For the seventh year in a row, the Estonian Startup Awards will celebrate the success and growth of Estonia’s vibrant startup ecosystem. This year, the Estonian Startup Awards 2025 is seeking nominees in 11 impactful categories. Let us know who inspired you the most by December 14, 2025!
In 2025, the initiative of Estonian Startup Awards is led by Estonian Founders Society, Startup Estonia and LIFT99. The awards recognise Estonia’s most outstanding startups, investors, and community leaders — people, organisations and initiatives that have made remarkable contributions to the development of the startup sector and the economy, and who continue to inspire the next generation of founders.
This year, nominees will be recognised across 11 categories. “The award categories reflect the evolving landscape of Estonia’s startup ecosystem, which is becoming increasingly diverse and mature. Just a few years ago, the focus was primarily on financial technology, but today we’re seeing remarkable advancements in health, defence, and deep technology", said Elise Sass, co-founder of LIFT99.
But the awards also recognise those among us who make the world a better place: “The Giving Back Powerhouse category recognises individuals, organisations and initiatives whose contributions and influence have significantly shaped the development of Estonia’s startup sector. The Impact Visionary award is for the startups whose product and mission have a wider positive impact on humanity’s future, may they be active in CleanTech, MedTech, EdTech or any other vertical,” Sass added.
The main categories of the Estonian Startup Awards 2025 are:
Founder of the Year,
Investor of the Year,
Newcomer of the Year,
Revenue Hack of the Year,
Giving Back Powerhouse of the Year.
In addition, there are six special categories recognizing outstanding startups in the fastest-growing verticals of the local tech scene:
FinTech,
DeepTech,
HealthTech,
DefenceTech
SaaS,
Impact Visionary.
According to Startup Estonia, 1,556 startup companies operate in Estonia. By Q3, the Estonian startup sector had generated 2.8 billion euros in turnover. Estonian startup sector continues to be the engine of local economy while the rest of the market continues in slight decline, demonstrating the impact and added value the startup sector is creating in the society.
Last year, more than 320 candidates were nominated for the Estonian Startup Awards. The winners are selected from among the nominees through a secret vote by Estonian startup founders. The winners of all 11 categories will be announced at the annual awards gala on January 22, 2026.
Nominees for the Estonian Startup Awards 2025 can be submitted by anyone until December 14, 2025: