On 12–13 November, a business delegation from Estonia’s IT sector made a visit to
Switzerland, featuring a series of business events and marking 100 years of trade relations between Estonia and Switzerland. The delegation was led by Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs, Liisa-Ly Pakosta.
According to Priit Kallakas, Head of the Economic Diplomacy Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Switzerland is an important economic partner for Estonia due to its wealth and market potential. “Two-thirds of Estonia’s exports to Switzerland are services, with a significant share coming from the ICT sector. The main goal of this visit is to introduce Estonian ICT companies to the Swiss market and help both experienced and new entrants find partners and local contacts,” said Kallakas.
Ian Nelis, a representative of Helmes, explained that their aim in Switzerland is to establish new business connections, share Estonia’s e-governance experience, and learn from Swiss success stories. “We mainly build tailored, business-critical information systems for our clients. Our cooperation with Swiss companies has been highly professional and fruitful, which is why we’re keen to explore further opportunities here,” Nelis said.
Helmes currently works with around ten Swiss clients across various sectors — including healthcare, logistics, banking, and, interestingly, the International Ice Hockey Federation.
“The recent Swiss e-ID referendum shows that digital governance is a hot topic here, giving us a great opportunity to share our long-standing expertise in this field,” Nelis added. He emphasised that while national delegations and events are invaluable for entering new markets and building contacts, each company must ultimately do its own groundwork.
Also participating in the visit was Feelingstream, a company specialising in customer service automation, which aims to expand its client base in Switzerland. “One of our clients is a major tech company we work with in Norway, whose headquarters are in Switzerland. We’re meeting with their head office to explore how we can extend our services across the DACH region — Switzerland, Germany, and Austria,” explained Terje Ennomäe, co-founder and CEO of Feelingstream.
The company is also looking for partners working with AI in customer service, such as in analytics or automation. “The market is increasingly moving towards AI adoption, and there’s no need to fear it — the key is to apply it selectively, in processes where it adds real value. That’s exactly where we’re focusing our efforts,” said Ennomäe.
She added that such visits and events are among the best ways to enter new markets and build networks. “The support I’ve received from Mirjam Loertscher, the Ministry’s economic diplomat in Switzerland, has been incredibly helpful in understanding the Swiss market. Additional insights into the local business culture have also been valuable — for instance, it’s not appropriate to call a Swiss contact at midday to discuss work, but lunchtime is ideal for arranging a business lunch. It’s also important to be aware of recent referendums and their outcomes. I’m pleased that the Swiss voted in favour of digital identity in September,” Ennomäe noted.
The Estonian delegation also participated as a guest country at the prestigious Swiss Digital Economy Award 2025.
The Estonian business delegation included: Aristotle, BitTech, ClearVote, Cybernetica, DefSecIntel, Gridio, MindTitan, Net Group, NEVERHACK, Progmatic, Helmes, Feelingstream, and nets360. The visit is organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in cooperation with the Estonian Association of Information Technology and Telecommunications, Swiss ICT, the Estonian Chamber of Commerce in Switzerland, DigitalSwitzerland, the Zurich Cantonal Office of Economic Affairs, and the Ministry of Justice and Digital Affairs.
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