ÄIO named TOP 3 Impact Visionary 2025 at the Estonian Startup Awards
ÄIO has been recognised among the Top 3 startups in the Impact Visionary 2025 category at the Estonian Startup Awards. This is an acknowledgement that celebrates companies shaping a better future through real, measurable impact.
Startups in this category are recognised for their 2025 breakthroughs across GreenTech, CleanTech, EdTech, MedTech, and beyond, innovations that improve lives, strengthen resilience, and inspire meaningful change. Being included among these companies is a true honour for our team.
A recognition rooted in Estonia’s startup ecosystem
Estonia is often called the Silicon Valley of Europe, not because of its size, but because of its mindset. The country is home to bold ideas, science-driven founders, ambitious teams, and mentors who genuinely want others to succeed. Standing alongside so many strong startups and visionaries already feels like a win. This recognition reflects the strength of Estonia’s startup community, where collaboration, speed, and trust allow innovation to move from research to real-world impact.
Nemailla Bonturi, Co-founder & CEO of ÄIO, shares:
“As a foreign founder building a deeptech company in Estonia, I’ve felt incredibly welcomed and supported from day one. This ecosystem truly believes in science, long-term vision, and people. Being recognised here is both an honour and a motivation to keep pushing forward.”
Why this matters to ÄIO
ÄIO was founded as a university spin-off, and our journey reflects what Estonia enables: science-based entrepreneurship, international founders, and a clear path from research to scalable impact. What makes this recognition especially meaningful is the community behind it. Estonia proves that size doesn’t limit ambition, on the opposite, it amplifies it. From early-stage university spin-offs to global deeptech scale-ups, the ecosystem creates space for companies like ÄIO to grow responsibly and with purpose.
We are grateful to LIFT99, the jury, our fellow nominees, and everyone contributing to the Estonian startup ecosystem. And above all, thank you to our team, partners, mentors, and investors, this recognition belongs to all of you.
Here are all the Estonian Startup Awards 2025 nominees and winners
Congratulations to everyone!
The Newcomer of 2025
🥇 Gridraven
🥈 Lendurai
🥉 Dragonfly
🥉 Muun Health
The HealthTech of 2025
🥇 Muun Health
🥈Better Medicine
🥉 Certific
🥉 Nanordica Medical
The Giving Back Powerhouse of 2025
🥇 DefenceTech Meetup
🥈 ruum
🥉 Martin Villig 🇪🇪
The FinTech of 2025
🥇Veriff
🥈 Cachet
🥉 Creem
The SaaS Startup of 2025
🥇 Pactum AI
🥈 Veriff
🥉 Modash
The DeepTech of 2025
🥇 Skeleton Technologies
🥈 Pactum AI
🥉 Starship Technologies
The Investor of the Year 2025
🥇 Sten Tamkivi
🥈 Kaspar G.
🥉 Linda Võeras
The Impact Visionary of 2025
🥇 ALPA Kids 🦙
🥈 Better Medicine
🥉 ÄIO
The DefenceTech of 2025
🥇 KrattWorks
🥈 Lendurai
🥉 Ark Robotics
The Revenue Hack of 2025
🥇 Veriff
🥈 KrattWorks
🥉 Modash
The Founder of the Year 2025
🥇 Kaarel Kotkas
🥈 Tõnis Voitka
🥉 Kalev Kärpuk
🥉 Kaspar Korjus
To learn more about the awards, visit LIFT99.
To explore Estonia’s startup ecosystem, see Startup Estonia.
We’re proud to be building impact from Estonia and even more excited about what comes next.