On January 22, 2026, the winners of Estonian Startup Awards 2025 will be announced in 11 categories. This year’s award trophies are inspired by the vision of young sculptors, reflecting the view of the new generation on the Estonian startup community.
This year’s Estonian Startup Awards were created at Vivita / Solutions Laboratory, inspired by the ideas of young artists: “The focus of this year’s awards is an industrial staircase, which is a metaphor for the twists and turns of life and work. According to the young sculptors, it characterizes the fast, stressful and expectation-filled journey of a startup founder. At the top of the staircase, however, there is a spectacular illuminated glass with a bee motif, which symbolizes reaching the top and achieving goals, and also reflects the hard work and the efficiency of the startup community,” explained Eili Mändul, the main organizer of the event.
To find the final solution, young people from Vivita / Solutions Laboratory participated in workshops organized by LIFT99, where they had the opportunity to understand what a startup is and who startup entrepreneurs are. As a result, young artists came up with their own ideas, and the Vivita team created the designs and final implementation of this year's startup awards based on these ideas.
Beyond the visual design, the involvement of young people in creating this year’s trophies reflects something deeper about the Estonian startup ecosystem. By inviting the next generation to interpret what startups and founders represent, the awards acknowledge that the future of entrepreneurship is not shaped only by today’s metrics, exits, or valuations, but also by how younger generations perceive ambition, work, and impact. In this sense, the trophies are not just awards, but a conversation between generations about what success in the startup world looks like — and what it should stand for.
“In this sense, the trophies are not just awards, but a conversation between generations about what success in the startup world looks like — and what it should stand for.”
The main annual 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, and Giving Back Powerhouse of the Year. This year, six special award categories will be given out, recognizing outstanding startups in the fields of health tech, deep tech, fintech, software, and defence tech, as well as the visionary startup with a clear impact and mission.
According to Startup Estonia, there are nearly 1,600 startups operating in Estonia today, but this year's winners of the Estonian Startup Awards will be announced from among 506 candidates, who were nominated and selected by members of the startup community themselves. The best of the Estonian startup sector will be announced at a gala at Noblessner on January 22, 2026 - the event can be followed online via the official LinkedIn page of Estonian Startup Awards (going live at 18:45), and through media sites, Delfi and Estonian World.
The Estonian Startup Awards are organized by LIFT99, the Estonian Founders Society, and Startup Estonia. The headlining sponsors of the event are Bolt, Estonian Ministry of Defence, PayPal, Swedbank, Tallinn City. The Estonian Startup Awards are also supported by Advizo, Coop Pank, Ellex Raidla, EIS, European Women in VC, GoWorkaBit, Hedman, Icebreaker.vc, Karma VC, Nordic Ninja VC, Plural VC, Punch Club, SkipEat, Slava Käsi OÜ, Sorainen, Specialist VC, TalentHub, Tallinn Dolls, Trind Ventures, and Viive Sünnipäev OÜ.
