Enterprise Estonia, e-Residency and Tallinn Music Week hosted the official opening party, ‘Enter e-Estonia’, at the international technology conference Slush in Helsinki, Finland. The event featured thrilling live acts and DJs from both sides of the Gulf of Finland, the most innovative Estonian tech companies, and the best of Estonian cuisine.
The President of Estonia, Kersti Kaljulaid addressed guests at the opening ceremony, calling on business people around the world to take advantage of Estonia’s e-Residency program, a program which enables everyone in the world to securely identify themselves online, open and run location-independent businesses, and take advantage of a marketplace of services specifically for e-residents. ‘Even though there are only a little over a million of us, thanks to Estonia’s capabilities, we can make ten million payments, perform ten million requests and sign ten million contracts in just ten minutes. Even countries ten times our size cannot beat us,’ Kaljulaid said.
Slush © Aron Urb
‘But the good news is that it is possible to join our exclusive club of digitally empowered citizens. Each of us has been given up to 100 years to live on this planet – why not use that time more efficiently?’ she asked, inviting everyone to become an e-resident of her country.
The opening event drew nearly 1 500 visitors. The international crowd, represented mainly by Slush conference delegates – investors, speakers, journalists, startup- and music entrepreneurs – included several global Estonians, such as venture capitalist Steve Jurvetson, supermodel Carmen Kass and conductor Kristjan Järvi. Jurvetson, the US venture capitalist of Estonian descent, and the first non-European citizen to become an Estonian e-resident, said he was a proud son of Estonian parents:‘e-Residency makes it easy for anyone in the world to invest in the innovative startup ecosystem in Estonia.’
Slush © Aron Urb
According to e-Residency Program Manager Kaspar Korjus, the opening party was nothing short of awesome. ‘This party is already a legend at Slush. It feels good for a country to offer something beneficial to the citizens of other regions. This event was something bigger than just another party. It was a loud and clear statement, made at one of the mightiest tech events in the world to keep your eye on Estonia!’ Korjus enthused.
Slush © Aron Urb
The night’s music program featured exciting live acts from both sides of the Gulf of Finland – godfathers of Estonian indie, Röövel Ööbik, post-pop producer Mart Avi and electropop act NOËP from Estonia; the reverend of Finnish underground, Timo Kaukolampi, rapper Noah Kin and one-man indie-cabaret ‘Melting Hearts’ from the Finnish side. The rhythm of the night was also boosted by the central characters in Helsinki’s club scene – Lil’ Tony, Joose Berglund, Sirkku Haikonen, Feniks Willamo, complemented by Estonia’s finest DJs Raul Saaremets, Sander Mölder, Liisi Voolaid, Alari Orav and Jan Tomson. In addition to hosting the official opening party, Estonia showcased its e-solutions and startup community at the ‘Enter e-Estonia’ stand, where all Slushers were invited to learn about the world leading Estonian esolutions, apply for e-Residency and explore the endless possibilities of the Estonian startup scene.
Source: Life in Estonia
