On March 26, 2026, the Baltic startup ecosystem took center stage as the Baltic Startup Policy Forum convened in Riga. The event was held as a high-level side event of the TechChill conference and organized by the Latvian startup association Startin.Lv. The Forum gathered high-profile politicians, national startup organizations, and participants from Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia, to share experience and discuss opportunities for further supporting startups through policy initiatives. It also marked the first official visit to a country in the Baltic region by Ekaterina Zaharieva, European Commissioner for Startups, Research, and Innovation.
“The Baltics are always given as an example for E-government in the Union. This fast connection between policymakers, universities, and the private sector is a massive advantage. You are digital, fast, and efficient—that is admirable and one of your strongest advantages as we look to scale these practices across Europe,” said Commissioner Zaharieva.
The Forum and the Commissioner’s visit arrive at a pivotal moment for EU Inc. – Europe’s strategic road map to complete the single market by 2028 through the “28th regime”, which, among other things, would allow companies to register digitally and cheaply in less than 48 hours to operate across all member states. “I really believe that only together, only as one real, deep single market, we can be competitive and strong,” said Commissioner Zaharieva.
Initiatives such as EU Inc. and the Scaleup Fund aim to provide the digital foundation and specialized capital needed for tech companies to scale and remain in Europe. The Commissioner explicitly acknowledged that the Baltics are already operating at that level of digital efficiency, possessing the fast registration and agile policymaking that the rest of the Union is now working to catch up with.
Throughout the forum, various panels echoed the sentiment that current geopolitical shifts also present opportunities for Europe. It also raised the topic of Baltic collaboration, pointing out that the Baltic countries have the opportunity for amplified growth through closer collaboration. Latvian Minister of Foreign Affairs Baiba Braže emphasized the role of policy and cross-sectoral collaboration in regional security and defence.
“It’s a success of the government policy by putting very targeted money into the defense sector, but also pushing the ministry, the armed forces, the universities, and the whole ecosystem into working together. It’s about exploding the bubbles and making sure there is a bigger bubble where everybody can meet each other within a matter of short time. You are one phone call away, whether you are a startup with a university or a government official with any of those sectors,” said Braže.
The Baltic Startup Policy Forum was held under the umbrella of the annual TechChill conference – one of the Baltics’ largest startup events, held for the 15th year in a row. The event brought together more than 2000 attendees, 300 startups, and 250 investors. CEO Annija Mežgaile opened the event, emphasizing the importance of in-person gatherings. “This is more important than ever – we get sucked into our digital environments, and we risk losing touch. This way, we come back to each other. It’s no surprise that a lot of people say TechChill feels like a school reunion.”
