#25 - Joel Burke, former Head of Business Development of Estonia's e-Residency Program on the Country's Digital Rise: Lessons for the World from the Economic and Institutional Reboot post-USSR, Digitisation, Startup Success

How does a tiny country with no natural resources, a legacy of Soviet occupation, and just 1.3 million people become one of the most digitally advanced nations on Earth?

In this episode, Mauro sits down with Joel Burke, author of Rebooting a Nation: The Incredible Rise of Estonia, E-Government and the Startup Revolution, to unpack Estonia’s remarkable transformation.

Drawing from his own experience and research for the book, Joel shares his journey from Silicon Valley and Berlin to helping lead Estonia’s e-Residency program, and what he learned about innovation, identity, and (e)government along the way.

Having seen Estonia’s digital transformation first-hand, but through the eyes of an outsider, Joel offers a unique perspective. His experience in both governance and tech ecosystems puts him in a rare position to compare and contrast Estonia’s trajectory and dissect what makes it so distinctive. Coupled with historical research, this allows him to unpack how and why Estonia got there, the pivotal leaders who shaped the journey, the lucky breaks along the way, and what the Estonian model might teach other countries aiming to reboot their own systems.

We cover:

Overview of Estonia's economic policy post-USSR occupationWhat led Estonia to embrace digital transformation earlyWhat makes its startup ecosystem so uniqueThe new work and societal organisation culture in EstoniaHow e-residency works, and who’s using itWhat other governments can learn from Estonia’s bold movesWhy this Baltic nation continues to punch above its weight

For that and much more, tune in!

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Runway is a podcast started by Black Unicorn PR co-founders Julija Jegorova and Mauro Battellini to help startup founders, company builders and business leaders with insights, tools and advice from specialists in sales, marketing, PR and more.

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#25 - Joel Burke, former Head of Business Development of Estonia's e-Residency Program on the Country's Digital Rise: Lessons for the World from the Economic and Institutional Reboot post-USSR, Digitisation, Startup Success

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