Estonia: Small, smart and outward-bound

Estonia's start-ups eyeing South-east Asian markets

Its population is just 1.3 million, but this tiny Baltic nation is making waves worldwide in the tech-driven new frontiers.

SMARTLY CO-FOUNDER ARTUR LUHAAAR ST PHOTO: DIOS VINCOY JR
JOBBATICAL FOUNDER KAROLI HINDRIKS ST PHOTO: GAVIN FOO
CLEVERON FOUNDER ARNO KUTT PHOTO: MARRX/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
TAXIFY FOUNDER MARKUS VILLIG PHOTO: REUTERS
New: Gift this subscriber-only story to your friends and family

Growing up in Soviet-era Estonia, entrepreneur Karoli Hindriks felt isolated from the rest of the world. Citizens were not allowed to travel out of the country easily, and the government also limited access to information.

Naturally, when the country regained independence in 1991, she leapt at the chance to venture abroad, travelling to countries as far-flung as the United States and Malaysia.

Already a subscriber? 

Read the full story and more at $9.90/month

Get exclusive reports and insights with more than 500 subscriber-only articles every month

Unlock these benefits

  • All subscriber-only content on ST app and straitstimes.com

  • Easy access any time via ST app on 1 mobile device

  • E-paper with 2-week archive so you won't miss out on content that matters to you

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Sunday Times on December 23, 2018, with the headline Estonia's start-ups eyeing South-east Asian markets. Subscribe