• The vice-mayor of Tallinn, Margot Roose, and the councilor for Tourism, Innovation, and Investment Attraction, Paula Llobet.
- Councilor Paula Llobet signs a strategic agreement in Tallinn within the framework of València Innovation Capital to promote innovative entrepreneurial ecosystems in both cities
- Tallinn is one of the most prominent cities in Europe in terms of innovation and technological entrepreneurship
The Councilor for Tourism, Innovation, and Investment Attraction of the City Council of València, Paula Llobet, is in the Estonian city of Tallinn as part of the international events ‘roadtrip’ organized by València Innovation Capital. This has allowed her to sign a collaboration agreement with the vice-mayor of Tallinn, Margot Roose. This agreement is significant as Tallinn stands out for having the highest concentration of unicorns per capita in the world. Many of these companies, such as Wise, Bolt, and Pipedrive, have their roots in Tallinn, consolidating it as the core of the Estonian technological ecosystem.
In addition, programs like e-Residency have enabled entrepreneurs from around the world to establish and manage companies in Estonia remotely, contributing to the growth of the country’s startup ecosystem.
Paula Llobet has explained that thanks to this agreement, «we are going to work with the best at an important moment of scaling and internationalization of our innovative entrepreneurial ecosystem.» The councilor emphasized that this agreement demonstrates the firm commitment of the city council to «promote alliances that help internationalization and the growth of companies and startups as an engine for job creation, facilitating commercialization in new markets and increasing the capacity to attract investment.»
In fact, the agreement includes that each city can propose up to three annual projects to be tested in the partner city within the ‘sandbox’ program, creating a bilateral mechanism to facilitate the international expansion of startups.
Llobet recalled that a budget of 600,000 euros has been allocated for this international ‘roadtrip’ and it is expected that a total of 20 agreements will be signed through València Innovation Alliance with strategic cities to enhance our ecosystem with more synergies, collaborations, and contacts with investors and stakeholders for the growth of their projects.
Specifically, this agreement will have an initial validity of one year, extendable, and also includes the creation of a ‘softlanding’ mechanism to facilitate the international establishment of startups. Furthermore, both parties commit to giving visibility to joint initiatives and exploring new avenues of collaboration.
This international agreement adds to the one signed just a few weeks ago in Medellín (Colombia), marking the first international alliance of the city of València with the Latin American ecosystem in this field.
Strategic Meetings
During her institutional visit to Tallinn, the Councilor for Tourism, Innovation, and Investment Attraction of the City Council of València, Paula Llobet, has developed an intense work agenda focused on international collaboration and positioning València as a benchmark in urban innovation.
She held a meeting with representatives of the Estonian Government and the e-Residency program, where opportunities for attracting talent and foreign investment were discussed. Llobet also had a meeting with the founder of Greenful Group to learn first-hand about one of the most ambitious circular economy projects in Northern Europe, as well as a visit to the offices of the technological unicorn Glia, founded by an e-resident.
