Forming Meaningful Partnerships and Making an Impact
By Karina Univer, Head of Partner Relations at LIFT99, and
Kadri Barclay, Head of Marketing at LIFT99
Our community is something we value above everything else at LIFT99. By hand picking each member and partner, we’ve created a “mini-ecosystem” that’s centered around lifting the community higher. The article you are about to read is a virtual high five and a deep bow of gratitude dedicated to the companies who help us achieve great things.
Our partners are a big part of this community and we choose them carefully. We have determined our values and they play a key part in everything we do - especially when creating meaningful partnerships. Knowing who we are and what we stand for, we make sure to benefit our community in the best possible way.
“Knowing who we are and what we stand for, we make sure to benefit our community in the best possible way.”
It’s not just about the right values. We believe in mutually beneficial partnerships and we have knowingly surrounded ourselves with companies who share our passion, have giving back mentality, and inspire our values-driven community over the challenges of building the next #EstonianMafia Unicorns. But most importantly - they live what they preach and are ready to take action, with us!
The legendary #EstonianMafia Wall of Fame at LIFT99 - did you know that many of the startups highlighted on the wall are also LIFT99’s official partners?
“We have knowingly surrounded ourselves with companies who inspire our values-driven community over the challenges of building the next #EstonianMafia Unicorns.”
TransferWise is a company with the bold “Money without borders” mission. Their quirky meeting room “Swings” (cleverly, it has swings instead of chairs) at LIFT99 Tallinn Hub is our most popular room for holding meetings and workshops. It perfectly represents Transferwise's creative approach and is a little contribution to creating an inspiring environment for today's and future founders.
During the week of Eesti 2.0 Summer School, we were happy to see both Taavet Hinrikus (Co-Founder at TransferWise) and Alvar Lumberg (Engineering Lead at TransferWise) at LIFT99 mentoring the next generation of young and bright minds at the beginning of their startup journey. Sharing their knowledge and passion is the best way to make an impact within the community.
Kristo Käärmann and Taavet Hinrikus, the co-founders of Transferwise
Taxify stands out with its youthful energy and exceptional founders Markus Villig and Martin Villig who have proved again and again that impossible is nothing. This year we have traveled with Markus to six different countries with Founders2Founders event series, sharing his inspiring story with startup founders all around Europe. Martin was our special quest at the very first public event at LIFT99 Kyiv Hub in Ukraine during the roundtable with Ukrainian top founders and the Estonian president Kersti Kaljulaid. That roundtable was the beginning of an important international discussion that could open doors for many startups.
But back to Estonia - to put Taxify's energy into good use and bring together the Estonian startup community once again, we are organizing the Taxify Ping Pong Tournament. Everyone is welcome to come and cheer on the ultimate ping pong match of Estonian startups as 16 teams start bouncing balls for the Taxify cup on October 31. Be prepared for the battle of a lifetime!
Markus Villig, the co-founder of Taxify
Toggl is among the best-known startups in our ecosystem and a proud star on the #EstonianMafia Wall of Fame. Toggl stands out for an innovative approach to work, hiring and how they introduce themselves. Their unique way of leading their remote teams and hiring the best talent (have a look at Hundred5, Toggl’s spin-off startup) in the industry is truly inspiring. If you haven’t seen Toggl’s comics yet, you’ve been missing out!
The Founder of Toggl, Alari Aho was on the stage during the most recent LiftOff LIVE event at LIFT99, sharing his experiences and what’s been going on in the backstage of the world's most popular time-tracking tool!
Alari Aho, the founder of Toggl
Speaking of LiftOff LIVE - we recently welcomed LIFT99’s very own investment portfolio company, Veriff to our family of partners. Veriff is the official sponsor of the flagship event format of LIFT99. Together with the unstoppable (if you’ve ever met the guy, you know it’s rather an underestimation than exaggeration) Avery Schrader, the CEO of Modash and the host of the show, they’ll make sure each evening spent with LiftOff is valuable and insightful as well as entertaining. Let there be confetti!
The LiftOff LIVE show with Veriff’s Founder Kaarel Kotkas is arguably the best one yet. As all the episodes are uploaded to YouTube, you can still find out how Veriff graduated as one the most successful startups of the Y Combinator program and why Kaarel refused a chance to buy his home island Hiiumaa.
Kaarel Kotkas, the founder of Veriff
To wrap up with a bang, we’re happy to announce our partnership with one of the biggest telecommunication operators in Europe, Tele2. We know they will add great value to our community by facilitating the bridge between startups and corporates. But more of that in the upcoming months!
BIG THANK YOU TO OUR AWESOME PARTNERS! WE HOPE TO KEEP ON WORKING WITH YOU
AND LIFT UP THE NEXT GENERATION OF GLOBAL SUPERSTARS!
Devoted to startups and tech, Karina Univer, the Head of Partner Relations at LIFT99, has planned so many hackathons it's hard to count. Her corporate career in Swedbank pivoted when she fell in love with the startup culture, and she has never looked back. With her impressive network and knowledge of the field, she is working every day to bring LIFT99 to new heights.
Get in touch with Karina at karina@lift99.co
