Every year, we like to shake things up with the L59 Pitch Competition — and 2025 is no different. At Latitude59, we’re all about the Latitude Attitude: bold thinking, real stories, and getting things done. It’s what drives us to question the status quo, support voices that matter, and keep pushing the startup scene forward.
This year, we took that mindset on the road. Four weeks, five countries, and one goal — to connect with local ecosystems, learn from different communities, and explore how we can grow stronger together.
We kicked things off in Riga, Latvia, where the energy was high from the start. Founders, investors, and startup supporters came together to make meaningful connections and dive into what makes a strong pitch. Our panel — Egita Polanska (Partner at Outlast Fund), Emils Kragis (Managing Director at Latvian Business Angels Network), and Arthur Burnin (CEO & Co-founder of ATOM Mobility, and L59 Pitch Competition winner 2020) — shared hands-on advice on how to stand out in the competition. As our Head of Startup Relations, Triin Ilves, put it: “The Latvian startup ecosystem is booming – from three new VC funds to a growing founder network – I felt the same sense of drive, growth, and community that we so often experience in Estonia.”
Our next stop was Vilnius, Lithuania. Due to some last-minute changes, we went virtual — but that didn’t stop the conversation. We’re incredibly thankful to everyone who joined us online, and we’re already looking forward to being back in person soon.
In Tiranë, Albania, our Head of Program, Kai Isand, led a great session focused on community building and the role of local ecosystems in shaping global innovation. “Startup communities thrive when we build with purpose, not just people,” she said. “It was inspiring to learn from Albania’s community builders and share how Estonia’s startup journey has been shaped by strong networks like Latitude59.”
Next up was Warsaw, Poland — and wow, the momentum there is real. With over 3,300 startups, 300+ coworking spaces, and more than 130 venture capital firms, Poland is clearly a central player in the CEE region. Big thanks to Daniel Bajer (Export Adviser at EAS – Enterprise Estonia) and Alex Rodukov (Founder of Askflow.ai, L59 Pitch Competition TOP10 finalist 2024) for their practical tips on making the most of conferences: plan meetings outside the agenda, take photos to build your personal brand, come prepared, refine your pitch, and stay open to spontaneous chats — because you never know where they’ll lead.
We wrapped up the roadshow in Hamburg, Germany, at Deeptech Campus. This final stop brought together founders, investors, and ecosystem builders from Estonia and Germany to explore a big question: how do we build a more connected Europe? “What stood out wasn’t just the tech or the talks — it was the honesty,” said Liisi Org, CEO at Latitude59. “We don’t need to copy what works elsewhere. We need to amplify each other’s strengths.” As Estonia’s Minister of Energy and Environment, Andres Sutt, summed it up: “What connects us is ambition, mindset, and courage.”
Looking back, the roadshow was more than just a series of events. It was about building bridges across Europe’s innovation hubs — staying true to our values of openness, knowledge-sharing, and creating real opportunities. It’s all about helping the next generation of founders and visionaries turn ideas into action.
Now we’re bringing that energy home. Join us in Tallinn on May 21–23 as we welcome over 4,000 impact-makers, tech enthusiasts, digital governance experts, 1,000+ founders, and 800+ investors from more than 70 countries.
See you at Latitude59!
We are grateful to all our partners, friends and collegues who have made Latitude59 Roadshow happen: Triin Ilves, Brait Pilvik, Kai Isand, Prototron, E-residency, AUFBRUCH.Hamburg, Startup House Riga, C4Communities & CIC Warsaw.
