One thing that positively strikes me every time I land in Singapore is the diversity. It’s like people of all races, religions and mindsets have come together to co-exist without anybody having any problem with what the others are about. There are prayer rooms for Muslims at the airport and…

I am happy to announce that we’ve closed our series A funding round, led by Japan-based Mistletoe Inc, along with our current investors Union Square Ventures (U.S.), AirTree Ventures (Australia), and Tera Ventures (Estonia). — We are delighted to welcome a great new partner — Mistletoe team — on board as our new investors and mentors from Japan. When we first met with the Mistletoe team in Tokyo in March I realized that our visions about how talent mobility can improve the distribution of knowledge…

We, at Jobbatical, are dedicated to creating a platform that opens borders, enables people to work and live where they are happy, and boosts economies by making talent available. We are deeply saddened by the Trump administration’s decision to repeal DACA, leaving 800,000 Americans uncertain of their status in the country they consider home. We hope America’s leaders in Washington will work to protect these Dreamers for good and keep the American spirit alive.

I was invited to give a keynote presentation at a major media company’s executive summit, to talk about global talent trends. The event took place a two-hour drive from Munich, in the picturesque Schloss Elmau in the Alps. I’m not sure if it was dehydration, lack of nutrition, or the adrenaline from standing in front of this challenging top-level audience, but after my speech I developed a horrible throbbing headache, so I decided to skip the fancy dinner and go on an evening hike.

This week, the newest team member of team Jobbatical flew in from Saudi Arabia. Originally from Egypt, Muhammed had been working in Saudi Arabia for the past couple of years and is now our new SysAdmin. Whenever a new team member arrives to Jobbatical, we welcome them with a team lunch. In Muhammed’s case we tried to postpone it to his second week due to Ramadan. But he insisted we keep our tradition just as it was and suggested that while we eat, he would tell us all about Ramadan and answer any questions we might have about it.

And I would know — I have first-hand experience The rollout of President Trump’s extreme vetting proposals for even long standing allies like France and Germany is divisive, short-sighted, and wrong. History illustrates a long narrative around nativist policies like these, and I was unfortunate enough to grow up behind…

The night before my talk at Slush Tokyo was one of those nights — around midnight, you figure you’ll just finish up a few more things. Next thing you know, it’s 2 a.m. and you realize you have to get up in four hours. I tossed and turned all those four hours and then gave up. I headed upstairs to the little Japanese sauna in my hotel to clear my head for the busy day ahead. Japanese sauna is all about hot springs and cold baths — what better way to shake off a sleepless night than jumping between those two with serene music playing in the background, I thought.

Sitting on a plane above the clouds of Germany, I would like to take a moment recap the CeBIT conference in Hannover. CeBIT was my second time speaking in this city. In fact, standing on a big stage here in the year 2000 was my first big stage appearance ever. My student company had made it into the finals of the JA-YE European Student Company Competition, taking place at the World Expo 2000. We didn’t win, so disappointed 17-year-old me cried for most of the bus journey back to Estonia. Despite the minor disappointment, this was the experience that started my addiction to making a difference and thus was the beginning of my entrepreneurial journey. Being back after all these years was a powerful experience.

I got an early start in my professional life when I invented a safety accessory at the age of sixteen, becoming the youngest inventor in the history of my country. In 1999, it was quite a story — a girl from a small town in Estonia invents something that saves people’s lives. The stars aligned, and without even the slightest idea about marketing or storytelling, I had paved the way for my first business. I became a spokesperson for young entrepreneurs in Europe before the word “startup” was even invented.