Estonia to host the Startup Nations Summit in 2017

The Estonian ministry of economic affairs and Startup Estonia have been selected to host the Startup Nations Summit in 2017; the event, organised annually by the Global Entrepreneurship Network, will continue to explore the rapidly-growing European startup hubs.

The key aim of the summit, taking place on 20-22 November in 2017, is to explore how digital disruption is changing the world. It is an entrepreneurial highlight during the Estonian presidency of the EU Council, bringing together policymakers and entrepreneurs into a single eventful conference.

“Estonia is among the most forward-thinking governments in the world and we are happy to share our experiences in digital governance,” Liisa Oviir, the minister for entrepreneurship, said. “We are ready to immerse all policymakers in how digital technologies have made a huge difference for entrepreneurs in Estonia. We call startups to expect more from their governments, so they can start and scale faster.”

Startup Estonia

Startup Estonia is a governmental initiative developing the Estonian startup ecosystem. As a member of Startup Nations, it invites all parties to use the opportunity given by the summit.

“The Estonian startup community is delighted to be hosting the startup ecosystem key players from around the world in Estonia,” it said in a statement. “We hope to show how truly global a small country such as Estonia can be in its mind set and how exciting and impressive startups are grown here.”

Startup Nations is an initiative run by the Global Entrepreneurship Network and funded by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. It is focused on exploring different regulatory changes and policy ideas to help accelerate entrepreneurship.

The summit will serve as the official conclusion of the Global Entrepreneurship Week 2017, a weeklong celebration of entrepreneurship with more than 30,000 events and roughly 10 million participants in 160 countries. It will also serve as a bridge to European SME Week, a pan-European campaign that aims to promote entrepreneurship in Europe.

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Cover: e-Estonia advertisement in New York in December 2014. Photo by Siiri Lind.