Vilnius TechFusion Startup Awards, one of the major events of the year, will take place on 11 January in Vilnius, the Cyber City space, where startups will compete in 7 different categories. The award ceremony will recognise business leaders and high-tech companies with the major contribution to the growth of the Lithuanian startup ecosystem. With the awards already this week, the jury is now announcing the nominees for the most important category of the event, i.e. “Startup of the Year”.
For the fifth year in a row, the Startup Awards aim to recognise and honour startups that have made an important contribution to the national economy and to making the name of Vilnius known worldwide. These high goals could not be achieved without cooperation between companies. According to Inga Langaitė, a member of the jury and CEO of the startup association Unicorns Lithuania, 2023 was neither an easy nor a quiet year for startups around the world, thus the results of the Lithuanian startup ecosystem in this context are unique, with notable achievements and victories.
“The startup sector in Lithuania is growing and getting stronger, as is the added value the sector brings to the economic growth of the country. I can give some figures: over 870 startups employing 17 800 talents are operating in Lithuania, and these startups alone added EUR 275 million to the national budget in the first three quarters of the year, which is a quarter more than at the same time last year, and EUR 272 million in investment was raised in 2023. Market adjustments take time, but I can assure you that we are definitely in the startup era – we want to publicly thank those who are creating a modern future for Lithuania based on a high added value economy,” says Ms Langaitė.
The “Startup of the Year” nomination aims to identify the best and most deserving startup. The winner of this category is chosen by the startup ecosystem leaders. According to Roberta Rudokienė, a member of the jury and Managing Director of the Lithuanian business angel network Litban, this nomination is not only an honour but also a responsibility.
“The “Startup of the Year” nomination recognises the achievements and impressive results of a startup or the value it brings to both the city of Vilnius and the entire Lithuanian startup ecosystem. From past awards, we have noticed that this award category is the most popular, both among the public and in various media. This shows that an increasing number of people are interested in the current business and startup issues in Vilnius, and more and more companies want to be included among the nominees,” notes Roberta Rudokienė.
The nominees of the Vilnius TechFusion Startup Awards in the “Startup of the Year” category are listed in the alphabetical order:
- carVertical, a company providing vehicle history check services;
- CAST AI, an all-in-one platform for Kubernetes automation, optimization, security and cost management;
- Ovoko, a platform for selling used car parts;
- PVcase, a startup developing tools to organise solar power plants;
- Surfshark a cybersecurity company focused on developing humanized privacy & security protection.
The “Startup of the Year” award has been previously awarded to companies such as Qoorio (2020), TransferGo (2021) and Omnisend (2022).
Here are the finalists in 6 more nominations:
The nominees in the “Ecosystem Hero” category: Darius Žakaitis, CEO of Tech Zity, Tomas Okmanas and Eimantas Sabaliauskas, Managers of Tesonet, Women Go Tech, an organisation that helps women pursue careers in IT, Lithuanian Junior Achievement, a non-governmental organisation, Vladas Lašas, an entrepreneur and investor.
The nominees in the “Newcomer of the Year” category: Hoperfy, a corporate travel management company, Monavate, a payment solutions company, Deep Scientific, a startup developing molecular sensors, Payhawk, a business financial solutions and cost management company, and Plug and Play, the Lithuanian branch of the US Startup Accelerator.
The nominees in the “Rising Star” category: Ovoko, a platform for selling used car parts, Atrandi Bioscience, a biotechnology company, Turing College, a company that trains high-tech employees, Heavy Finance, a climate tech company, and myTU, a digital banking platform.
The nominees in the “Highlight of the Year” category: opening of the Cyber City area in Naujamiestis, organisation of a direct flight to the Web Summit and related events, launch of the Tech Zity Vilnius project for startups, the first public IT exam in Lithuania, and the Lithuanian startup ecosystem.
The nominees in the “Tech for Good” category: Viezo, a creator of a generator that converts vibrations into electricity, Inbalance grid, a developer of electric vehicle solutions and a network of charging stations, Inion, a developer of solar monitoring and analysis tools, PVcase, a company developing advanced solar power plant design tools, and Dancer, a company offering electric public transport solutions.
The nominees in the “Public’s Favourite” category: AMLYZE, a RegTech startup offering automated AML solutions to fintech companies, Hoperfy, a corporate travel management company, RatePunk, a tool for finding the best hotel rates on the web, RSI Europe, a company specialising in the development of innovative radio and electronic systems for the defence sector, and Surfshark, a global privacy security solutions company founded in Lithuania.
This year, the jury consists of: Laima Balčiūnė, Director of Sunrise TechPark, Inga Langaitė, CEO of Unicorns Lithuania, Greta Mieliauskaitė, Managing Director of the Lithuanian Private Equity and Venture Capital Association, Gintarė Bačiulienė, Head of the Technology Sector Team at Invest Lithuania, Roberta Rudokienė, Managing Director of LitBan, Gintarė Narakienė, Head of Sector Development at Startup Lithuania, and Lina Šetikienė, Head of Go Vilnius.
Vilnius TechFusion Startup Awards 2023 are organised by Vilnius Tourism and Business Development Agency Go Vilnius, the association Unicorns Lithuania, and Sunrise TechPark. The award ceremony, which will take place on 11 January 2024, will be streamed live remotely: https://www.delfi.lt/a/95553567 or on Facebook.
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