Villig founded Bolt, then known as Taxify, in 2013, when he was aged 19.

Kannimäe meanwhile has been keeping busy. He also stars in the youth film "Morten" premiering this weekend and the upcoming "Hõbevalge," based on the work by Lennart Meri, says playing a real person who is still alive presents a unique challenge.

"The filming isn't just taking place in summer, but will continue until next spring. It's quite a long process. But it's very different from the previous projects because this film is based on a true story, and I'm playing someone who actually exists and is alive. That's a major challenge," Kannimäe said.

Directed by Rain Rannu, the upcoming Villig biopic is currently using the working title "Taksoäpp" ("Taxi App"), and, the Tartu Film Fund says, tells the story of how a mobile app created by a young schoolboy grew into international tech unicorn Bolt.

As for Kannimäe, he began acting at the age of six in a drama group run by his mother. His breakthrough role came in "Fränk," another movie about youth in Estonia, which earned him an EFTA nomination for best actor this year. He had already been cast as the lead in "Morten" before his breakthrough in "Fränk."

The actor, who studies at Vanalinna Hariduskolleegium's theatre class, has worked with a range of directors of varying styles, including Tõnis Pill ("Fränk"), Ivan Pavljutškov ("Morten") and Martti Helde ("Hõbevalge"), as well as Rannu.

"Working with different directors has taught me a great deal. All the projects are very different and, as my mother emphasizes, that's the reality. Which is actually great, because you get to experience a lot of different things," Kannimäe said of this.

While last September the actor celebrated his 16th birthday on the set of "Hõbevalge," the Bolt project took up much of his summer this year and work is set to continue through to next spring.

The actor said his greatest passion remains film and theatre. "It has been my dream and goal for quite a long time, and I feel it is also my calling to act and do theatre and film — right now, that is my greatest passion," Kannimäe said.

Bolt is a mobility app platform which operates in over 50 countries worldwide and reported 2025 revenues of over €2 billion. It is one of nearly a dozen Estonian "unicorn" firms (valued at US$1 billion or more), with others including Wise, Pipedrive and Veriff.

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