HOME›REPORTS›ESTONIA STARTUP FUNDINGQ3 2026 UPDATE

REPORT / Q3 2026 UPDATE / DATA TO 30 SEPTEMBER 2026

Estonia startup funding report

Estonian startups raised €133m in 39 rounds in the first nine months of 2026, against €257m in 77 rounds a year earlier.

Funding data for Estonian startups is scattered. Rounds are announced by companies, funds, angel networks and the press, often months after they close, and no single database has them all or has them right.

This report builds one record from all of them. We cross check startup databases against company, investor and press announcements, take out grants and loans that are reported as rounds, and add the rounds that were never fully recorded.

It covers venture rounds and exits of startups headquartered in Estonia, and of startups that started here and moved their headquarters abroad. It uses the same record and rules as our CEE startup funding report, so Estonia can be set against the other nine countries.

We add a quarter every three months. If you are raising in Estonia, it shows how many rounds close, at what size, and who writes the first cheques.

Highlights

€133m
Raised in 9M 2026
-48% on 9M 2025

€133m in the first nine months, down 48% on a year earlier (€257m). The largest round is Skeleton Technologies's €33m growth round, 25% of the total.

29
Seed and later rounds in 9M 2026
52 in 9M 2025

29 seed and later rounds this year, against 52 a year earlier, and 39 rounds in all against 77. Pre-seed is where the record of recent rounds is least complete, and its count will rise as late rounds surface.

5
Venture-backed exits in 9M 2026
8 in 9M 2025

Five venture-backed exits by September, against 8 in the same months of 2025. Buyers include Mynt, Pipedrive, Quantum Systems and Veriff.

01 / THE MARKET

The market

Capital down 48% on the same months of 2025. Rounds: 39 against 77.

Capital raised by stage, € millions
SHOW DATA
Capital raised by stage
RowPre-seedSeedSeries AGrowthTotal
2024155545208323
20258.99055199353
9M 20264.7464735133

Estonia raised €324m in 2024 and €353m in 2025. The largest 2025 round, Pactum's €49m, was 14% of that year. 2026 has €133m so far.

9M 2026 covers January to September 2026. The dashed line marks the same months of 2025.

Number of rounds by stage
SHOW DATA
Number of rounds by stage
RowPre-seedSeedSeries AGrowthTotal
2024544387112
202534478897
9M 202610233339

112 rounds in 2024, 97 in 2025 and 39 so far in 2026. Some rounds are recorded months late, so the latest quarters will rise.

Same months, like for like: 9M 2026 against 9M 2025
Year to date against the same months last year
Row9M 20259M 2026Change
Capital€257m€133m▼ -48%
Rounds7739▼ -49%
Pre-seed rounds2510▼ -60%
Seed rounds3923▼ -41%
Series A rounds73▼ -57%
Growth rounds63▼ -50%
Capital by quarter, € millions

Quarter by quarter, capital swings with the timing of large rounds. The count of rounds is the steadier signal.

The latest quarter is still filling in and will rise.

02 / ESTONIA IN THE REGION

Estonia in the region

Estonia raised €258 per person in 2025, 1st of the ten countries.

The same record and rules for all ten countries, so the comparison is like for like. Capital per person divides each country's capital by its population.

Ten CEE countries, 9M 2026 against 9M 2025, most capital per person first
Capital and rounds by country, 9M 2026, with capital per person
Country€m 9M 2026ChangeRounds 9M 2026Change€ per person 2025€ per person 9M 2026
Estonia133▼ -48%39▼ -49%25897
Lithuania182▲ +3%28▼ -42%7563
Czechia513▲ +101%47▼ -15%2847
Bulgaria199▲ +91%22▼ -4%3231
Hungary122▲ +3%22▼ -35%1313
Slovakia55▼ -24%11▼ -39%2110
Ukraine282▲ +336%50▼ -29%27
Poland226▼ -10%67▼ -27%106
Latvia12▼ -84%4▼ -73%436
Romania105▲ +14%30▼ -6%96

Population on 1 January 2025.

Estonia and its neighbours, capital by year, € millions
SHOW DATA
Estonia and its neighbours, capital by year
Row202420259M 2026
Estonia324353133
Latvia298112
Lithuania129217182
Estonia and its neighbours, rounds by year
SHOW DATA
Estonia and its neighbours, rounds by year
Row202420259M 2026
Estonia1129739
Latvia36254
Lithuania736828

In 2025, Estonia closed 97 rounds, against 25 in Latvia and 68 in Lithuania.

03 / STAGES AND ROUND SIZES

Stages and round sizes

The typical seed round in 2025 was €1.8m.

Rounds by company stage. Where one round can move a stage's total, the count and the typical round tell more than the capital.

Rounds, capital and median round by stage
Rounds, capital and median round size by stage and year
RowRounds 2024€m 2024Rounds 2025€m 2025Rounds 9M 2026€m 9M 2026Median 2024Median 2025Median 9M 2026
Pre-seed54€15m34€8.9m10€4.7m€0.1m€0.1m€0.5m
Seed43€55m47€90m23€46m€1.9m€1.8m€2.8m
Series A8€45m8€55m3€47m€5.4m€6.5m€9.1m
Growth7€208m8€199m3€35m€28m€21m-

Median shown where at least three rounds of the stage disclosed an amount.

Pre-seed

54 rounds in 2024, 34 in 2025 and 10 so far in 2026. The typical pre-seed round in 2025 was €0.1m.

Seed

43 rounds in 2024, 47 in 2025 and 23 so far in 2026. The typical seed round in 2025 was €1.8m.

Series A

Eight rounds in 2024, 8 in 2025 and 3 so far in 2026. The typical Series A round in 2025 was €6.5m.

Growth

Seven rounds in 2024, 8 in 2025 and 3 so far in 2026. The typical growth round in 2025 was €21m.

04 / SECTORS

Sectors

AI raised the most this year: €84m in 15 rounds.

By number of rounds since 2024, the largest sectors are AI (80), enterprise software (54) and energy and climate (47). A company can sit in several sectors, so sector totals overlap.

Capital by sector, € millions
SHOW DATA
Capital by sector
Row202420259M 2026
AI439284
Defence and security267575
Mobility and logistics931642
Hardware and robotics914341
Energy and climate1097738
Fintech474421
Enterprise software478517
Marketing and media219.74.9

Ranked by 9M 2026 capital. Sectors overlap.

Rounds by sector
SHOW DATA
Rounds by sector
Row202420259M 2026
AI313415
Defence and security11187
Mobility and logistics12115
Hardware and robotics13208
Energy and climate18236
Fintech21158
Enterprise software28197
Marketing and media1562

Same sectors, counted by number of rounds.

05 / LARGEST ROUNDS

Largest rounds

The largest round this year: Skeleton Technologies, €33m.

Largest rounds, 9M 2026
Largest rounds 9M 2026
CompanyStageAmountMonthLead or first investor
Skeleton TechnologiesGrowth€33mMay 2026Axon Partners Group
Frankenburg TechnologiesSeries A€30mFeb 2026Plural
Mesh WalletSeries A€9.1mSep 2026Undisclosed
SkySelectSeries A€8.2mMar 2026Rock Creek Group
Farsight VisionSeed€7.2mFeb 2026Axon Enterprise
CreemSeed€5.0mSep 2026Inovo VC I
SoftquantusSeed€5.0mJun 2026Softquantus
SecondSeed€4.6mJun 2026Undisclosed
Rollo RoboticsSeed€3.7mJan 2026FoodLabs
HandholdSeed€3.0mApr 2026Entourage

Rounds with a disclosed amount.

Largest rounds, 2025
Largest rounds 2025
CompanyStageAmountMonthLead or first investor
PactumGrowth€49mJun 2025Insight Partners
Starship TechnologiesGrowth€46mOct 2025Plural
BlackwallGrowth€45mMar 2025Dawn Capital
LightyearGrowth€21mJul 2025NordicNinja VC
SympowerGrowth€19mSep 2025PGGM Investments
KatanaGrowth€15mOct 2025Cogito Capital Partners
Stargate HydrogenSeries A€11mMar 2025SmartCap
ULTRASeries A€11mApr 2025NOIA Capital
PowerUp Energy TechnologiesSeries A€10mNov 2025ScaleWolf
WayrenSeries A€7.9mApr 2025EFA Group

06 / STARTED IN ESTONIA, BASED ELSEWHERE

Started in Estonia, based elsewhere

22 rounds since 2024 by companies that started in Estonia and are based elsewhere. They count in the totals.

Companies that started in Estonia, or keep their main team here, but are headquartered elsewhere. They count in the totals, under Estonia. Companies that Estonian founders built abroad, with no base here, are not included.

Rounds since 2024, newest first
Rounds of companies started in Estonia and based elsewhere
CompanyBased inAmountMonthIn totals
SkySelectUnited States€8.2mMar 2026Yes
PactumUnited States€49mJun 2025Yes
Starship TechnologiesUnited States€46mOct 2025Yes
LightyearUnited Kingdom€21mJul 2025Yes
SympowerNetherlands€19mSep 2025Yes
Dragonfly AIUnited Kingdom€3.0mOct 2025Yes
BetterStudioBelgium€2.3mAug 2025Yes
LutsoUnited States€1.2mFeb 2025Yes
Starship TechnologiesUnited States€82mFeb 2024Yes
PactumUnited States€18mJul 2024Yes
Superfluid FinanceUnited Kingdom€4.6mFeb 2024Yes
QminderUnited Kingdom€3.0mNov 2024Yes
BeholderUnited States€0.9mMar 2024Yes
BeholderUnited States€0.6mMay 2024Yes
BoxBoxUnited States€0.5mJun 2024Yes
eID EasyIreland€0.1mJan 2024Yes
INZMOGermanyUndisclosedOct 2024Yes
HotelSyncUnited StatesUndisclosedJun 2024Yes
Decomer TechnologyUnited StatesUndisclosedMay 2024Yes
XYBUnited KingdomUndisclosedMay 2024Yes
MoneseUnited KingdomUndisclosedMay 2024Yes
Dark Math GamesUnited KingdomUndisclosedDec 2024Yes

07 / INVESTORS

Investors

Startup Wise Guys joined the most pre-seed and seed rounds since January 2025: 11.

Most active at pre-seed and seed since January 2025: Startup Wise Guys (11 rounds), Specialist VC (7 rounds) and 2C Ventures (4 rounds). Investors are ranked by the rounds they joined, led or followed, over 2025 and 2026 together.

Most active at pre-seed and seed, 2025 to 9M 2026
Most active pre-seed and seed investors in Estonia
InvestorBased inRoundsLed
Startup Wise GuysEstonia110
Specialist VCEstonia71
2C VenturesEstonia43
Icebreaker VCFinland43
AntlerSingapore40
Markus VilligEstonia40
EstBANEstonia31
Lemonade Standn/a31
SuperangelEstonia31
Expeditions FundPoland22
MOC CapitalMalaysia22
Nordic Science InvestmentsFinland22
Soulmates VenturesCzechia22
AngelONE CapitalUkraine21
Domino VenturesNetherlands21
EIS | Enterprise EstoniaEstonia21
Green Flag VenturesUnited States21
Iron Wolf CapitalLithuania21
Outlast FundLatvia21
Practica CapitalLithuania21
Shilling VCPortugal21
Sunfish PartnersGermany21
Superhero CapitalFinland21
TenitySwitzerland21
Trind VenturesEstonia21
Curiosity VCNetherlands20
Kaspar TiriUnited States20
MaxisTürkiye20
MITS CapitalUkraine20
Plug and PlayUnited States20
SkaalaEstonia20
SmartCapEstonia20
Tera VenturesEstonia20
Most active from Series A, 2025 to 9M 2026
Most active Series A and growth investors in Estonia
InvestorBased inRoundsLed
SmartCapEstonia81
PluralUnited Kingdom22
MetaPlanetEstonia20
Specialist VCEstonia20
2C VenturesEstonia11
A&G Energy Transition Tech FundSpain11
Cogito Capital PartnersPoland11
Dawn CapitalUnited Kingdom11
EFA GroupSingapore11
Insight PartnersUnited States11
Rounds with at least one investor based outside CEE
SHOW DATA
Share of rounds with an international investor
Row202420259M 2026
All rounds72%75%76%

Rounds with a fund from outside CEE: 72% in 2024, 75% in 2025 and 76% in 2026 so far, of rounds where investor headquarters are known.

Share of rounds where investor headquarters are known: 72 in 2024, 75 in 2025, 29 in 9M 2026.

08 / EXITS

Exits

The most recent: CostPocket (former Tsekk), bought by Mynt, September 2026.

20 venture-backed exits since 2024: 5 in 2024, 10 in 2025 and 5 in 2026 so far. Deal values are rarely disclosed, so we count exits instead of summing them.

Venture-backed exits since 2024
Exits since 2024
CompanyMonthTypeBuyer
CostPocket (former Tsekk)Sep 2026AcquisitionMynt
OutfunnelAug 2026AcquisitionPipedrive
SensusQMay 2026AcquisitionQuantum Systems
VespiaFeb 2026AcquisitionVeriff
DefendecJan 2026AcquisitionVOSKER
Ready Player MeDec 2025AcquisitionNetflix
StrigaOct 2025AcquisitionLightspark
HotelSyncSep 2025AcquisitionHotel Almerimar
RangeforceSep 2025AcquisitionCyberbit
DLT PaymentsJul 2025AcquisitionFumbi
RidangoMar 2025BuyoutBregal Milestone
AdactMar 2025AcquisitionOptimove
ParcelseaFeb 2025AcquisitionJetbeep
FiizyFeb 2025AcquisitionClar
PromotyJan 2025AcquisitionModash
Salto XDec 2024AcquisitionCake Equity
MoneseOct 2024AcquisitionPockit
WisnioSep 2024AcquisitionAssessio
TaxScoutsJul 2024AcquisitionTaxfix
KlausJan 2024AcquisitionZendesk

09 / METHODOLOGY

Methodology

What the report covers

Period: January 2024 to September 2026. Past years are shown in full. The current year runs to the end of the last complete quarter.

Companies: startups headquartered in Estonia, and startups that began in Estonia or keep their main team here and later moved their headquarters abroad. Every kind of startup is included: software and hardware, business and consumer.

Events: venture funding rounds, and exits (acquisitions, buyouts and stock market listings).

Sources: public sources only, namely startup databases, company, investor and angel network announcements, and the press.

Every round and exit named in the report links to its announcement. Totals, changes and charts are built from all rounds and are not linked.

This edition covers 248 venture rounds (206 with a disclosed amount) at 213 companies, and 20 exits. Next update: January 2027, adding Q4 2026.

Stages

Stages are the label the company announced or the source assigned. Where a label clearly does not fit the size of the round, such as a very large round called seed, the round is placed by its size. Where there is no label, round type and size decide.

How it is counted

  • Funding rounds are equity and convertible venture rounds, including angel network rounds. Grants, loans, state support programmes, crowdlending, secondary sales and investments after a listing are not counted.
  • Amounts are in euros, converted at about 1.10 US dollars to the euro. Rounds without a disclosed amount count toward the number of rounds but not toward capital.
  • Companies that are not startups are left out even when they raise venture money, such as established manufacturers, service firms and lenders.
  • Rounds and exits are cross-referenced against company, investor and press announcements where possible.

Limits

  • Public data does not capture every round, so counts are a floor. Small angel rounds are the most likely to be missing.
  • Some rounds are recorded months after they happen. Each update adds them to the month they happened in, so recent quarters, the latest above all, will rise.
  • Estonia's record includes our own search of local press, investor portfolios and companies based abroad (October 2026), which added rounds the startup databases had missed.
  • Where a country raises a few dozen rounds a year, one round can move a total by more than half. Read changes in capital with the largest round in mind.

RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS: BADIDEAS.FUND.

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