„The Estonian success model of entrepreneurship?“

Antti Ainamo is Professor of International Business at TalTech School of Business and Governance since 2019 and Research Director of the International Entrepreneurship and Innovation research group. Internationally well known especially for his research on institutional entrepreneurship, new and temporary forms of organizing, as well as fashion and other design business. Research and work experience at e.g. Stanford University, London Business School, Oxford University, Gothenburg University, Swedish School of Textiles, Aalto University, St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, and Tongji University. What is the Estonian model of entrepreneurship? It is well known in research that entrepreneurship has tended to be different from one country to another in the same way as it has been from one industry to another. The French have historically been good at setting up hierarchical models in the model of luxury fashion, Italian entrepreneurs have built their business around their family, friends, and neighbors. The Americans are good at global outsourcing to the extent that has sometimes gone as far as that little else is integrated than the product brand. Swedes have made large "market investments" rather than investments in production capacit. The Finnish tend either often to be go for "business as usual", unless there has been a very creative entrepreneur. Against this background, what is the Estonian model of entrepreneurship. In this presentation, based on extensive research into Estonian startups, Antti Ainamo argues that the Estonian entrepreneur is marked by a hybrid or mix of two kinds of particular competences: those related to "logistics", on the one hand, and those related to "digitalization", on the other hand. Cases including those of Tallink, Skype, Playtech, Starship Technologies, Sorainen Law are discussed. Lisainfo: Krista Kink krista.kink@tallinnlv.ee 6404225 Helena Rozeik TalTech helena.rozeik@taltech.ee 6204102