When you think technological ingenuity, Estonia is not the first place that crosses your mind. Well, the MBA students at USF would beg to differ. Traveling from Helsinki by ferry to the town of Tallinn, Estonia, the students arrived with a great deal of curiosity about visiting the technology hub of the Baltic region. We began the morning with an introduction to Estonian business culture with a talk from the hospitality manager at Meriton Hotels. Following the meeting we were off to Tehnopol, the largest business incubator facility in Estonia that famously helped launch Skype. Arriving at Tehnopol we were greeted by the Head of Business Services, Ms. Külle Tarnov. She explained that Tehnopol is a technology business incubator with over 150 companies operating with direct access to Tallinn University of Technology. The students were then treated to a quick history lesson on the rise of the Estonian business sector over the past two decades. With the fall of the Soviet Union, Estonia has been able to leap frog into the 21st Century and develop a wireless infrastructure that could rival Silicon Valley. Free wireless access abounds in Tallinn, and with a thriving technology sector, Estonia and business environments like Tehnopol are poised to propel the Baltic region into the forefront of global technology.
The highlight of the trip thus far would have to be touring the Skype Headquarters in Tallinn, Estonia. A quick walk down the street from our meeting at Tehnopol, we passed the outdoors volleyball court and entered a building very reminiscent of the Google campus in Mountain View. Skype’s Chief Evangelist, Andres Kütt met the students and walked them into their main conference room complete with a conference table the size of a mini football field. The immaculate white table appeared to have seats for almost 50 people and was wired with microphones at each position. Kütt pointed out that this table was designed with the ability for participants to “skype” one another during a meeting. Kütt explained that as the Chief Evangelist it was his job to create and inspire. At Skype, he felt their ability to innovate was driven by a company culture of “thinking big,” which began with the founder’s peer-to-peer software code they developed that became the foundation for the Skype network. Kütt went on to add that the reason for Skype’s global success is that the employees are driven by a culture of friendship and family, albeit he said, “one more like the Sopranos Family, very tight-knit with apprehension about outsiders.” Today that very same family culture at Skype is responsible for 12% of all international calls with over 600 million users worldwide.
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