Comments on: Thoughts on Local Startups http://www.mikolas.net/blog/2008/03/16/thoughts-on-local-startups/ Technology, Science and Business United ::: A Blog by Mikko Hämäläinen Tue, 17 Feb 2009 07:26:20 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Mikko Hämäläinen http://www.mikolas.net/blog/2008/03/16/thoughts-on-local-startups/comment-page-1/#comment-5 Mikko Hämäläinen Sat, 29 Mar 2008 12:59:13 +0000 http://www.mikolas.net/blog/2008/03/16/thoughts-on-local-startups/#comment-5 That is very true. There have been a constant stream of innovation from small Nordic and Baltic markets, but the problem is that it is really hard to grow into a global operator from such a small user base. There are some very notable exceptions to the rule, such as Skype and Jaiku - however both got acquired, by eBay and Google respectively. It just might be that we are good at incubating new business, but not good at commoditizing the innovations into scalable concepts without support of multinationals' existing networks and business infrastructure. That is very true. There have been a constant stream of innovation from small Nordic and Baltic markets, but the problem is that it is really hard to grow into a global operator from such a small user base. There are some very notable exceptions to the rule, such as Skype and Jaiku – however both got acquired, by eBay and Google respectively.

It just might be that we are good at incubating new business, but not good at commoditizing the innovations into scalable concepts without support of multinationals’ existing networks and business infrastructure.

]]> By: Eero Korhonen http://www.mikolas.net/blog/2008/03/16/thoughts-on-local-startups/comment-page-1/#comment-4 Eero Korhonen Wed, 26 Mar 2008 09:42:49 +0000 http://www.mikolas.net/blog/2008/03/16/thoughts-on-local-startups/#comment-4 Hi! I've found the Estonian business environment to be very entrepreneural. There is lot of startups and lot of young people building business around their ideas. However, the entrepreneural attitude is not only limited to startups, you can see the same approach in the management of established companies too. Fruitful environment is probably based on good basic and higher level education system, state of the art communication infrastrucure, and in general Estonia being in a growing transition economy. Now there is a slowdown after over heated period, but I'm quite sure that the growth will continue quite soon. As you say, their domestic market is very small and startups will for sure be a targets of international financial and industrial investors. Yet, I believe that Estonian markets will provide us continuosly new entreprenurial success stories. Hi!

I’ve found the Estonian business environment to be very entrepreneural. There is lot of startups and lot of young people building business around their ideas. However, the entrepreneural attitude is not only limited to startups, you can see the same approach in the management of established companies too.

Fruitful environment is probably based on good basic and higher level education system, state of the art communication infrastrucure, and in general Estonia being in a growing transition economy. Now there is a slowdown after over heated period, but I’m quite sure that the growth will continue quite soon.

As you say, their domestic market is very small and startups will for sure be a targets of international financial and industrial investors. Yet, I believe that Estonian markets will provide us continuosly new entreprenurial success stories.

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