OREANDA-NEWS. May 12, 2012. President Toomas Hendrik Ilves visited LCDVF, the company that won the Starter of the Year category of the Entrepreneurship Award 2012 competition, and Fortumo OU, the general winner of the Entrepreneurship Award 2011 and Exporter of the Year.

According to twin brothers Tonis and Tarmo Liivamagi, the establishment of LCDVF was the result of both a hobby and need – hands soon become tired from using a heavy reflex camera for filming and so one of the founders of the company, Tonis Liivamagi, invented a cone of plastic, lenses and rubber that is fitted to the screen of a digital reflex camera, using magnets. When you look inside the cone, the camera remains fixed, does not shake as much and filming makes it feel as if you are using a video recorder, not a photo camera.

"What could be a better proof of this quality than the fact that the White House's Office of Public Engagement are a client of this company. Also, 15,000 of these cones, that were invented by Estonians, have been sold to 22 countries all over the world. We must feel proud of small companies like this. It is a evidence of our innovative streak and breakthrough ability", told President Ilves.

Approximately one half of the production of LCDVF is imported to the USA. France, Norway and England are also large clients. The cones are available almost everywhere in Europe as well as in Australia, Singapore and Japan.

President Ilves also visited Fortumo, a company involved in the development of an international platform for making payments by mobile phone. Fortumo's services are currently available in 58 countries in Europe, Asia, North and South America and Africa.

"This is an international company with offices in both Tartu and Silicon Valley. This confirms my conviction that large things can happen in small places. Estonia can exceed its confines through its ideas and actions," added President Ilves.

The clients of Fortumo include developers of games and Internet services (including Rovio, the owner of the Angry Birds computer game, Digital Chocolate, TopEleven, etc.).