On September 17, in Vilnius, at the LITEXPO exhibition and congress center, “Startup Fair 2026” will take place – a startup event organized for the 15th time, gathering more than 2,000 participants, 300 startups, and 300 investors from 65 countries around the world.
For the Lithuanian startup ecosystem, “Startup Fair” has already become a tradition and one of the longest-running and most stable events of this kind in the region. The conference is organized by the national startup ecosystem facilitator “Startup Lithuania” together with the leading innovation platform “ROCKIT”.
“Although ‘Startup Fair’ is the largest startup event in Lithuania, its ambition is much broader. It is an international business meeting place where Lithuanian startups and talents meet with investors, business leaders, and potential partners from all over the world. We aim not only to showcase what is being created in Lithuania but also to help establish connections that open doors for our businesses to international markets. Because expansion abroad usually starts with one right meeting,” says Lina Žemaitytė-Kirkman, head of “ROCKIT”.
Over more than a decade, the startup event has grown from a local significance conference into a unique format meeting where ideas are shared by both experienced ecosystem leaders and still growing startup founders. An event of this level also reflects the annually strengthening Lithuanian startup ecosystem – over the past five years, it has grown the fastest in Central and Eastern Europe.
Focus on business creators
This year’s event slogan “Future Belongs to Builders” will invite discussions not only about future technologies but also about the people who create them – from the first idea to the product or new market. Nearly 100 speakers will share their insights on 3 different stages.
The event program will unfold in three directions: “The Human Builder,” “The Builder’s Market,” and “Building in Europe.” Speakers and discussion participants will talk about entrepreneurship, business opportunities, communities, markets, regulation, and the future of innovation.
Among this year’s speakers are well-known names both in Lithuania and Europe: Lithuanian Minister of Economy and Innovation Edvinas Grikšas, “Dry Boots” founder, Danish entrepreneur Theis Søndergaard, “Lost Astronaut” founder Tadas Burgaila, “WIRED” founder and editor-in-chief and one of the main technology speakers David Rowan, “HOLO AI” co-founder and one of the CEOs Aleksandras Urbanavičius, “Financial Times” technology section editor Elaine Moore, co-founder of one of the newest unicorns “Cast AI” Einaras von Gravrock, and many others.
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Hundreds of investors in one place
This year, over 40 startups will appear on the “Startup Fair” stage, sharing presentations with participants, leading discussions, and participating in networking. In addition, presentations will be watched by 300 investors, and an investment fund of 1.3 million euros as well as additional prizes are planned.
One of the key highlights this year will be the largest business idea competition in the country, “Pitch Battle,” where ambitious startup founders will compete for an impressive prize: up to 1 million euros in funding from “Aneli Capital,” 125 thousand euros from “BSV Ventures,” 100 thousand euros from “FIRSTPICK,” up to 150 thousand euros from “LitBAN & Latban” and support from “CoInvest Capital.” Entrepreneurs who won the “Startup Fair” idea competition in previous years have already attracted support exceeding 22 million euros.
Investors from other companies will also participate in the startup conference – “KILO,” “Inovo VC,” “Iron Wolf Capital,” “Lithuanian Business Angels Network,” “Karma VC,” “Bek Ventures,” “byFounders VC,” “DN Capital,” and many others.
Additionally, on September 16, the day before the main event, the fifth conference for investors “Investor Camp” will take place at the Energy and Technology Museum. This is one of the leading annual events dedicated to venture capital investors in the Baltic countries. This year, insights will be shared by widely known speakers such as “Hostinger” board member Arnas Stuopelis, “FIRSTPICK” partner Jonė Vaitulevičiūtė, “Walless” executive partner Dovilė Burgienė, “Iron Wolf Capital” executive partner Kasparas Jurgelionis, and others.
More information about the program, speakers, and investors as well as tickets for the event – on the official “Startup Fair 2026” website.
“Startup Fair 2026” in detail:
Date: September 17, 2026
Location: LITEXPO Exhibition and Congress Center and Energy and Technology Museum, Vilnius
Tickets: https://www.startupfair.lt/tickets
