Investor Camp 2024 attracted 250 investors to Vilnius – from America to Asia

Today, one day before Lithuania's largest startup event, "Startup Fair," 250 investors from 15 countries have already arrived in Vilnius. They were brought together by "Investor Camp" – an event designed for investors, where they will have the opportunity to explore the innovations of our country, network, and strengthen ties with the Lithuanian startup ecosystem. "Investor Camp" is organized by Startup Lithuania, a department of the Innovation Agency, in partnership with the Lithuanian Venture Capital and Private Equity Association (LT VCA) and the Lithuanian Business Angel Network (LitBAN).

Startups show impressive growth

“Over the past five years, the Lithuanian startup ecosystem has demonstrated impressive growth, with its value increasing sevenfold to €13.7 billion. Lithuania is increasingly recognized among Europe's leading tech nations, and in terms of unicorns per million inhabitants, we are on par with markets like Estonia, Israel, and the USA. It is no wonder that more than 300 investors from around the world choose Lithuania and Vilnius, hoping to discover promising investment opportunities here,” said Karolis Žemaitis, Vice Minister of Economy and Innovation.

Greta Mieliauskaitė, co-organizer of the event from the Lithuanian Venture Capital Association (LT VCA), noted that the event maintains its unique focus on close networking between experienced investors rather than mass participation.

“It is important to understand that Lithuania is no longer just a pre-seed investment country. This year, significant later-stage investments have taken place in the country’s startup ecosystem, and we aim to highlight these throughout the event,” said G. Mieliauskaitė. This year, special attention will be given to growth-stage investments, Series A and Series B rounds, and the opportunities investors see in rapidly growing businesses.

The event will also include extensive discussions on Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles – a highly relevant topic in the investment world, both in Lithuania and globally. According to G. Mieliauskaitė, this year’s event will also cover women’s leadership and the diversity of startup board structures.

From Baltic startup funding reviews to informal conversations

During "Investor Camp," participants will have the chance to explore a review of Baltic startup funding, presented by Jonė Vaitulevičiūtė, founder and managing partner of the venture capital fund Firstpick. Investors can also look forward to discussions on why now is the time to invest in ESG solutions. These discussions will feature Juho Aminoff, EIF's sales representative for the Baltics, and Kristina Söderberg, SEB Greentech VC investment manager, and will be moderated by Rokas Pečiulaitis, founder and managing partner of Contrarian Ventures.

The second part of the event will include an angel investor discussion on syndicates, a session led by Dovilė Burgienė, managing partner at Walless and co-founder of the “Lyderė” association, as well as discussions on the intersection of life sciences and artificial intelligence. Juozas Nainys, CEO of Atrandi Biosciences, and Laurynas Karpus, founder of Biomatter, will speak on innovations in this field, moderated by Donatas Keras from Practica Capital.

"We want to keep the event boutique in format, providing an opportunity for business angels, venture capital fund representatives, and other investors to meet informally, discuss projects already implemented, as that’s how opportunities are born. The event’s structure is designed to maximize networking principles, offering numbers, visions, forecasts, and friendly conversations," said Karolina Urbonaitė, head of Startup Lithuania. According to her, after the inspiring Investor Camp, the next day, investors will head to Lithuania's largest startup event, "Startup Fair," where they will be able to directly engage with the country’s most innovative businesses.

"Investor Camp" takes place on the eve of Lithuania’s largest startup ecosystem event, "Startup Fair. Pulse 2024." This year, "Startup Fair" will be held for the 12th time, aiming to attract over 2,000 participants and investors from 68 countries. The event will feature over 60 presentations discussing the most relevant topics in the ecosystem, and 50 startups will compete in the "Pitch Battle" for €3 million in investments and prizes.