Often labeled "Silicon Valley Europe," Estonia has a special relationship with technology. Starting with the famous Tiigrihüpe (Estonian for Tiger's Leap) Foundation, the nation now aims to develop its own crypto, EstCoin.

Tiigrihüpe Foundation

Estonia's journey from Soviet independence to one of the world's most developed countries began in the mid-1990s with the ambitious Tiigrihüpe Foundation in the country. The goal of this initiative is to integrate computers into every school in the country, and by extension, the internet.

Inspired by his experience in an experimental mathematics program in New Jersey, now former president Toomas Hendrick Ilves pioneered the program. Initially meeting with some resistance, the idea quickly gained popularity among the political elite and technological visionary in the country. Ilves noted: "I actually had a bowel movement for a few years, but my thinking is that 3-5% of children who enter the computer - even if they are just poor boys in the countryside - will have an innate curiosity to tear it apart. "

Now, programming is part of the education of every young person, some even starting in kindergarten.

The most definite Ilves paved the way for the E-Stonia we know today.

Internet as a human right

With the tremendous success of the Tiigrihüpe Foundation and the strength of the Estonian people, the next step for the country is a startling declaration. In 2000, the country passed a law stating that internet access is a human right, the first country in the world to do so. Estonia then launched a major program to connect its citizens across the country.

In 2001, Estonia launched its first public wifi area and a mobile data network system that enabled widespread internet access.

With wide access to the internet, and the computer population, the country launched its national digital identity card. The card, which is supported by technologies such as blockchain, facilitates government services. Estonians can choose online, access online banking services, health and prescriptions, and give discounts on retailers, supermarkets, and gas stations.

E-residency

This initiative sets the ground for a country e-residency program in 2014, which has even been extended to non-residents - an innovative revelation in the digital world. Allowing non-residents to participate in the program is seen as a means of creating an indefinite digital society that can enable non-residents to do business in the country while ensuring transparency and inclusion.

President Ilves' vision has been an integral part of Estonian travel to become one of the most digitally advanced countries in the world. Ranked number one on the FreedomHouse internet freedom list for three years in a row, creating an open and fair platform for citizens to participate has always been a priority for Ilves. Ilves has chosen to prioritize the needs of citizens first, choosing paths that have been labeled the "little sister" approach, which strongly opposes the "brother" mindset of other web monitoring organizations of the country, such as the NSA or GCHQ. The Ilves platform is becoming increasingly popular among the private sector as a targeted and mutually beneficial marketing method.

"Privacy and data integrity is a fundamental security issue but it is the government's job to protect the security and rights of its citizens - offline and online," Ilves noted.

In creating a "perfect storm" for internet-focused businesses, Estonia has become a center of startups.

Startups

The most famous opening from Estonia is of course Skype. Founded in 2003 by Niklas Zennström, from Sweden, and Janus Friis, from Denmark, the Skype platform was built by Estonians Ahti Heinla, Priit Kasesalu, and Jaan Tallinn. In 2011, the application gained so much popularity that it was bought by Microsoft for a whopping price of US $ 8.5 billion.

Today, "Europe's Silicon Valley" is making a stronger push to secure itself as a startup destination to startup in Europe. With the addition of the country's e-Residency program, entrepreneurs from around the world are getting attention especially from the UK since the controversial Brexit election.

Since the introduction of this program, more than 800 Britons have applied for e-Residency in Estonia, many of whom plan to make their own technology startup. With access to the most competitive banking and tax rates in the EU, it's not hard to see why.

Estcoin

The established digital infrastructure in Estonia and the web savvy citizens have led the country to begin their own process of crypto-cardemaking.

As an extension of the country's e-Residency program, one of Estonia's goals in creating "EstCoin" is to offer a digital venture capital program, which allows participants to obtain financing for businesses.

Kaspar Korjus, managing director at e-Residency, Estonian Enterprise noted: "Government-backed ICO will give more people a bigger stake in the future of our country and not only provide investment but also more expertise and ideas to help us Grow exponentially. "

The project advisor, and one of the founders of Ethereum, Vitalik Buterin, said: "ICO in the residency ecosystem will create a strong incentive alignment between e-resident and this fund, and beyond the economic aspect of making e-Citizens feel more like communities because there are more Many things they can do together ".

While the idea is still young, there is significant support from both government officials and citizens alike. As the cryptocurrency explosion enters full swing, Estonia may have some competition in the crypto race.