Eve Peeterson

Ms. Eve Peeterson of Estonia joins the Humphrey Fellowship as Head of Startup and Innovation Services at the Estonian Business and Innovation Agency. Since 2020, she has led public national efforts to build a dynamic startup and innovation ecosystem that aligns with Estonia’s 2035 vision of a knowledge-based, high-value economy. Ms. Peeterson manages a department of 3 teams and 30 people, working to improve startups’ and SMEs’ access to domestic and international funding, talent, expertise, networks, and favorable regulation. She has also initiated the “New Nordic Tech Valley” framework to foster cross-border collaboration among Nordic and Baltic nations, and apply the region’s potential to become a magnetic global tech powerhouse.

Ms. Peeterson holds a Master’s degree in Digital Transformation in Business from Tallinn University of Technology and another Master’s in English Language Philology and Teacher Training from Tallinn University.

During her Humphrey Fellowship, she aims to study public service design and R&D support mechanisms, public-private-academic partnerships, and cross-disciplinary collaboration. She plans to explore innovation ecosystem strategies and ways to bring innovation to the market. Upon return, Ms. Peeterson hopes to implement new initiatives that strengthen the Estonian innovation agency, promote talent mobility, and position the New Nordics as a unified global tech hub.