Can Legal Barriers Become Business Opportunities?

Innovative business ideas often collide with outdated regulations—rules not built for technologies that didn’t exist when they were written. Rather than stifling progress, Estonia is experimenting with a different model.

Accelerate Estonia is a government-led program that invites entrepreneurs to identify legal roadblocks that stand in the way of scalable innovation and then works with them to clear those hurdles through policy change. It’s not just startup support; it’s regulatory R&D.

What Is Accelerate Estonia?

Accelerate Estonia is a government-backed innovation lab that collaborates with startups and scale-ups to identify and remove legal and regulatory obstacles hindering the development of groundbreaking business models. Rather than adapting innovations to fit outdated laws, the program works to adapt laws to fit transformative innovations. Its mission is to create new market opportunities from Estonia to the world by enabling impactful businesses through regulatory change.

How It Works

The program follows a structured, multi-phase approach:

• Validation (1–3 months): Assessing the need for regulatory change and evaluating the economic impact.

• Definition (3–6 months): Identifying specific legislative barriers and developing a plan to address them.

• Proof (6–18 months): Conducting pilots and impact analyses to demonstrate the necessity and benefits of the proposed changes.

• Proposal: Submitting legislative amendments to the responsible ministries and supporting their implementation.

Throughout this process, Accelerate Estonia provides startups with direct access to decision-makers, enabling them to test and validate their solutions in a real-world environment.

Who Should Apply?

Accelerate Estonia seeks companies that:

• Have a clear need for regulatory change to bring their innovation to market.

• Offer scalable solutions addressing significant global challenges.

• Possess a fully developed concept ready for piloting.

• Operate with a committed and established team.

The program focuses on B2B and B2C business models, excluding B2G models.