but we offer our materials and halospinning production technology to other companies so they can produce and use the cell culture substrate materials. As this is a food technology, we have to ensure that the materials are edible, of good nutritional value and completely sterile, i.e. without any foreign bodies, as mammalian cells are very sensitive. This is one of the biggest challenges: how to do it at an affordable price, so that a kilo of meat costs around EUR 10 and not more than EUR 100, as is the case with the first products currently on the market. We are working here with about 70 cultured meat companies around the world.

How are your activities contributing to the green revolution? Producing one kilo of cultured meat uses about 99% less land, up to 96% less water and greenhouse gases, and no antibiotics are used. We are doing everything we can to get products onto the market as quickly as possible, to help our customers on the regulatory side so that they can get products certified and start selling them. One of my personal missions is to start replacing filtration materials in buildings. Today, all filtration units use petroleum-based materials, which in some buildings are replaced perhaps every month. We can make exactly the same materials from bio-based raw materials, which are later compostable.

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Photo by Laura Strandberg

Fusebox: Refining energy management By Ronald Liive Jaan Tiiman

In today’s fast-paced corporate landscape, every penny counts, and companies are constantly seeking innovative ways to reduce costs. One such innovation making waves is Fusebox, an Estonian energy management service that is revolutionising the way businesses handle their energy consumption. Fusebox’s logic is simple and yet unique – they let energy hungry machinery know when there is an energy deficit on the market and either shift the usage times or reduce the electricity consumption. This results in saved money. But that’s not all. This solution also gives the option to take part in the arbitrage market, through which their clients can earn revenue. Fusebox was born out of a desire to improve energy consumption and production in Estonia. It all began when one of their founders recognized untapped potential in the energy sector. They aimed to help energy consumers make the most of their energy resources, reduce costs, and contribute to a cleaner environment. While Fusebox concentrates on enterprise clients their solution is also available for home users via a third party – Qilowatt.

another solution. Fusebox offers an advanced software-based solution which assists in balancing energy demand and supply, ultimately leading to cost savings and reducing environmental impact. One of the most intriguing aspects of Fusebox’s offerings is its potential to benefit end-users, both individual and corporate. Fusebox’s Marketing and Public Relations Manager Jaan Tiiman highlighted that it is possible for small-scale prosumers to use their solution. For example, those with solar panels on their rooftops can benefit from Fusebox’s technology by optimising their energy usage, reducing their electricity bills, and even participating in different energy markets, where it is possible to buy low and sell high. It operates on a simple principle: buy low, sell high. Fusebox taps into these price fluctuations, enabling users to save money by consuming electricity during off-peak hours when it’s cheaper and selling excess energy back to the grid during peak hours when prices are higher. Essentially, it’s a clever way to ‘arbitrage’ the energy market for financial gain.

Empowering companies

Tiiman said that their solutions have tangible results. He pointed to the case of Nordnet, a prominent Estonian cold storage logistics company. Nordnet’s smart energy management with Fusebox’s technology resulted in substantial savings and a significant reduction in carbon emissions, a win-win situation for the company and the environment.

As energy costs have skyrocketed in the world for the past year or so, enterprises have started to look for ways to reduce energy bills. While installing solar panels is one of the most popular options there is also

Fusebox helps Nordnet to reduce and even quite often generate 3 times the earning compared to the next-hour Nord Pool price for not consuming energy. During the test period, the revenue from demand response

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equalled up to 10% of Nordnet’s monthly electricity bills. Nordnet’s operation is always kept in mind and this ensures that critical temperatures will always remain within specified setpoints. The exact earnings and carbon savings numbers can vary depending on the specific strategies and energy market conditions of Fusebox’s clients. Their solution works with various manufacturers such as Sonoff, Shelly, ABB, Huawei, Siemens and others to ensure compatibility with a wide range of systems. One proof of Fusebox’s success is a €2.5 million investment into the company back in December of 2022. This round was led by Dutch energy giant Eneco.

Keeping up with the market In the ever-evolving energy sector, staying ahead of the competition is vital. Tiiman acknowledged the presence of competitors but stressed that Fusebox’s unique approach sets them apart. As an Estonian company that started in a smaller market, they focused on providing solutions for smaller energy consumers and have adapted swiftly to the changing landscape. As Fusebox continues its expansion plans, Tiiman mentioned that their journey into Western European markets is a process that takes time. It involves understanding local dynamics, adjusting to technical requirements, and building relationships. Nevertheless, they are confident in their ability to adapt and innovate, staying true to their mission of revolutionising energy management. Fusebox’s story is a testament to the power of innovation in the energy sector. With their cutting-edge solutions and commitment to sustainability, they are poised to make a significant impact not only in Estonia but across Europe. As they continue to grow and evolve, Fusebox remains a company to watch, offering a glimpse into the future of energy management.

As more users are discovering the potential of energy arbitrage and its dual benefits of saving money and reducing carbon emissions. In a world where energy efficiency and sustainability are paramount, Fusebox provides a beacon of hope and a tangible way for users to contribute positively to their financial bottom line and the planet.

Open for everyday users The third party that opens Fusebox’s solution for everyday users is called Qilowatt. Their core is the same but focuses on various consumer-level electrical appliances from electric boilers and underfloor heating to home battery charging and air conditioning systems. Qilowatt’s services cater to a diverse customer base, with no distinction between large and small clients. Whether it’s a 50-litre electric boiler in a holiday home or industrial production equipment exceeding 100 kW, the company has successfully assisted clients from various industries, including food production and furniture manufacturing. Qilowatt even supports local governments, with Hiiumaa Municipality embarking on an ambitious energy management project. “For example, we manage the charging of forklifts by finding the most optimal period for charging their batteries during non-working hours. Savings per forklift investment are between 450 and 2700 euros per year, and this with an investment of only 250 euros,” said Qilowatt’s COO Anti Reiljan. As for the cost of implementing Qilowatt’s solutions, it varies based on the specific devices and requirements. To control a small electric boiler, a 36-euro Smart Plug is sufficient. Managing a heat pump can be achieved with a 33-euro Smart Automatic Switch. For more complex setups, like controlling a 3-phase heat pump, a 210-euro Smart Power Meter may be needed. Disclaimer: The prices and price estimates provided in this article are accurate as of September 2023 and are subject to change.

‘Fusebox’s story is a testament to the power of innovation in the energy sector’

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By Sven Paulus

In Estonia, where half the country is covered by trees, the forest has always been the poor man’s coat. At the same time, Estonian companies are demonstrating that they can become global trendsetters and standard makers in the forestry and timber industries by operating locally and using their expertise. Kristjan Lepik and Lisett Luik

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Photo by Renee Altrov

Estonia is a trendsetter in forestry and the timber industry

Arbonics builds a new forest economy to fight climate change

‘Research proves that forests are a powerful force in fighting climate change. We are building tools that help landowners and their forests in this fight for a better planet’

Founded by Kristjan Lepik and Lisett Luik in early 2022, Arbonics tries to unlock new income sources for forests and landowners, whilst enabling nature-based solutions to combat climate change and improving the voluntary carbon market.

carbon. However, this requires investment, time and money and should be compensated.

Lisett Luik, how did the company get started?

At the beginning, we were in a 'stealth phase' for more than half a year, secretly building up the company, and then there were no clients. In that time, we had our first product: a data-driven platform. It allows us to analyse any plot of land very quickly and easily, so that any landowner with any cadastral number in Estonia can come to us. We can tell them whether or not it is appropriate to plant a forest on their land, where it is appropriate, and how much carbon it will sequester.

Myself and Kristjan Lepik worked in forest land investment and started to explore the field further. There are several layers of value in forests: timber is very important, but there is also carbon sequestration potential and biodiversity. We asked around to see if anyone was helping landowners to decipher these other layers of value apart from timber, and found that no one was doing it, so we decided to set up our own company.

Within a month of setting up Arbonics, you already had quite a few clients. How did you reach them?

Who are your customers? We aim to assist landowners in realising the full value of their land by helping them to use the land for carbon sequestration through afforestation. If a landowner has empty low-value arable land, we investigate whether it is suitable for planting new forest and how much carbon it could sequester.

What has carbon credit got to do with it? I sometimes talk about trees as a 370-millionyear-old carbon-sucking machine that has evolved perfectly. Trees take CO2 from the atmosphere and convert it into carbon in the wood. Nowadays, we try to imitate this with technology, but this is not nearly as efficient. The idea is that, since trees sequester carbon, this sequestration should be compensated to them or, more precisely, to landowners. Today, the best way to do this is through the voluntary carbon market, where companies buy ‘notional’ tons of carbon from those who bind it: landowners, forest owners, but also farmers or developers of a technology. This seems to us to be the best available way to unlock value and help landowners. New forest needs to be planted and cared for to sequester

Landowners of all sizes in Estonia, Latvia and Finland, from small landowners to large forest foundations. All of them are united by a desire to do something for the planet, to sequester carbon, to grow and care for forests, and Arbonics can help them realise their land’s positive climate impact.

How does your service work from the customer’s point of view? First, we perform an analysis on a specific plot of land. The geoinformaticians at the University of Tartu did an incredible job helping us develop our first product, a data platform with over 50 different data layers for analysis. Based on this, we can immediately see if the land is suitable for afforestation. For example, a wetland is not suitable because it is naturally valuable and already sequesters carbon. The landowner will receive a report on the land, which will tell them which areas are suitable for afforestation and which are not, and we will also give a recommendation on what could be planted there and in what combination. We also give a first modelled view of how much carbon it could sequester and what its value to the landowner in the future.

If the owner wants to move forward they will contract us. He can concentrate on planting and forest maintenance, we take care of everything related to earning carbon credits and, if the owner wants, reselling them. We also take care of the certification, monitoring and paperwork, and take that worry off the landowner’s shoulders.

So the landowner gets money for working with you? Yes, if the landowner comes with an empty plot of land suitable for reforestation, the first trees can be planted in the autumn. As they grow slowly, it will take 4-5 years for the first credits to come in. Thereafter, they will start to come regularly and annually until the trees are halfway through their growing season. The owner can choose to sell the credits himself or sell them through us. Large forest funds, for example, want to hold on to their credits because they believe they will increase in value in the future.

What are the main challenges in this business? The whole world of carbon markets is very new and still evolving, and we’re excited to be in a fast-developing phase. However, it means that some market rules are not yet very clearly established and this makes things complicated. For example, we here (and other companies involved in carbon projects in Europe) apply much stricter rules to our operations than those elsewhere in the world. As a result, those elsewhere can sell credits at a much cheaper price because they are less demanding and careful. On the one hand, we can help make these rules as good as possible. On the other hand, it means that we sometimes go into competition with other players who perhaps do not think about saving nature in the way we do.

‘Our aim is to create a new forest economy and change how forests are valued’ LI F E I N ESTON IA N o 6 1

Photo by Timbeter

‘We work to ensure that all the benefits forests bring are appreciated – from timber to carbon sequestration and biodiversity. Our goal is to help landowners grow and manage more planet-friendly forests’ Anna-Greta Tsahkna

Timbeter creates transparent and efficient forestry How to increase transparency, traceability and efficiency in the forest and timber industry? To do this, you need to create an app on a smart device that can measure log stacks in the shortest possible time, anywhere in the world. Timbeter uses artificial intelligence to measure timber, both round and sawn, and helps track its origin and movement throughout the supply chain. The company has customers in more than 40 countries, including forest industry corporations, private forest owners and state forests. Timbeter’s solution allows very fast measurement of the amount of material in a given stack or truck, and the data can always be checked. “This ensures reliability and transparency between the parties involved, which means that even a small private forest owner can get a fair price for his material. Also, better decisions can be made regarding the valorisation of the material and the planning of logistics,” says Anna-Greta Tsahkna, CEO of Timbeter.

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The company also attaches importance to the safety of work processes. As measurements can be taken from a distance with a smart device, this helps to reduce accidents. Digital capability allows things to be done faster, better and paperless. In developing the service, Timbeter is working with universities around the world, which are turning to them to teach a new generation of foresters how to use new technologies. According to Tsahkna, development is a continuous process, where every effort must be made to ensure that the solution can cope with harsh weather conditions or exotic species. For example, students doing research compare different data and constantly confirm to the company that the application is very accurate. Timbeter’s trump cards are innovation and global reach, with more than two million measurements now taken by different users around the world. As one of the foundations of the green revolution is digitalisation, the data collected will allow for better resource valorisation, less waste and optimised logistics to reduce the carbon footprint. “Unfortunately, illegal activities in the forest industry are a very big problem, as timber is often counterfeited and imported from protected areas. We opened an office in Brazil last year and are working with two states to check logs and detect counterfeiting,” says Tsahkna.

Fibenol takes sustainable industry to a new level

Sugars can be used in a wide range of applications, from the fermentation industry to building materials, for example as a binder in glass wool. In the context of its first industrial plant, Fibenol wants to move a step further up the value chain. This means that the company will ferment sugars into intermediate products, or speciality chemicals, which can be sold with even greater added value to a much wider network in the chemical and materials industries.

Can you imagine a future where fossil fuels are replaced by wood-derived chemicals and high environmental impact roadworks become carbon neutral? These are the global ambitions of Fibenol, which started as a spin-off company. Today, Fibenol has grown into a world-leading production and development company in the bioeconomy sector. Their vision is to move down the path of industrial de-fossilisation, using low-quality wood or biomass as raw material, which is not suitable for the sawmill and furniture industries. The chosen technology input is hardwood, with a focus on birch, which mostly goes into plywood, pulp, paper or energy wood. "We're trying to give birch another on-site refining option, specifically for lower-grade birch used for energy, and, in the future, we'd like to do the same with alder. We produce lignin, pulp and sugars from the wood, offering them as inputs to industries, and we are the world's most sustainable supplier of raw materials in this model," says Peep Pitk, Fibenol's head of development and research.

One example of a rapidly implemented change is the carbon-neutral asphalting project around the Imavere pilot plant, which used a combination of Fibenol lignin LIGNOVA and biofuels instead of diesel. According to Pitk, one ton of lignin can replace 15 tons of bitumen, the dirtiest residue from the oil industry. He hopes that in the future, bitumen and other fossil feedstocks will be replaced by bio-based raw materials, and that lignin, which Pitk calls "young oil grown in wood", has a big opportunity here. Fibenol collaborates with up to 100 universities and research and development institutions and 300-400 companies worldwide to deliver its global innovation. Pitk considers it a trump card that today Fibenol is the first in the world to have scaled up technology, with pre-processing in operation and with product quality that allows it to move on to the production of biomaterials and chemicals (sugars, lignin LIGNOVA and microcrystalline special cellulose). In addition to technology innovation, Fibenol also leads the implementation of transparent accounting of the carbon footprint of industrial value chains and, more broadly, the promotion of a sustainable industry model.

Photos by Priit Jõesaar and Andres Raudjalg

‘We give new life to secondary-use wood with limited value in the industry and turn it into high-value biomaterial. We use science to innovate and make more from less’

Fibenol factory in Imavere LI F E I N ESTON IA N o 6 1

By Ann-Marii Nergi

Horizon Pulp & Paper factory in Kehra

Kehra, a small town near Tallinn, has been known for its pulp and paper factory for 85 years. The Estonian company has been owned by the internationally recognised Tolaram Group for 30 years, who are based in Singapore. Since Kehra Paper Factory became Horizon Pulp & Paper in 1995, the company has developed a strong brand: “Horizon” which is well-recognised with high brand value in foreign markets. Horizon has also been the early pioneer and front-runner in sustainability and ESG practises, gained several recognitions from the public as exporter of the year or by making contributions to environmental and social well-being in the community. For example, in 2020, Horizon outperformed the EU 2020 Climate & Energy Targets with a reduction of 80% greenhouse gas emissions, achieving 21% improvement in energy efficiency. Increasing its share of renewable energy to 80%, which is measured by the total energy consumed during production, Horizon is far ahead of even the EU’s recently revised target for 2030, which is 42.5%.

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Photos by Horizon Pulp & Paper

Horizon Pulp & Paper – investing in unique paper products

“Years ago, we were convinced that sustainability is the key to doing business and eventually will transform to be the only correct way going forward. Accordingly, Horizon based its business model on sustainability and sustainable business practices,” says Bashyam Krishnan, CEO of Horizon Pulp & Paper. “Today, ESG practices are institutionalised in all our business activities. As a responsible business, we believe we have an obligation to create a better planet for future generations and contribute to the welfare of communities we operate in. Thus, it is important for us to keep raising the bar and outperform the climate targets and our own past achievements,” Krishnan explains. Horizon plans to invest in building a state-of-the-art R&D facility helping to develop new specialty paper products to enhance its product portfolio in Estonia. This is all to substantially enhance the international competitiveness of the company. There is already a list of new products planned for development and the scale of products is remarkably wide – from super high porosity paper for high-speed packaging to high-strength paper for spring mattress applications. This all is in addition to the company’s unique branded products like neutral pH paper developed for packaging parts in automotive, metal and electronics industries or paper with high strength and resistance under wet conditions used especially in packaging of agricultural products.

Krishnan points out that the location for the factory – Estonia – is perfect geographically for such an industry. “Estonia is uniquely positioned as gateway to Europe and rest of the world. Well connected by road, ocean transport, and rail to move goods across continents. Operating from Estonia, Horizon exports to over 70 countries with ease.” The CEO is convinced there are many more advantages in doing business from Estonia. “The workforce here is creative and skilled. The startup mindset is embedded in the culture of Estonia, enabling outof-the-box thinking, which is crucial for innovation. Support from the government, active facilitation from Enterprise Estonia for investment and ease of doing business are also key factors,” says Krishnan. And the company is dedicated to giving back to society; social responsibility is the core for Horizon. For example, Horizon is investing in education and has implemented study modules at Kehra School for final year students. Students are introduced to natural science topics such as environmental protection, sustainability and technology. Horizon personnel conduct lectures on these topics at the school. Horizon and Tolaram Group’s Foundation have partnered up with the NGO to launch an initiative that provides training support for beginning teachers in their local regions.

Photo by Erik Riikoja

Horizon CEO Bashyam Krishnan and CFO Roman Bukachev receiving Contributor of the Year award form Harju County Entrepreneurship and Development Centre

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Photo by Kaisa Põhako

Climate change pushes research to develop drought-tolerant plants By Sven Paulus

While some parts of Europe are ravaged by floods, other regions are suffering from desertification and water scarcity. How can more drought-tolerant plants help? Hannes Kollist, Professor of Molecular Plant Biology at the Institute of Technology, University of Tartu, gave “Life in Estonia” an insight into those questions.

Professor Kollist, you breed drought-tolerant plants at your institute. How did you get into this field? We are curious to understand which proteins and genes regulate specific processes in plants. We are focused on studying the immediate reactions through which plants sense changes in the environment. Plants become stressed when conditions are no longer optimal for growth. Ideal growth requires about 25 degrees of heat, enough light, sufficient water and basic nutrients. One of the quickest ways to respond to environmental changes is to open or close stomatal pores on the surfaces of plant leaves. In order to stay alive, a plant opens its stomata to let in atmospheric carbon dioxide. For plants, CO2 is a staple food that is converted into sugars and other energy-rich molecules through photosynthesis. In order to absorb CO2, plants open up stomatal pores, but this also means that water evaporates. In the leaf, the humidity is usually somewhere near 100 percent because all cellular activity takes place in a moist environment. Opening and closing the stomata is the quickest way for a plant to protect itself against wilting or drought. We looked at the mechanisms of opening and closing the stomata. In particular, we were interested

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in how plants respond to changes in the concentration of CO2 in the air. We investigated which genes and proteins regulate the stomatal opening and found that CO2-related regulators influence overall water loss via stomata. When we altered certain regulators, we got a plant with more closed stomata, and therefore a more drought-resistant plant. This has been a global question for plant biologists: to understand how plants sense changes in CO2 concentration and use this for manipulating its water-loss and CO2 uptake. Jointly with colleagues from the US and Japan, we managed to provide an answer to the ultimate question – how is CO2 sensed in the guard cells? This sensor is important for plant water management but also affects CO2 fluxes globally. CO2 emissions caused by humankind are about 9 gigatonnes, whereas annual terrestrial CO2 uptake via stomatal pores is around 120 gigatonnes.

How much drought-tolerant plant breeding is going on in the world? More and more these days. The regions where food production has largely been concentrated – America, Spain and Italy – are now facing the most severe situation due to climate change.

This is not a very simple question because, for example, in the case of a plant disease, you can find the resistance genes and mechanisms, transfer them and get a resistant plant relatively quickly. Drought-tolerance is a much more difficult trait because the plants we have created have more closed stomata all the time, but in the case of our tomatoes, for example, we haven’t seen any negative effect on yields. This tomato uses significantly less water, but the yield doesn’t change.

What did it take to create water-saving tomatoes? Tomatoes seem to be extremely plastic plants that consume however as much water they have available. We looked for genes and proteins that regulate CO2 sensing in the guard cells and found protein kinases. If you want to know about any regulators, do some screening. If you have a population with very high genetic variation (for example, mutagenised seeds or different ecotypes of the same plant), you look for individuals of interest based on a given trait. In our case, this was determined by searching plant lines that did not respond to CO2, and we used self-built instruments to measure this. We found out which gene had mutations, and that's how we came up with proteins that regulate the perception of CO2, which we can modify as needed: to make the stomata more closed or more open.

How far along are you with drought-resistant tomatoes? Could it be on the market soon? In principle, yes. We've done growth tests and measured acidity, sugar content, lycopene etc. in these fruits. We haven't gotten to a classical variety comparison yet, which would need to be done in larger agronomic-scale greenhouses. We would like to carry out these tests jointly with the Estonian Centre for Rural Research and Knowledge, but then we received a letter from the Ministry of Climate saying that our plants were being considered as GMOs and I think it would be unrealistic for us to go ahead with applying for getting authorisation of experiments with GM-plants according to current EU rules, which are simply overwhelming, even for big companies. I think we could try these tomatoes in real production. In our tomatoes, only two proteins have been disrupted, so we have not introduced any foreign DNA. Now more sensible winds are blowing in the EU and perhaps the introduction of these types of changes will be taken off the GMO Directive. In fact, the EU should also change the GMO directive altogether as it is in serious conflict with scientific findings.

As meat production creates a huge environmental footprint, could a more widespread shift to vegetarianism help save the planet? It certainly would. Almost 40% of land is used for agriculture, of which two-thirds is used to feed these animals that we eat and only one third is used for cereal/vegetable/fruit production. Livestock farming also produces methane, which is a greenhouse gas nearly 100 times stronger than CO2. Thus, eating less meat helps make our societies more sustainable and climate friendly.

Photo by Kaspar Koolmeister

Ketchup tomatoes are mostly grown in the field and it is important that they use as little water as possible. In contrast, so-called eating tomatoes are mainly grown in greenhouses, where conditions are optimised, often CO2 concentration is doubled to maximise photosynthesis, humidity is high and thus water-saving is not critical. In such conditions desired tomatoes should rather have more open stomata that do not close in response to elevated CO2. We have technology to make such plants as well now and we are working on having such tomatoes as well. We are using the same methods for adjusting barley

water-use characteristics as well; the first barley lines will be tested this autumn.

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By Maris Hellrand

The groundbreaking of the new magnet factory in Narva at the end of June was a game-changer for the border-town, the Ida-Viru region and Europe. The €100 million investment includes €19 million from the European Fund of Just Transition – the first project ever that the fund is financing. Neo Performance Materials’ (Neo) new factory will employ 300 people in the first phase.

The Narva magnet factory of Neo will be the first of its kind in Europe and the western world to produce the permanent magnets, essential for the green transition of many industries – a crucial component for electric vehicles and wind turbines. So far, China holds a grip on this part of the supply chain. “The production of magnets is dominated by Asian companies. The reaction in Europe is that production should be in Europe. The start of the European process has now begun here, at one of the starting points in Europe,” said Constantine Karayannopoulus, CEO of Neo at the groundbreaking ceremony in Narva. Karayannopoulos said that the Narva plant’s production capacity is initially planned at 2,000 tonnes of magnetic blocks per year, with the potential to expand to more than 5,000 tonnes per year in the future. “This could bring the total investment to around €250 million and we may need to expand our employment to around 1,000 people,” he added. The plant in Narva expects to begin production of permanent rare earth magnets in 2025 sufficient to support the manufacturing of approximately 1.5 million electric cars. Neo’s expected phase 2 production of 5,000 tonnes per year can support the manufacturing of 4.5 million electric cars.

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Photos by Rauno Liivand

The first European permanent magnet factory is being built in Narva

Neo’s nearby rare earth separations plant in Sillamäe, Estonia will provide rare earth feedstock to the Narva plant from the US and other sources. These high-purity magnetic rare earth oxides will be transformed into sintered neodymium-iron-boron magnets. This process will be the first of its kind in Europe. The formerly secret town of Sillamäe in Ida-Virumaa is where it all started. Neo acquired the Sillamäe rare earths factory Silmet in 2015. The very core of the production is splitting the ore (imported from the USA) into separate rare earths that are the crucial ingredients for the permanent magnets. Vasileios Tsianos, Director of Corporate Development of Neo, explained that the Sillamäe factory itself is unique in the western world and its main advantage are its people, well-trained in this rare technology. The history of the Silmet plant dates back to 1926 when Swedish-Norwegian Eestimaa Õlikonsortsium (Swedish: Estländska Oljeskifferkonsortiet; English: Estonian Oil Consortium), controlled by Marcus Wallenberg, was established to build a shale oil extraction plant. After WW2 the plant was reconstructed for a secret mission to produce uranium oxide and enriched uranium. It specialised in rare earths in the 1970s. With such a background, it’s quite a leap to become a driver in the green transition. Today, Silmet is the only industrial-scale and commercially-operating midstream (i.e. separations) facility of rare earths outside of Asia. It is the only facility in the Western world that separates rare earth ore concentrate into oxides at scale. The new magnet facility at Narva is different from the current Silmet facility – it’s a downstream facility. The Silmet facility will be supplying the rare earth oxides to the Narva facility, which will further be converted to rare earth alloys and then rare earth sintered permanent magnets. The Narva magnet facility will manufacture the highly-engineered specialty magnets required for the motors of electric vehicles.

The separations and magnet plants in Estonia de-risk the automotive sector jobs that are precarious in Europe during the transition from Internal Combustion Engine vehicles manufacturing to Electric Vehicles manufacturing. The same applies for offshore wind turbine manufacturing, especially in times when wind energy has to scale at record speed for the EU’s energy security and diversification away from Russian natural gas. For the European car industry and its 500 000+ jobs, it’s highly important to reduce the supply chain risk and divert from its complete dependence on China for rare metals and magnets. Neo began three years ago to assess the market and the challenges of building the first rare-earth-sintered-permanent-magnet manufacturing facility specifically for EV motors outside of China. It spoke with current and future customers in the electric vehicle value chains and developed its assurances that the business case is based on solid assumptions, particularly around the EU policy tailwinds. Tsianos said: “In Estonian politicians, civil servants and all local business partners, Neo found the most entrepreneurial and problem-solving attitude, which seems to be driven by a collective Estonian pursuit for growth and becoming a most strategic jurisdiction for critical supply chains of the Western world.” The Fair Transition Fund’s grant money is intended to bring about change in the business sector in Ida-Viru County, which is based on an oil shale industry with a large environmental footprint. “The energy crisis, inflation and rising interest rates are all too many variables in one equation for an investor. All of this has made the situation more complicated,” said Ivan Sergeyev, coordinator of the Fair Transition process in Ida-Virumaa. “The war did make the investors uneasy for a while, but they know that this is EU territory, this is NATO territory and they feel safe here. I hope other companies feel the same,” Sergeyev added.

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Modular data centre grows with the clients By Ann-Marii Nergi

‘Modern data centres enhance the country’s attractiveness from the viewpoint of various businesses and investments and provides a strong foundation for local digital success stories’

Greenergy Data Centers’ (GDC) facility in Tallinn is the most energy-efficient and secure data centre in the Baltics. Estonia, the most digitally advanced society in the world, still lacked a proper purpose-built large-scale data centre in 2020. To be more precise, Eastern and Central Europe as a whole lacked sustainable and reliable data centres. To the founders of GDC, this fact was unacceptable. With the support of the Three Seas Initiative Investment Fund, GDC acquired MCF Group Estonia who had come across the same problem and was already building a world-class data centre in Tallinn. By joining forces, they merged the best knowledge in technology, management skills, highly qualified workforce, and resources to raise the largest and most power-efficient data centre in the Baltic region. Moreover, the GDC will not stop there. The long-term vision of the company is to enable digital growth by building a network of sustainable data centres in the Central and Eastern Europe.

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Photo by Andres Oolberg

Photo by Tõnu Tunnel

There were only a few of those who believed in the realisation of such a large-scale project in a small country like Estonia. The necessary investments were enormous and it was impossible to get funding from banks. There were no sectoral specialists, and the market had yet to be created. But everyone who doubted it was wrong! That was the beginning of the first modern large-scale data centre to be built on the outskirts of Tallinn. Within only a year, the 14,000 square metre facility (equal to the size of two football pitches) is filling up quickly. But not to worry – GDC’s strength is in modularity. It means that if the space gets crowded, the capacity of a server room can be easily increased to match its clients’ development and growth.

“We were constantly looking for the best possible solutions and the highest level of reliability. This, of course, led to challenges.” One example is a novel oxygen reduction fire prevention system for server rooms, which eliminates the possibility of fires starting (while still being safe for humans). “We are the first in Estonia to implement this system and facing the issue of how to ventilate a room where a low oxygen level must be maintained and even small air leaks are not permitted,” says Evert, illustrating the challenges that had to be solved. Now the data centre ranks among the best in the world according to certification specialists. This is a tremendous compliment on the work and ingenuity exhibited by the founders of the complex.

Photo by Tõnu Tunnel

Kert Evert

Photo by Siemens

Kert Evert, the founder and chief development officer of the data centre, had a previous career in telecommunications and he actually witnessed the building of the first data centre in Estonia back in early 2000s. Since then, the idea matured, life connected Evert with a bunch of interested investors and after finding the perfect location and getting building permits, it was time to break ground. “Much of the current team at the GDC today were hands-on from the beginning. Everyone is intimately familiar with their field and, at times, literally every nut and bolt in the large complex,” says Evert.

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Photo by Andres Oolberg

The first large-scale data centre in the Baltics: 14,500 m2 facility, campus power 31.5 MW Runs on renewable energy Target power usage effectiveness (PUE) of 1.2 Level 3 to 4 infrastructure redundancy Carrier and operator neutral Flexibly sized data rooms across two floors Manned physical security supported by AI Compliance with the highest international standards

Tõnu Grünberg

Tõnu Grünberg, CEO of GDC, also has a background in telecommunications and knows the value of well-secured data first-hand. He also doesn’t mind pointing it out: “As our clients, we have data-intensive companies as well as those with smaller data volumes, but all with strict compliance requirements and security rules. Notably, we are the sole data centre in the Baltics and Finland to hold the esteemed European EN 50600 certificate. Many organisations today embrace sustainability and our commitment to 100% renewable energy. The

target of 25% higher efficiency than the industry average makes us an attractive choice for housing IT equipment,“ says Grünberg. GDC is also a frontrunner in the green mindset, which becomes more important by the day for clients choosing their partners. “There is a growing interest among entrepreneurs to contribute to sustainability and achieve ambitious climate goals. Energy efficiency is also a significant consideration, especially with recent electricity price fluctuations, as it directly impacts the economic aspects of running a business.“

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Grünberg believes that as Estonia has gained international recognition as a digital country there was yet a big gap to be filled – until the opening of GDC in 2022, there was a noticeable absence of large-scale reliable and sustainable data centres in the area. “In our modern lives, where Internet and data play vital roles in our daily activities, data centres have become the backbone of our existence. They can be likened to critical infrastructure, much like highways and power systems, at a national level,“ says Grünberg. “Modern data centres enhance the country’s attractiveness from the viewpoint of various businesses and investments and provides a strong foundation for local digital success stories.“ Today the majority of GDC is owned by the Three Seas Initiative Investment Fund, together with some minority shareholders like Kert Evert.

Photos from private collection

From Europe to the US: new early-stage fund helps to break ground in the States By Ann-Marii Nergi

Cross Ocean Ventures, a new early-stage investment fund for international founders with global ambitions, has established its operational hub in Estonia. The fund invests in and helps European startups expand to the US market. Cross Ocean Ventures’ strength is finding and helping companies in a position to raise Series A funding, mainly through US investors over 12-24 months.

Serhat Pala, fund’s CEO and founder, and Zeynep Ilgaz, general partner

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Serhat Pala, the fund’s CEO and founder of multiple high-growth tech companies in the US, explains his decision to choose Estonia for one of the hubs in Europe.

Why does Cross Ocean Ventures focus on European countries and why did you choose Estonia as a financial hub? After my most recent successful exit, I transitioned from creating my own companies to guiding other founders. This career pivot gave me my first real opportunity to engage with entrepreneurs outside of the US. As an immigrant entrepreneur in the US with successful exits under my belt, I began engaging more with European founders who aspired to expand their companies or product lines to the US market. While Europe has made significant strides in fostering a more conducive startup ecosystem and facilitating access to early-stage funding, challenges persist for many companies. These challenges are particularly pronounced for those hailing from small to medium-sized European countries with more niche operations and smaller total addressable markets (TAMs). As for choosing Estonia as our hub, it goes beyond the favourable legal and regulatory environment. Estonia has swiftly established itself as a burgeoning “startup and entrepreneurial nation”, evident from its rankings in the Global Entrepreneurship Index (#11 in 2023), Startup Genome Global Startup Ecosystem (#18 in 2022), and World Bank’s Doing Business (#16 in 2023). These rankings, though impressive for a small country, only hint at the opportunities the nation presents for investors, particularly in the tech domain. Estonia’s size may appear disadvantageous on the surface, but it conceals significant benefits. For example, the restricted local market means that from inception, startups must strategise for international expansion. This reality fuels an international growth mindset among both entrepreneurs and governmental entities, transforming Estonia into a testing ground for strategies to be replicated elsewhere. The intimacy of the market allows founders and startups to easily connect with their first potential clients for solution validation, speeding up the feedback and adaptation cycle. A definite benefit of Estonia is the close-knit entrepreneurial community which means founders are never more than one or two degrees of separation away from a successful entrepreneur or even a ‘unicorn’ founder, who can serve as a mentor or role model. Also the relatively small and less diversified local public stock markets play as an advantage for us – it inspires investors to back seed and early Series A funding rounds more willingly, along with the observable high returns from early-stage startup investments. In comparing Estonia to other developed regions such as Benelux, the Nordics, and Central Europe, I believe Estonia holds a significant edge due to its trifecta of positive mindsets, akin to those found in the US and Israeli ecosystems: 1. The ‘grow big, grow fast’ founder mindset. 2. An investor mentality focused on a startup’s future potential, encouraging founders to learn from their mistakes rapidly to expedite growth. 3. The understanding among regulators and government officials that their role is to facilitate enterprise growth and innovation, ensuring they remain accessible.

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How does Cross Ocean Ventures help European startups get better at competing with their US counterparts? The cross-border venture funds like ours that operate at the earlier stages (pre-Series A) play a positive role in helping the European ecosystem indeed. I am encouraged to see more funds like our Cross Ocean Ventures come, invest and then help early-stage startups to expand to the US market, get more US investor attention and support. By doing that we will end up not only having more connections between US investors and European startups but also expose European investors to the innerworkings of US investment mindset. And at the end, with more successful companies of more diverse sizes will expose the European Investor to value-creating exits. As a result, there will be more appetite and support from EU investors to have their portfolio companies go faster and take risks in order to scale.

What are the main obstacles and mistakes made when European startups are entering the US market? At Cross Ocean Ventures, we really “dig in” before we decide to invest in a company. We not only need to believe in the team and their solution, but also be confident that they’re open to guidance, and that we can aid in planning and executing a successful US expansion. Our focus is on B2B SaaS companies that are raising seed funding in Europe and are on a solid path to securing Series A in the US. We’ve put together a robust set of resources on this topic, many of which are freely available online for founders. Some of the common hurdles and mistakes founders often encounter when breaking into the US market are about product market fit or market selection, meaning that just because something works in European markets doesn’t automatically mean it will be successful in the US. Also, when it comes to entering the US market, it’s an all-ornothing game. US expansion can’t just be a side project; it has to be a top priority. It is also crucial to bring US investors on board from early on and start building a US-based team. Finally, there are many other less obvious but equally important factors to consider, such as the founders’ immigration status and the potential impact of a founder’s move on the rest of the team. As a fund, our biggest contribution to our portfolio companies isn’t just the investment we provide, but the guidance we offer to help them successfully establish themselves in the US market.

Photo by Evelin Vilmas

SmartCap Green Fund – financing innovative Estonian GreenTech companies

Sille Pettai

More and more investors are investing in green technologies. According to reports, investments in renewable energy production, green transportation and energy storage in 2022 exceeded 1 trillion dollars, which for the first time in history rivals investments in fossil fuels. An important driver in Europe is the planned investments within the framework of the EU Green Deal and a clear direction for the transformation of the energy economy. Estonia is contributing to the green transition with the 100-million-euro SmartCap Green Fund, which is financed by the European Union NextGenerationEU Recovery and Resilience Facility funds. SmartCap is an investment management company owned by the Republic of Estonia. Its mission is to facilitate a vital venture capital market that enables innovative Estonian startups and ambitious Estonian companies to emerge and grow globally. “The principal investment objective of SmartCap Green Fund is to support Estonian early-stage green technology companies with high growth potential in one or more strategic areas – energy, agriculture, food industry, transport and logistics, material and chemical industry and the environment,” explains Sille Pettai, Fund Manager and Member of the Board of SmartCap.

Five investments into GreenTech startups SmartCap invests into GreenTech companies, which develop innovative and/or research-intensive technologies, through dedicated GreenTech funds as well as through its direct investment programme. As of fall 2023, SmartCap is in the final negotiations stage with two private fund

managers interested in establishing venture capital funds focused on green technologies, into which SmartCap will make cornerstone investments of 20 million euros each. The direct investment programme is expected to be open for GreenTech startups until the end of 2024 and the investment in a single green technology company from SmartCap Green Fund ranges from 250,000 to 2.5 million euros. As of September 2023, SmartCap Green Fund has made direct investments into 5 Estonian startups. The profiles of the companies that SmartCap has invested into vary from the agricultural sector to cutting carbon emissions and moving towards a circular economy. “All our investment decisions are based on the growth potential of the startups as well as the impact their solution has on meeting the climate goals,” says Pettai. “It is really encouraging to see that there are a number of ambitious entrepreneurs that are dedicated to developing new and ground-breaking technologies that have the potential to shape the future of our planet.” SmartCap has invested together with other private VC funds and angel investors in agritech companies eAgronom and Paul-Tech; developer of electric cargo bikes Vok Bikes; developer of technology for the circulation of reusable packaging Cuploop; and smart technology solutions developer for real estate developers Bisly. “Estonia has made a name globally as a hotbed of emerging startups at the forefront of innovation as we know it. Despite current turbulent times, we see the initial performance of SmartCap Green Fund indicate, that there is great potential in continuing on this path with an increased focus on the green technology sector,” concludes Pettai. LI F E I N ESTON IA N o 6 1

Photo by Erki Pärnak

PoCo: Where international pop art icons and Estonian art stars meet By Maris Hellrand continues on p. 59

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Portfolio PoCo

Mall Nukke Norma, 2023 collage, acrylic, 95 x 95

Andro Kööp Vivre Avec Liz 2, 2014 oil on canvas, 120 x 160

Eve Kask Bright Blue Woman, 1988, linocut, 50 x 50 Bright Green Woman, 1988, linocut, 50 x 50

Edward von Lõngus Dance of Death, 2020 1200 x 230

Marko Mäetamm Dance of Death, 1993-2023 500 x 150

Raul Meel Enchantment and Spirit, 1989 acrylic on canvas, 100 x 108

Peeter Laurits Campbell’s Mushroom Soup, 2004 pigment print, 160 x 143

DeStudio Maria, 1993/2023 Homage to Warhol collage, 105 x 150

Photo by Erki Pärnak

Linnar Viik is an information technology scientist, entrepreneur and IT visionary. Founder of the Estonian Tiger Leap Foundation that laid the groundwork for Estonia’s digital success with a network of publicly available internet-connected computers and basic education for a broad spectrum of users. As a founder of the e-Governance Academy, he has advised more than 40 governments on their digital strategy, digital capacities and digital transformation roadmaps. He has been a member of the Research and Development Council of Estonia from 2001-2017, and a member of the e-Estonia Council from 19962021. Founder of startups, member of advisory boards.

Linnar Viik, one of the founding visionaries of digital Estonia, held a secret passion for decades that he finally exposed – pop art. Having collected international pop art since the early 1990s, he came up with an ambitious idea to exhibit and expand the collection into a pop art museum in Tallinn’s Rotermann quarter. Quite in character, the track from idea to opening of PoCo took just a few months.

Viik’s ambition is to put Tallinn on the map as a global metropolis, from Tokyo to Barcelona to Los Angeles, with a pop art museum. It adds a layer to the international fabric of the city, which is not just a medieval fairy-tale but also an attractive location for startups and global digital nomads. Now, the 19th century grain elevator in the heart of Tallinn offers its dark walls as a backdrop for some of the most iconic pieces of international pop art mixed with contemporary street art, digital art, Estonian legends and brand new discoveries. Not all of Viik’s more than 400 pieces are exhibited in PoCo, but the line-up is more than impressive as is the exhibition design. Instead of the usual white walls, PoCo presents the icons in a black box, illuminating each piece with a contour lighting that elevates the art pieces to a whole new level. LI F E I N ESTON IA N o 6 1

Photos by Karolin Linamäe

Viik’s fascination with pop art was sparked by an iconic piece of Roy Lichtenstein that he first saw in late 1980s in Stockholm: “It was a wow-experience. He had taken a comic drawing and expanded it into a painting which was so fresh and alive.” Pop art is colourful, understandable and makes people happy, says Viik. However, he is intrigued by the topics that deal with consumerism, trademarks, media and are critical of societal issues. The precarious character of pop art pieces requires a constant balancing act to spot where the critique itself becomes advertising. There’s plenty of room for controversy in its interpretation. The way pop art pieces often include references to one another mirrors the approach through which the exhibition at PoCo has been curated. Andy Warhol’s ‘Marilyns’ silkscreens set the tone in the first hall but keeps returning as references in other works, be it ‘Norma’ by the Estonian artist Mall Nukke or the legendary “Maria” by DeStudio (depicting Estonian actress Maria Avdjushko). The flow of the exhibition creates a conversation between Lichtenstein, Hirst, Duchamp and local classics or underground artists. Warhol’s critical ‘Myths’ leads to Lichtenstein’s ‘Pistol’ that is precisely aimed at a trash sculpture by German artist Ha Schult.

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The digital art and NFT’s are loans from friends, and in a few cases, surprise Viik himself. An anonymous Dutch artist actually controls a screen remotely and is amending his exhibit from time to time. The hottest name in AI art, Roope Rainisto, is claiming to enslave AI for art. His latest pieces will soon fill a hall at PoCo. One of the halls is inspired by contemporary Tokyo galleries that are located on a random floor of a residential building in a remote suburb. The walls between shower-rooms were opened up and the space handed over to Marko Mäetamm to “let loose”. He chose a series of his early reverse plexi-glass paintings and lithographs from the 1990s and reverse-created an “original” from a fragment – the monumental ‘Dance of Death’. The ‘Dance of Death’, by the Estonian street artist Edward von Lõngus, has also finally found a wall where all the fragments that appeared on the streets of European capitals in 2018 have come together. This final hall of the museum is an eclectic overload of colours and emotions at first sight, as though the curators ran out of space and decided to cover all available wall space with what was left.

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However, upon closer observation, there are stories and cross-references here that are waiting to be discovered. Viik admits that the collection is quite overwhelming and it’s a good idea to take it in in smaller doses. At least there is a very long and comfortable golden sofa to recline on and let the mind wonder. It’s important for Viik to take responsibility for the artworks and make sure they can be presented in the context they deserve rather than stored in dark rooms facing walls: “Just imagine a young artist’s emotions who finds out that his or her work is presented between Richter, Koons and Banksy.” PoCo is only the second private collection-turned-into-museum in Estonia. Viik says: “My focus is world art. I’m very interested in all the new bubbling that is happening in pop art right now, also digital pop. As a first museum, I’m brave enough to commit to art that doesn’t even exist yet and to build bridges to the previous eras of pop art in the 1960s and 2000s.”

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Photos by Karolin Linamäe

The Nordic and Baltic art scenes are dominated by public funding and thus have to follow the mission to foster and promote local artists, says Viik. This is the reason the collections don’t include international pop art although the audience is very keen to experience it as the visitor statistics of PoCo proves after just a few months. He believes the centre of gravity of central Tallinn has moved towards the Rotermann quarter, and this ambitious art museum was the missing piece in this area. PoCo is an evolving work in progress just as the pop art it exhibits, and we are only witnessing the first chapter.

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By Maris Hellrand

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Photos by Peter Adamik

Kristjan Järvi unites human creativity and AI

Kristjan Järvi & the Baltic Sea Orchestra

Invest Estonia’s Hamburg office celebrated its 20th anniversary with a concert of Kristjan Järvi & the Baltic Sea Orchestra in Hamburg’s famous Elbphilharmonie concert hall. Riina Leminsky, Head of FDI & Business Development in the DACH region at Invest Estonia, used the opportunity for a new cooperation project between the Estonian and Hamburg AI communities, as Järvi’s latest project ‘Estoniia Muse’ is also linked to artificial intelligence. See more: estoniia.ai

Kristjan Järvi is the “wild child” of the Järvi dynasty of conductors – son of the grand old Neeme Järvi and brother of the acclaimed classics conductor Paavo Järvi. He has been pushing boundaries of genres and senses since his early days. He found his distinctive musical language through countless collaborations since the Absolute Ensemble of New York, which combined classical music with hip-hop and jazz. He has created a new paradigm of multi-sensory performance experiences with his Sunbeam Productions team. Always eager to experiment beyond the imaginable, Järvi is now embracing AI and hoping to tame it to enhance human creativity while framing it deeply within the Estonian mindset. Riina Leminsky explained that instead of individual software applications, today’s technology allows us to move to a single platform using artificial intelligence. Therefore they found a match with Kristjan Järvi’s vision – the future of creativity being online and collaborative, where everyone can contribute. Leminsky said: “Already today, Estonia is proactively pursuing these three directions (collaboration, internet, AI). This will make us the most digital and, in the future, the most creative country in Europe. Estonia has given a completely different view of what a truly human-centred society means for digital citizens. And what makes it unique is the fact that, with e-Residency, almost every citizen, wherever they are in the world, can already be part of this digital society.” Kristjan Järvi explained his ‘Estoniia Muse’ concept as follows: “It’s a creature of love and tenderness that embodies the wisdom of Estonian land and forest and helps the user of the app to discover their own genius.” His ambition is to create a global tribe of Estonia through the playful app and a whole universe attached to it. The app creature – ‘Estoniia’ – is reflecting the feelings of the user and simultaneously becoming the person of trust. It’s a digital journey of self-discovery and creativity. LI F E I N ESTON IA N o 6 1

Photo by Stephan Wallocha

Alois Krtil (ARIC): Kirke Maar, CEO of AIRE, Kristjan Järvi, Riina Leminsky and Alois Krtl, CEO of ARIC before the concert in Hamburg

Järvi’s ‘Estoniia Muse’ was created in collaboration with Hamburg and Estonian AI centres (ARIC, AIRE/ AI & Robotics Estonia). It combine’s AI experiments with Järvi’s artistic approach to the digital forest. Järvi hopes the lovely creature will open up the inner child in its users. Estonia’s cooperation with ARIC (Artificial Intelligence Centre Hamburg) goes back to 2020 when the cooperation agreement was signed. ARIC is an association of major technology companies, research institutions and the public sector in northern Germany, with the City of Hamburg, Lufthansa Industrial Solutions, Pilot as founding members, and Airbus, Otto, Fieldfischer and others as members. According to Leminsky, the cooperation aims to strengthen interregional cooperation in the field of technology, to bring foreign investments of the German technology sector to Estonia, to help Estonian technology companies to find strategic partners and funding in Germany, and to develop cooperation between universities. It will also raise awareness of technology (opportunities and threats of artificial intelligence) in society.

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“The long-standing ARIC Hamburg Collaboration with Enterprise Estonia has been nothing short of remarkable in fostering a strong connection between Hamburg, Germany, and Estonia. Thanks to Riina Leminsky, for several years now, this partnership has yielded numerous successful projects and investments from both sides, showcasing the power of international cooperation and co-innovation. One of the recent highlights was the initiation and support of a joint project of the renowned conductor Kristjan Järvi, whose involvement brought a touch of brilliance to the collaboration. Järvi’s exceptional talent and artistic vision undoubtedly enriched the joint efforts of ARIC and Enterprise Estonia. The visionary AI project ‘Estoniia Muse’, a brainchild of Järvi, further exemplified the power of combining technology and art. This innovative initiative showcased Estonia’s rich cultural heritage through the lens of artificial intelligence, offering unique and interactive experiences to visitors and enthusiasts alike.”

How does an art project fit into the business-focused cooperation?

Leminsky considers the network of contacts built over these decades the most important thing for the benefit of Estonia as an economic and living environment, Estonian businesses and organisations. Her office is held in high regard with the German business community as responsive and caring. Leminsky: “The challenge all these years has been to raise awareness of Estonia as a potential and interesting investment and business destination among German business leaders. Estonia’s flexibility and speed, curiosity to try new solutions on the one hand, and German industry and its tremendous capacity to invest resources in research and development on the other hand, are a very good combination, where great results are born out of cooperation.”

Photo by Peter Adamik

Riina Leminsky: The ‘Estoniia muse’ project is a great example of collaboration between technology and creative people, fuelled by faith and love for their country, nature and people. Art and society have always been linked. My contacts in companies are mostly management and strategic decision-makers. Often they have no previous contact with Estonia and it is not enough just to present the economic/ business benefits to create a positive feeling. It is important to create an emotion and a bond with Estonia and an understanding of our way of thinking. This can be done best through art. Creators are excellent ambassadors for any country and their role in developing business relations, among other things, cannot be underestimated.” Leminsky recalls a performance by Ewert and the Two Dragons in Hamburg many years ago, where she made a connection to a German business leader who ended up investing in Estonia and creating 500 jobs. After concert meetings with Arvo Pärt, Paavo and Kristjan Järvi have left some of the strongest impressions on the German business community, says Leminsky.

Looking back at her 20 years representing Estonia in Hamburg, Leminsky points to the broad range of economic and scientific cooperation between Estonia and Germany that has contributed to prosperity overall. Next to some major investment projects such as HHLA, Kühne+Nagel and Volkswagen, she holds some smaller ones closest to her heart, where there has been a wider impact on the local community, the creative sector or charity.

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Photos by Lauri Laan

Michelin quality in the midst of a bog By Ann-Marii Nergi

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Daanius Aas

A new trendsetter in Estonian food culture came into the spotlight at this year’s Michelin Awards. Under the leadership of Daanius Aas, Restaurant SOO was included in the White Guide and Michelin Select and awarded the Michelin Green Star. Daanius Aas became the Michelin Young Chef of the Year.

When the Michelin Awards were handed out in Estonia this year, Head Chef Daanius Aas had to go up on the stage three times. His Restaurant SOO is newcomer of the year in the world- renowned restaurant guide. Daanius works alone in the kitchen of the restaurant, located in the Maidla Nature Resort, a 45-minute drive from Tallinn. He has the opportunity and the luxury to do so, as the intimate restaurant in the middle of forests and bogs serves a five-course dinner for just ten people a day and only on three days a week. Restaurant SOO is dedicated to local ingredients and guided by genuine sustainable considerations. It is this outstanding commitment to sustainability which was recognised with the Michelin Green Star. However, Daanius also took home the title of Young Chef of the Year and the restaurant was for the first time named in Michelin Select. This on top of the remarkable fourth place in the White Guide restaurant guide. He admits modestly that he certainly was not expecting such an accolade, but he makes no secret of the fact that he is a perfectionist and loves to polish his dishes until they are impeccable. LI F E I N ESTON IA N o 6 1

The young Head Chef already has experience from other well-known restaurants under his belt. He has also learned under the guidance of top Estonian chefs. “I believe I have now found my own style – it is local, natural food, including all sorts of vegetables and herbs which have been forgotten or undervalued. We currently serve animal-based ingredients, but I am gradually moving towards a full vegetarian cuisine. It gets most interesting for me in the winter, after we have canned, fermented and frozen all sorts of things over the summer. Geete, the house fairy of the Maidla Manor and the main gatherer, plays perhaps a bigger role in the running of the restaurant than I do. She helps me with preserving all this precious stuff.”

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Photo by Priidu Saart

In the early days, Daanius prepared five courses every evening for just two people. They were whoever happened to overnight in the luxury villa for two. The first customer he cooked for in Maidla announced: “In two years, you will be in Michelin.” Daanius laughed at this, because at the time no restaurant in Estonia had the most prestigious accolade in the restaurant world – the Michelin star. The first Michelin stars in Estonia were awarded to restaurants 180 Degrees and Noa`s Chef`s Hall only in 2022. This spring, immediately after Daanius Aas received his accolades, the pre-bookings of Restaurant SOO filled even faster than usual, not to say instantly. “But I remained true to myself – despite the increased popularity, we have no plans to expand, primarily to ensure the quality of every dish that comes out of the kitchen and a special experience for each customer. I will still be making dinner for only ten people a night, and I’ll do it alone in the kitchen.” Encounters with so-called Michelin-tourists have also increased – the furthest food gourmands who travelled specially to Maidla came from the USA.

Photos by Lauri Laan

The interest in cooking developed thanks to Daanius’ grandparents – when his mother was at work, the young lad often ran over to his grandparents’ house after school where cooking fresh meals was a daily routine. At the age of eight, Daanius was already baking the “Napoleon cake” or milles-feuilles with his granny. When he went to study to become a chef, he found that he tended to improvise instead of sticking to the school curriculum and this led to hesitation – he wondered if it was the correct profession for him. While working as an apprentice and witnessing the highly stressful job of the head chef, he asked himself the same question again… But once things started to take off, the hesitation gave way to euphoric working. He admits that he has gone to extremes by working 300 hours per month. Needless to stay, this is not sustainable even for a young person. Today it is clear that the Michelin accolades bring a great responsibility, but also a conscious choice not to work yourself until burnout. “Most importantly, even my granny now believes that I can cook. But she won`t come to my restaurant – says it is too expensive. As if I would bill her,” muses the young Head Chef, whose favourite kind of dishes are still his grandma’s home cooking.

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By Maris Hellrand

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Photo by Hans Markus Antson

Every year is a year of sauna for Estonians

Photo by Toomas Tuul

Eda Veeroja at Mooska smoke sauna

For Eda Veeroja, a sauna day begins early in the morning. The old smoke sauna at her home near Haanja in Southern Estonia takes up to 7 hours of heating before it’s ready to welcome guests. The sauna has no chimney, which means that the giant oven is being heated with big logs of wood until it reaches the maximum temperature, then the sauna is aired to let the smoke out. The accumulated heat will have to last for hours without lighting a new fire or adding wood. It’s the end of May and the leafy hills of Haanja are covered in a hint of light green, not yet mature summer foliage. We arrive in the afternoon of a mild and sunny spring Saturday to experience a special treat – a spring sauna with white lilac blossoms. We had to make whisks of fresh young birch branches for everyone as homework. Going to the forest to collect branches helps to calm the busy minds of everyday worries, connect to nature and prepare for the awaiting rituals. As a group of girlfriends, we have been going to the Mooska smoke sauna annually for 8 years for a weekend retreat to cleanse the body and soul. In 2023, the Estonian Rural Tourism Organisation is celebrating sauna culture in all its variety with dedicated educational and marketing campaigns and events. Sauna masters have been offering their services via a website. As a lucky coincidence, a documentary by Anna Hints – “Smoke Sauna Sisterhood”, was released in 2023 and has since shot to worldwide fame with the nomination as Estonia’s entry to the Oscars as the cherry on the cake.

So, with all that in background, we feel like we are hitting a trend. Eda encourages us to take a dip in the cool pond before entering the hot sauna to clear our heads. Then it begins. She leads her sauna guests through a 4-hour journey of chants and treatments, some of them reoccurring and familiar, some new and exciting. Eda has refined sauna rituals to a level of their own after she led the process of getting the Southern Estonian smoke sauna listed as a UNESCO intangible heritage in 2014. She leads the chants in her local Võro dialect to greet the sauna, to connect with ancestors, to deal with past pain and to open up for lightness and joy in the present. The huge oven of big stones gives off a mild but deep steam when Eda pours water (leil in Estonian, lõunõq in Võro dialect) over it. Rubbing salt and ash all over our bodies really gets the sweat going in the first rounds of the sauna. Off to the cooling pond, trying not to disturb the frogs. More than 230 saunas have opened their doors to guests in 2023 – smoke saunas, wood-heated saunas, barrel saunas, raft saunas, tar saunas, peat saunas, igloo saunas, tent saunas, glass saunas, and the list goes on and on. Apart from those most private houses, cottages and many apartments have a sauna as well. And then there are dozens of public saunas, some of them quite legendary like the Kalma sauna in Tallinn’s Kalamaja district and the fancier spa saunas of course. There’s an abundance of saunas actually that Estonians usually enjoy weekly on Saturday evenings, to celebrate get-togethers and holidays. It’s not unusual to have a work meeting in a sauna. LI F E I N ESTON IA N o 6 1

Year of the sauna 2023 www.sauna2023.ee 100, 100 saunas in Estonia = 1 sauna per 13.3 residents 41 public saunas Events: 20-22.10.2023 open saunas of Rõuge parish Annual European sauna marathon in Otepää (February)

“Smoke Sauna Sisterhood” (Savvusanna sõsarad) by Anna Hints In the darkness of a smoke sauna, women share their innermost secrets and intimate experiences, washing off the shame trapped in their bodies and regaining their strength through a sense of communion. World Cinema Documentary Best Director Award at Sundance Film Festival

Photo by Priidu Saart

Estonia’s nomination for best foreign film at the Oscars 2024

Another treatment adventure awaits – a mix of peat and clay soon feels like a thin layer of clothing once it dries. Circling around and laying down on the soft grass like a child – forget your complexes and body shame, everybody is beautiful! This is one of the messages of the “Smoke Sauna Sisterhood” documentary. Beautiful shots of naked bodies, not sexualised but merely observed through a respectful lens, fascinate viewers just as much as the very personal stories the women share with each other in the old smoke sauna and the viewers in cinema. How very familiar this sisterhood feels. Only a few generations ago the sauna was the place where life started and ended. Eda Veeroja even claims that a smoke sauna only reaches its full potential once a baby is born there and someone has died in it. These events in a sauna are extremely rare though today. The modern sauna culture of Estonia has put the country very close to Finland on the worldwide sauna map. David Beckham has bought an Iglucraft sauna for his UK home and made the igloo saunas so sought after that now you can actually visit a whole igloo sauna village next to the trendy Noblessner marina in Tallinn. The design and technology of Huum sauna ovens, produced near Tartu, have also found international fame and markets. Their latest electrical oven Cliff and control system won the prestigious Red Dot design award.

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Kihnu Metsamaa culture farm

Photo by Alina Birjuk

Finally, the fresh birch whisks known as ‘viht’ are allowed in. The hot steam brings out the head-spinning, sweet and sour smell of tender young birch leaves. There is nothing quite like getting whisked all over the body with these soft, hot and aromatic branches. Almost none of the rituals can top this traditional treatment, … except the branches of lilac flowers that we collected earlier. The symbol of spring, yet a very common farmyard bush, is well-known for its strong aroma. In a hot sauna the clusters of these small succulent blossoms gain a new amazing texture. Eda guides us to just enjoy the smell and tactile feel of it. Just deep gratitude and joy. And so it goes for four hours – a rhythm of soft deep heat, cooling dips in the pond, a little rest and lingering around, then starting all over again. The last round includes a gentle rub with flowing honey mixed with lemon grass, like a sweet balm for the body and soul. We feel replenished, light and happy. Yet again the sauna has allowed us to reconnect with our own deepest desires and renewed the bond of friendship we share with each other. The sauna has its character and special magic during each season, be it a warm summer evening, the crisp and colourful autumn, or a snowy winter with a dip into an ice hole. Adjusting the rituals to solstice and moon cycles requires deeper wisdom from the sauna master. Eda Veeroja shares her sauna knowledge not only with guests but has taught a whole new generation of sauna masters who practice their own (mostly smoke) sauna craft in South Estonia. Her dedication has brought new life to the old heritage as well as contributed to sauna and rural tourism in Estonia from far and wide.

Maali Talu Sauna SPA on Saaremaa Photo by Toomas Tuul

Sauna on Vormsi island LI F E I N ESTON IA N o 6 1

What types of saunas are there in Estonia? Source: Visit Estonia

There are practically as many types of sauna as there are people in Estonia — well, we may be exaggerating, but there is a type of sauna for every type of person. Like super hot? Try the Finnish sauna. Looking for traditional? Head to the smoke sauna.

Photo by Ekvilibrist - Estonian Saunas

Read on to take your pick of Estonian saunas.

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Photo by Priidu Saart

Smoke sauna Many people consider the smoke sauna the most proper version of sauna, and for good reason. Besides being the oldest type of sauna, the smoke sauna feels the best and provides the most pleasant steam. The smoke sauna is the ancestor of all other saunas, familiar as grandmother’s pancakes or grandfather’s music. The smoke sauna is different from other wood-heated saunas because there is no chimney in the sauna, so the sauna room and the space around it are filled with thick smoke as the sauna is heated. After heating, an hour or two will be spent waiting for the smoke to disappear until only heat and a pleasant light smell of smoke remain. Then it’s time to go to the sauna and enjoy its long, mild steam, which leaves a lingering aroma of smoke on the skin and hair.

Classic or Finnish sauna

Photo by Mart Vares

Saturday night sauna has been an important tradition for many Estonians since childhood, and every proper household had a sauna until the last century. The classic sauna, like the smoke sauna, is a very old version of sauna. Known as the Finnish sauna, it could just as well be the traditional Estonian sauna. The sauna is characterised by dry, almost breathtaking heat, as the sauna is usually heated to 90-100 degrees Celsius. The steam is sudden, biting, even overwhelming. Fortunately, those who prefer a milder steam can just move one step lower in the sauna, as usually benches are set in two or three steps. For true sauna enthusiast, this is the real traditional sauna — the steam must be at least 100 degrees and the whole experience will take at least a couple of hours. Whisking is an important part of the sauna experience. After whisking, it is a good idea to cool off in a nearby pond or some other body of water.

Sauna with electric heater

Photo by Peter Paxx

Classic sauna in Soomaa

This is a quick and easy solution for today’s fast-paced world, especially since electric heaters are getting better and more stylish. Imagine you start driving from Tallinn, do some skiing in Otepää, and the sauna is ready to go by the time you arrive at your house in the countryside! With the help of smart solutions, such luxury is quite possible. There is no need to haul wood, and the sauna can be set to your desired temperature range. Sometimes an electric sauna is also the only possible solution for apartment buildings, hotels, and spas. True sauna enthusiasts, of course, turn up their noses when it comes to electric saunas, but as they say, any port will do in a storm! LI F E I N ESTON IA N o 6 1

Photos by Taavid Meedia

Raft sauna As the name suggests, a raft sauna is a sauna placed on top of a raft (or boat or some other watercraft). Therefore, you can be sure that the water is very accessible, and you can jump into water directly from the sauna. Some raft saunas also have a small terrace or barbecue area. Some of the raft saunas are connected to the shore, while others can be used to navigate the water during sauna bathing. Perhaps not so easy when your raft is on the sea or a river, but you can do it on a bigger pond or a smaller lake. The range of raft saunas on Estonian water bodies is surprisingly wide, but unlike most other saunas, this is a seasonal activity.

Igloo sauna In an igloo sauna, the steam is provided by a conventional or modern wood-burning heater. In a rectangular sauna, the heat bounces unevenly along the wall and eventually accumulates under the ceiling. The igloo sauna is completely rounded with rounded walls, and the steam is more evenly distributed and spreads faster. Igloo saunas warm up very quickly: in the summer, it is possible to get the steam up in as little as half an hour (70-80 °C), and in winter, it takes a little longer. Igloo sauna can be found from the islands to southeast Estonia, from Lapland to the tropics, not to mention Tallinn’s famous Igloo Park. Igloo saunas covered in wood shavings are pleasing to the eye, blend well with nature, and look very modern.

Photos by Marten Vaher

Raft sauna on lake Võrtsjärv

Igloocraft sauna in Noblessner

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Photo by Andres Raudjalg

Photo by Rivo Veber

Hot tub The hot tub has a social and relaxing function, and these tubs have become very popular in Estonia. Hot tubs are often combined with another type of sauna, such as a smoke sauna or a Finnish sauna. What makes the hot tub experience great is that the tub is located outside. It is lovely to be in the tub on a sultry summer evening, during a harsh winter freeze, or on a dark autumn night. It is even great in rain or snow! The hot tub is heated with wood or electricity, but of course, it can also be used as a cold water pool if you want to jump from a hot sauna to cool down in the water.

Saunas For Ukraine NGO... Why? Many Ukrainian fighters are in the trenches every day, under fire from enemy artillery and tanks, but they remain defiant. The situation is reminiscent of the First World War, in which soldiers could too easily get sick from the absence of hygiene.

... is an initiative by Estonians which is donating mobile sauna complexes – complete with laundry facilities, water tanks, and generators – to frontline Ukrainian units. It’s a collaboration between the Estonian sauna industry, the Estonian Defence League, and sauna fans around the world. The aim is to build and deliver 10 sauna complexes, fit for battalion-sized units in Ukraine.

An infantryman in the winter feels constant cold. There are cases of the amputation of frozen limbs. In summer heat, soldiers dehydrate quickly. At the same time, the sweat mixed with dust and mud create an auspicious environment for different kinds of bacteria. Most of the Ukrainian units don’t have centrally organised washing facilities. Uniforms are infrequently washed by hand. Living in constant damp conditions affects the morale of the defenders. Further information and donations at saunas4ukraine.org LI F E I N ESTON IA N o 6 1

Events calendar: Highlights from November to April Life in Estonia recommends Photo by Peeter Järvelaid

Photo by Liis Reiman

Tallinn Restaurant Week (TRW) 1st – 7th of November @Tallinn

Black Nights Film Festival PÖFF 3rd – 19th of November @ Tallinn

Tallinn Restaurant Week offers an amazing opportunity to enjoy local food culture and get to know the latest cooking trends. You can enjoy delicious food in many restaurants participating in the event. Inspired by Tallinn’s 2023 title – European Green Capital, we are offering more environmentally friendly choices to showcase the importance of environmentally friendly decisions in food culture. TRW offers are only available with advance booking through the TRW Reservation and Ticketing System. The table is yours. Test us!

PÖFF is an annual A-category film festival that has been held in Tallinn since 1997. In November each year, it brings the newest and most fascinating examples of the world’s cinematography, together with international filmmakers, to the doorstep of local viewers. With over 500 films, short films and animation, around 1400 attending film professionals and journalists, plus the attendance of more than 90,000 viewers, PÖFF is one of the biggest film festivals in Northern Europe and the largest annual cultural event in Estonia.

www. tallinnrestaurantweek TallinnRestaurantWeek

www. poff.ee tallinnblacknightsff tallinnblacknightsff

Photo by Rene Jacobson

Estonian Music Week 22nd – 26th of November @ Tartu and Tallinn Estonian Music Week puts a spotlight on Estonian solo and chamber music performed by esteemed Estonian musicians. This year, you are invited on a journey through the world of such Estonian composers as Lepo Sumera, Tõnu Kõrvits, Kuldas Sink, and Eduard Tubin, reflecting the various stages and paths in their creative development. www.festival.interpreet.ee festivaleestimuusikanadal interpreetideliit

Daniel Sloss “Can’t” stand-up comedy 27th of November @ Alexela Concert Hall Daniel Sloss is an international comedy superstar whose previous ground-breaking, global smash-hits include ‘HUBRiS’ and ‘X’. The film of ‘X’ is on HBO in the USA and Canada and is the first UK comedy special with a UK premiere in cinemas, with its nationwide release at Vue. He has sold out seven New York solo off-Broadway seasons, appeared on U.S. TV’s ‘Conan’ ten times, and broken box office records at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Stand-up comedy ‘’Can’t’’- Daniel Sloss visitestonia.com

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Photo by Sergei Zjuganov

Tallinn Christmas Market Open from December to January @ Tallinn The Tallinn Christmas Market, with a touch of a fairy tale, is held annually in the Old Tallinn Town Hall Square. The star of the market is the Christmas tree, which was first erected in the Town Hall Square in 1441 by the Brotherhood of Blackheads, making it the first Christmas tree ever put on display in Europe. Local merchants sell handcrafts, mulled wine and souvenirs to about 200,000 visitors every year. www.christmasmarket.ee jouluturg

Photo by Visit Estonia

Stebby Estonian Night Run 2nd of December @ Narva Narva welcomes you to participate in both the 5 km and the 10 km run! Fireworks, the city’s Christmas decorations, and a light show – all of this will inspire health sports enthusiasts to take part in the Estonian Night Run – the most unique running event in the Baltics. Here, the most important thing is the experience of running, not winning. www. ööjooks.ee nightrunestonia eestioojooks

Photo by Ardo Säks

Tartu Marathon 17th – 18th of February @Southern Estonia The legendary Tartu Marathon, first held in 1960, celebrates its 50th anniversary and surprises skiers with significant renewals. A team relay and two new Worldloppet calendar races – the Free technique race and and Tartu Marathon Vintage – were added to the Saturday. The classical races of 63 and 31 km traditionally take place on Sunday, February 18th. It’s the same legendary ski festival with the rolling landscape of Southern Estonia and the top-quality course that people from all over the world come to enjoy. www. tartumaraton.ee tartumaraton tartumaraton

Bread Festival 14th – 15th of March @Tallinn Creative Hub Professionals and enthusiasts – bakeries, importers, bread lovers mix into one. For bakers and professionals, the breadmaker festival is a platform to meet once a year. Hobby bakers get inspiration and experience for home breadmaking. Bread covers are also represented at the festival – sausages, cheeses, fish, spreads and butters. The program includes seminars and trainings. www.leivafestival.ee leivafestival LI F E I N ESTON IA N o 6 1

Events calendar

Photo by Visit Estonia

IBU Junior World Championships 23rd of February – 2nd of March @Otepää Estonia will, once again, host the IBU Youth and Junior Biathlon World Championships at the Tehvandi Sports Centre in Otepää. The 8-day competition includes individual distances, sprint, mass start and relay for both the youth and junior age groups. Competition Passes, Weekend Passes and Day Passes are on sale. Spectators can enjoy the competition by the track free of charge.

Photo by Marek Metslaid

www.biathlonotepaa.com BiathlonOtepaa biathlonotepaa

Photo by Tõnu Tunnel

Photo by Jazzkaar

Tallinn Music Week (TMW) 3rd -7th April @ Tallinn

Jazzkaar 20th – 28th April @ Tallinn

The international festival and music industry conference, Tallinn Music Week, attracts an enthusiastic audience of music lovers from Estonia and neighbouring countries. The line-up presents industry players and Estonian and international acts from diverse musical genres from pop to jazz and hard rock to electronic music. The TMW City Stage programme offers daily free pop-up concerts in unexpected and exciting places across Tallinn.

Jazzkaar, the international festival of Tallinn, is the biggest jazz music event in the Baltic states, taking place since 1990. The 8-day Jazzkaar presents local renowned performers and newcomers as well as famous and emerging jazz musicians from all over the world. Jazzkaar experiments with new formats and performance places, bringing music from concert halls to the city environment. The concerts are so varied that even the youngest family members get involved.

www.tmw.ee Tallinn Music Week tallinnmusicweek

www. jazzkaar.ee jazzkaar jazzkaar

Tallinn Coffee Festival 26th – 27th of April @ Tallinn Creative Hub Tallinn Coffee Festival is an event where you can get acquainted with many different and unique varieties of coffee as well as coffee making methods and equipment. It offers visitors the chance to enjoy good music, an exciting entertainment program and amazing aromas.The festival also showcases other warm beverages such as tea and hot cocoa. www. tallinncoffeefestival TallinnCoffeeFestival tallinncoffeefestival

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