Karis in London: Startups' passion must be used for research and innovation
President of Estonia Alar Karis is in London this week, where he delivered a speech at an international conference in risk capital and innovation. Karis is also aiming to further Estonia's economic relations with the U.K. and promote closer cooperation between Estonian and British entrepreneurs.
President of Estonia Alar Karis has already met with King Charles III during his visit to London this week and is later due to take part in an international conference focusing on rebuilding Ukraine.
On Monday, Karis spoke at the Global Corporate Venturing Symposium, an international conference on risk capital and innovation.
"Being at the forefront of the digital economy is not enough, the tech sector needs to dig deeper into research and innovation. The same passion that has created successful apps and startups must now be channeled into research innovation," he said, encouraging closer cooperation between Estonian and British entrepreneurs in London.
"As there is already an app for almost everything, the digital sector itself must become more sophisticated over time, focus on deep tech and turn research projects into businesses. Science and innovation are the foundations of real success, and I believe that this is the case for the digital sector, both now and in the future," Karis added,
According to a press release, Karis also used the opportunity to highlight the necessity of finding ways to transfer digital knowledge to other areas of life and use it to, for example, tackle the effects of climate change.
Karis additionally invited British companies to start businesses and invest in Estonia. "If you have not yet decided where to make your next investment, Estonia is the perfect place. Economic freedom and the widespread use of digital services mean it is easy to do business in Estonia," the president said.
"Estonia has been the place to test out many innovations - from digital signatures to globally renowned startup companies," he added.
On Tuesday, President Karis will give an address at a conference, which focuses on support for Ukraine. The aims of the conference include attracting investments and getting the private sector involved in rebuilding the country.
Karis said, that Estonia will continue to support Ukraine in this way, as it has already been doing for some time He added, that companies in the Estonian private sector are showing a great deal of interest in being involved.
"A lot of Estonian companies have been operating in Ukraine for years and are willing to share their experience of doing so at the European level," said Karis.
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Editor: Michael Cole