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Tallinn,, Estonia — From defense innovations to green tech breakthroughs: this year’s Latitude59 demonstrated Estonia’s evolving tech landscape, drawing global leaders to Tallinn.
Last week, Latitude59, Estonia’s flagship tech conference, drew over 3,500 attendees from 70+ countries to Tallinn. Breaking with tradition, Latitude59 awarded equal victories to three Baltic startups, who secured a combined €675,000 in investments through a new cross-border angel network collaboration.
A cross-border success story
This year’s competition was a big win. The three countries’ angel investor networks—EstBAN (Estonia), LatBAN (Latvia), and LitBAN (Lithuania)—joined forces to create syndicated investments, with each network leading the investment in one startup while participating in the others.
“The cooperation between the business angel networks of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania reflects our shared commitment to fostering innovation across the region,” said Liisi Org, CEO of Latitude59.
“It is also very important to passed the startup spirit to the students involved,” says Prague-based Douglas Wong, a mentor, impact angel investor, and serial entrepreneur. Wong is a familiar face at Northeastern European events. During a Latitude59 mixer, he stopped to chat with students Arkhid Chakma Joy and Aditya Nerpagar from the University of Aizu in Japan.
Douglas Wong from Prague and students Arkhid Chakma Joy and Aditya Nerpagar from the University of Aizu in Japan.
Major players are also leaning in: BlackRock, a true big-league institution, is strengthening its operations in the startup sector. Damian Polok works out of their Berlin office but frequently travels to the Baltics and Nordics to scout prominent startups for their billion-dollar fund.
Damian Polok
Latitude59 is much more than a single competition, packing a dense schedule of keynote speeches, workshops, and networking events. The 2025 edition put a spotlight on the emergence of defense and DeepTech as driving forces of innovation in Estonia and beyond.
Kerli Luks, CEO of the Tallinn-based startup Muun Health, says Latitude59 provides a convenient networking opportunity for partners and prospective investors.
“It’s all in one place,” says Luks, a medical doctor turned startup entrepreneur. Muun Health focuses specifically on women’s health.
“We are on a mission to develop the first wearable for continuous female hormone monitoring (CFM), offering real-time insights into ovulation and reproductive health,” Luks explains. “Unlike traditional methods like urine strips or blood tests, our device is a small, painless patch worn on the skin, providing accurate, personalized, and actionable data directly to your smartphone. Our solution is designed to be user-friendly, more reliable than existing options, and adaptable for broader health uses.”
Kerli Luks
Outside the venue, many Latitude59 attendees stopped to check out—and even test-drive—several driverless cars. The provider, Bliq, was built by people who want to see their work live on the road. Based in Berlin with a newly opened office in Tallinn, their team spans 12 countries and brings together top engineers alongside automotive and robotics enthusiasts. Together, they are making autonomous tech a reality and building something that will fundamentally change how cities move.
“Our vision is a world where any private car can safely drive itself,” says founder Julian Glaab.
“The landscape is changing. 2–3 years ago, it was difficult to find funds that would back military technology,” Joonas Vänto, Director of Invest Estonia, said on stage. Today, he noted, it’s the other way around, with increased demand on the funding side. “There’s no competition,” Vänto emphasized. “The biggest investor interest comes from the defense sector. Besides home-grown projects, international companies are also coming to Estonia to establish their presence, and we are doing our best to help them,” he said.
“A global hub for defense innovation”, says a headline on the cover of the latest issue of “Life in Estonia” magazine, which met visitors arriving at Latitude59. Estonian companies are indeed setting the trends, from AI-powered surveillance systems developed by DefSecIntel Solutions to precision optics engineering at HEVI Optronics. And international players like Helsing are choosing Estonia as their production hub, recognizing the unique combination of digital infrastructure, tax benefits, technical talent, and strategic location that the country offers.
Yet the progress isn’t confined to one sector, and the industry continues to tackle long-standing issues. The Baltic ecosystem, led by Estonia, is ready for positive changes — in the last year, both the number of female board members and female CEOs has risen by almost 15%, said Madis Lehtmets, Managing Director of EstVCA.
