Baltic News Service began in 1990 as a student project in Moscow before Allan Martinson expanded the startup into a regional operation employing 200 people. This venture marked the start of his career as an entrepreneur and investor, a trajectory spanning over three decades of building, managing, and selling technology and media enterprises throughout the Baltic states.
Early Career and Baltic News Service
Martinson graduated from the MSU Faculty of Computational Mathematics and Cybernetics in 1991. Before university, he attended the Gustav Adolf Grammar School. In 1990, he launched the Baltic News Service, serving as its founder and CEO. The agency expanded across Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, attracting investment from Dow Jones Telerate and the Swedish Bonnier media group in 1994. The company was ultimately sold to Alma Media of Finland in 2001.
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In 1998, Martinson became CEO of MicroLink, an IT holding company based in the Baltics. He directed an aggressive strategy funded by private equity through Baltic Investments Fund and Baltic Republics Fund. Between 1998 and 2000, MicroLink merged with or acquired 15 entities, including Astrodata, Fortech, and VAR, alongside seven internet service providers. The group grew to 600 employees with annual sales of 60 million EUR before the IT service operations were sold to three incumbent telecoms in 2005.
Ventures and Investments
During his tenure at MicroLink, the company launched two significant enterprises: the media firm Delfi, sold to Findexa in 2004, and SAF Tehnika, a microwave radio link developer that held an IPO in 2004. In 2004, Martinson launched Martinson Trigon Venture Partners, becoming its sole owner in 2008. The firm invested 20 million USD into nine companies, including Reksoft, Novyi Disk, InvisibleCRM, Playforia, Flirtic, Hostex, and MicroLink Lithuania. Later, he served as an executive at Starship Technologies from 2014 to 2018.
Board Membership and Recognition
Martinson has held board positions at the Tallinn Stock Exchange, Starman, CV Keskus, Hill&Knowlton Baltics, and Columbus IT Partner Estonia. He also served on the boards of the Estonian ICT association ITL, the Look@World Foundation, and the Estonian Academy of Arts. He received the Knight of the Legion of Honour in 2001 and the Order of the White Star, 4th Class, in 2013.
Fast facts
- Born: 1966, Tartu
- Education: Gustav Adolf Grammar School, MSU Faculty of Computational Mathematics and Cybernetics
- Citizenship: Estonia, Soviet Union
- Key Roles: CEO of Baltic News Service, CEO of MicroLink, Owner of Martinson Trigon Venture Partners
- Awards: Knight of the Legion of Honour (2001), Order of the White Star (2013)
- Professional Background: Businessperson, entrepreneur, investor, programmer
Questions readers ask
What companies did Martinson Trigon Venture Partners invest in?
The firm invested in Reksoft, Novyi Disk, InvisibleCRM, Playforia, Flirtic, Hostex, MicroLink Lithuania, and MTV Baltics.
Was Allan Martinson involved with Starship Technologies?
Yes, he was an executive at Starship Technologies between 2014 and 2018.
Achievements
- Order of the White Star, 4th Class — 2013
- Knight of the Legion of Honour — 2001
- Affiliated with Martinson Trigon Venture Partners, Baltic News Service and MicroLink
- Educated at Gustav Adolf Grammar School and MSU Faculty of Computational Mathematics and Cybernetics
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