The European Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation, Ekaterina Zaharieva, will attend the Baltic Startup Policy Forum in Riga, hosted by the Latvian Startup Association Startin.LV and held during TechChill on March 25-27. The visit marks the Commissioner’s first official visit to Latvia and will bring EU-level startup, research, and innovation priorities into direct conversation with Baltic policymakers, founders, and investors.
The event will be held on March 26, and will be opened by the Minister for Economics of Latvia, Viktors Valainis, with high-level officials from the Estonian and Lithuanian Ministries for Economics in attendance and sharing their countries’ perspectives. Representatives from the region’s foremost startup organizations, such as Unicorns LT, Startin.LV, and the Estonian Founders Society, will take the stage to shed light on shared challenges and opportunities across the Baltic region. Particular attention will be placed on the cultivation of the new generation of unicorns as well as commercializing deeptech innovations.
“We’re seeing that startup policy is becoming an increasing priority in Europe. That’s why it’s critical for the Baltic states to participate in the discussion from the beginning. The Forum in Riga will create an opportunity for policymakers and ecosystem representatives to collaboratively define priorities, learn from each other, and strengthen our region’s voice in Europe,” says Roberts Alhimionoks, Director of Latvian startup association Startin.LV.
The Baltics have long been a home for startup-friendly policies, with the three Baltic nations regularly snagging the top spots in startup policy rankings. This reflects the region’s outsized contribution to European funding per capita, punching far above its weight. This creates a unique environment to discuss EU startup policies, such as the much-anticipated EU Inc, which would seek to tear down bureaucratic borders within the EU to doing business and investing in startups, thus supercharging cross-border innovation collaboration.
“The Baltic States have great potential to be one of Europe’s most dynamic hubs for innovation and entrepreneurship. I am delighted to visit Riga and to engage directly with the founders, investors, and policymakers who are shaping the future of Europe’s startup ecosystem. Events like TechChill and the Baltic Startup Policy Forum are vital platforms for ensuring that our continent remains at the forefront of technological progress and global competitiveness,” emphasises Ekaterina Zaharieva, the European Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation.
The commissioner will also sit down with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Latvia, Baiba Braže, to discuss the Baltics as a strategic cornerstone for European autonomy. A combination of the global competition for microchip and quantum dominance, with the Baltics’ innovations and science background, and geopolitical location, sets the scene for a complex discussion on opportunities and risks.
About TechChill:
TechChill is a startup community non-profit that hosts the largest tech event in Latvia. Having grown from a small grassroots movement of like-minded tech enthusiasts, TechChill celebrates the best of the Baltic startup community by annually bringing together thousands of attendees, including fastest-growing startups, most innovative corporations and speakers, investors active in the region and talented tech enthusiasts. TechChill is organized by a non-profit foundation of the same name, empowering the Baltic startup ecosystem throughout the year.
TechChill 2026 will be held from March 25-27, in Riga, Latvia. It will feature 100 international speakers, sharing experience and inspiring entrepreneurship among the 2300 innovators, founders, tech experts, investors, and media that will be attending.
More info: http://techchill.co
