STARTUP ESTONIA - NEWSLETTER

In late September, Jobbatical announced that they closed a $4 million series A round led by Japan-based Mistletoe Inc to help redistribute talent surplus to areas where there is talent shortage. Jobbatical's funding so far has come from 15 investors across eight countries and four continents, helping them join the dots between recruiters and talent globally. Photo credit: Jobbatical best of the best and the future In September, Funderbeam was chosen as the best European FinTech Company 2017 at the European FinTech Awards & Conference; ad-tech startup Frank.ai opened up a successful investment syndicate round on Funderbeam; and Teamscope, data science startup helping companies build better teams, got accepted to the Techstars Accelerator in Berlin. Additionally, CNBC International had an interview with Taavet Hinrikus in September to pick his brain on various topics such as leadership, career and routine. Taavet also shared his insight as Skype's first employee, growing Transferwise and how Estonia is leading the way to our digital future. Talking about the future, Ajujaht - the largest competition of business ideas in Estonia - is inviting everyone to put their ideas to the test! Past winners include today's startup success stories such as Click & Grow, Taxify and SprayPrinter - and you might be next! Submit your idea by October 29th! Our team has some news as well - we are looking for a new Program Manager to lead our awesome team in making Estonia one of the world's best places for startups. On another note, this year, we are again coordinating the Tallinn Startup Week, a five-day celebration of our startup community, taking place between 20-26th of November. If any startups want to participate by opening their doors to the general public and hosting events during that week, please do let us know via email. Here's a little look back on what happened during the last year's Tallinn Startup Week. Startup Estonia team the latest best startup reads All eyes east: the rise of Central and Eastern Europe's tech scene Central and Eastern Europe is surpassing expectations in more than just its strong economy, set to become one of the forerunners in the digital revolution. The Next Web gave an overview of three top startup ecosystems in CEE, Tallinn being one of them. Find out more From the IKEA Effect to the perfect UX - a look back at Refresh 2017 Best bits of inspiration and insight from the coolest product, design and front end conference in the region. Refresh took place on 8th of September and gathered more than 500 industry specialists. Find out more   Infamous ‘Brexit Bus’ Revamped to Promote Pro-Europe Startup Monese, an on-demand banking startup, pulled a great PR stunt in September by giving a new life to the infamous “Brexit bus” that toured the U.K. as part of the Brexit referendum’s Leave campaign to promote their European expansion. Find out more How Estonia is leading the way to our digital future CNBC's overview on how Estonia is leading the way to our digital future. They point out Skype as a pivotal chapter in Estonia's digitalisation, continued now with the e-identity program and the e-residency initiative. Find out more In the heart of the #Estonianmafia (part 2): Movers and shakers of the startup ecosystem Tech.eu recently paid a visit to Tallinn, discovering the movers and shakers of the local startup ecosystem, including a selection of founders behind the most successful Estonian startups. Find out more Check out more exciting startup reads   events not to miss Check out other exciting upcoming startup events   KEEP AN EYE ON THE BUZZ