Estonia has long been the Silicon Valley of Europe when it comes to government digitisation, but the narrative in 2026 has shifted from e-Residency to Artificial Intelligence. The country’s tight-knit ecosystem is now producing deep-tech companies that tackle massive global problems.
Founders aim to deploy autonomous robots on sidewalks worldwide, utilising AI to negotiate corporate contracts and build the visual cortex for smart cities. Here are the 10 Estonian AI startups you need to watch in 2026.
Starship Technologies
Ahti Heinla and Janus Friis co-founded Starship Technologies to automate last-mile delivery logistics. The company has completed over 6 million commercial deliveries globally, making it the leader in autonomous ground delivery. Their robots utilise Level 4 autonomy, navigating sidewalks using a suite of 12 cameras, ultrasonic sensors, and radar. The AI processes this sensor data locally to map environments in real-time, detecting obstacles like pedestrians and cars from up to 200 feet away. Having raised over $230 million, Starship now operates commercially in multiple countries, including the US, UK, and Germany.
Pactum
Kaspar Korjus, Kristjan Korjus, and Martin Rand founded Pactum to resolve inefficiencies in enterprise procurement. Large corporations often lose value on low-volume supplier contracts because human teams cannot manually renegotiate thousands of small deals. Pactum provides an AI-driven system that autonomously negotiates these contracts via a chat interface. The system leverages game theory and natural language processing to engage suppliers, finding optimal terms for pricing and payment schedules in minutes. Clients like Walmart and Maersk utilise Pactum to unlock millions of dollars in previously inaccessible working capital.
Veriff
Kaarel Kotkas founded Veriff to provide a robust identity verification layer for the internet. The company reached a $1.5 billion valuation following a $100 million Series C round led by Tiger Global and Alkeon. Veriff supports over 12,000 document types from 190 countries. Its AI engine goes beyond simple facial matching by analysing network telemetry, device fingerprints, and user behaviour during the verification session to detect potential fraud. This approach allows them to block sophisticated spoofing attacks and deepfakes, serving major clients in the fintech and crypto sectors.
Ready Player Me
Timmu Tõke built Ready Player Me to solve the interoperability challenge in virtual environments. The platform provides an avatar system used by over 6,000 application developers. It utilises generative AI to generate rigorous 3D avatars from a single user photo, automating the complex rigging and skinning processes that typically require manual 3D modelling. By providing a unified SDK, they allow users to maintain a consistent digital identity across different games and platforms, positioning themselves as the standard identity layer for the metaverse.
Milrem Robotics
Kuldar Väärsi founded Milrem Robotics, which has become the leading European manufacturer of robotics and autonomous systems for defence. Their flagship product, the THeMIS Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV), is a modular tracked system capable of diverse missions, ranging from casualty evacuation to weaponisation. The company was acquired by the EDGE Group in 2023, a significant move that that consolidates its role in global defence. Their AI system, MIFIK (Milrem Intelligent Functions Kit), enables autonomous waypoint navigation and obstacle avoidance in complex off-road terrain, currently supporting operations in over 16 countries, including Ukraine.
Lingvist
Mait Müntel, a former nuclear physicist at CERN, founded Lingvist to optimise language acquisition. The platform utilises statistical analysis and machine learning to identify the most frequently used words in a language and create a personalised curriculum for each user. The AI tracks memory retention rates and applies spaced repetition algorithms to present vocabulary exactly when the learner is most likely to forget it. This data-driven approach significantly reduces learning time compared to traditional linear courses.
Fyma
Karen K. Burns and Taavi Rannamets founded Fyma to extract structured data from video feeds without violating privacy regulations. Their computer vision platform analyses footage from existing CCTV networks to track movement and behaviour in real-time. Uniquely, the AI processes only metadata and vector movements rather than biometric data, ensuring 100% GDPR compliance. This technology enables commercial real estate managers and city planners to accurately measure occupancy, foot traffic, and traffic flow without incurring facial recognition risks.
Eurora
Marko Lastik built Eurora to automate cross-border trade compliance. The company raised $40 million in a Series A round to scale its AI engine, which is trained on over 500 million product records. Eurora utilises machine learning to automatically assign Harmonised System (HS) codes to products, accurately calculating applicable duties and VAT with high precision. This automation is critical for logistics providers and marketplaces navigating the EU’s Import One-Stop Shop (IOSS) regulations, preventing customs delays for millions of parcels daily.
Alpha3D
Madis Alesmaa and Rait Strita founded Alpha3D to accelerate 3D content creation. Their generative AI platform enables developers to convert text prompts or 2D images into high-quality 3D assets suitable for augmented reality and gaming applications. The system outputs standard formats, such as GLB and USDZ, automating a workflow that traditionally requires hours of manual design time. This technology addresses the content bottleneck in the spatial computing industry, enabling brands to rapidly digitise massive product catalogues for 3D environments.
DefSecIntel
Jaanus Tamm founded DefSecIntel to provide autonomous surveillance solutions for border security. Their key product, the SurveilSPIRE, is a trailer-based mobile surveillance tower equipped with AI-powered cameras, radar, and drones. The system operates autonomously in remote areas, using AI to filter out environmental noise and detect human or vehicle intrusions at long ranges. These systems have been deployed actively in Ukraine, providing critical situational awareness and proving the efficacy of autonomous AI in active conflict zones.
