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Four new ideas join AccelerateEstonia program!

Published
18. Feb 2020
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The accelerateEstonia (aE!) program, run jointly by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications, and Tehnopol Science Park, launched a competition in early 2020 to find new moonshot ideas that will have a significant impact on Estonia’s economic development. The competition received 26 ideas, of which 8 were selected for the second round and 4 ideas were selected to join the aE! program.

According to Kadri Tammai, head of Tehnopol Startup Incubator, the competition was a great success. “We are pleased to note that the competition received so many exciting ideas in the short term. This demonstrates the need for the private and public sectors to put their backs together in order to create innovative opportunities to tackle the complex challenges that are hampering the development of entrepreneurship today, ”Tammai explained.

“There are currently four projects participating in the accelerateEstonia program, each of which is facing very complex and international challenges. For example, we are developing a cross-border know-your-customer (KYC) service, an electronic freight solution (e-CMR), creating a health insurance and pension solution for digital nomads, and redesigning the process for recyclable materials. These are challenges that not only Estonia is facing, but the world is looking for effective solutions too. This is an opportunity for us to be a pioneer at the international level, ”said Mikk Vainik, accelerateEstonia program leader.

The four ideas now have three months to prove the business model and propose the necessary changes in the public sector. Like traditional startup accelerators, teams get aE! € 10,000 start-up grant, necessary training and comprehensive mentoring support.

“We are pleased to see four teams providing clear solutions for a more sustainable and greener future. In addition to creating new, more efficient business models, this is a clear direction for operational change, ”added Kadri Tammai, Head of Tehnopol Startup Incubator.

PROJECT Green Tiger aka Environmental Impact Meters

The project aims to give impetus to greener economic activities. The Green Tiger project creates a solution that collects environmental impact data and creates the prerequisite for dynamic taxation of goods and services according to their share of environmental factors in CO2. For the citizen, dynamic access to environmental information means a better choice when it comes to consuming environmentally friendly products and services, as the store can automatically track the environmental impact of one or another commodity.

Contact: Kristiina Kerge

PROJECT Earth Mobility Project XT (Mobility as a Service)

Today, the transport system is isolated, where different modes of public transport (tram, train, barge, etc.) do not exchange information and make it difficult for passengers to navigate between different modes of transport. Therefore, comprehensive travel planning and ticketing is also a complex process. The MaaS project team solves the problem by creating a platform for mediating traffic requests.

Contact: Tanel Talve

PROJECT Local Offset

Local Offset, in partnership with the state, creates a carbon offset certificate that describes the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere through sustainable management of nature. This will enable companies to link their carbon footprint to local forests, wetlands, farmland and other natural resources – and to support the preservation of their species-rich ecosystems. Local Offset provides a transparent and scalable platform to offset carbon footprint, integrating nature conservation into today’s workable economy.

Contact person: Merit Valdsalu

PROJECT Developing Estonia as an Information Warfare Center

The information war is a threat to democracy, public order and economic stability. The spread of misinformation is paralyzing and affecting the daily lives of many people – for example, it is not uncommon to refer people to ransom or phishing bank account information when referring to intimate video publishing. The cost of fake news losses is estimated at about $78 billion a year. This project establishes a software platform that analyzes, detects and visualizes the authenticity of digital images and videos.

Contact person: Johannes Tammekänd

AccelerateEstonia (aEstonia) is a program initiated by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications that brings together the private and public sectors to work together to develop the business and regulatory environment to create new business models, products and services. aEstonia program is driven by Science Park Tehnopol.