PRESS RELEASE
Startups from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are set to take the stage at Latitude59, the flagship startup and tech conference of the Baltics and New Nordics, held this week in Tallinn, Estonia. The top six finalists will compete for a syndicated investment of up to half a million euros.
The six finalists include the Latvian construction tech startup Adventum Tech and Talenme, which develops AI-powered hiring platform; the Lithuanian technology startups Luna Robotics and MELP, and, from Estonia, the green energy solutions developer MarkeDroid and healthtech startup Muun Health.
According to Triin Ilves, Head of Startup Relations at Latitude59, the competition level this year was exceptionally high, even by Latitude59’s traditional standards. “It was extremely difficult for investors to select the top teams who will take the spotlight on our main stage with their pitches,” said Ilves. “The discussions were so intense that, instead of the usual five, six startups made it to the final. What’s more, the semi-finalists performed so strongly that, for the first time ever, the TOP 10 teams will also get the opportunity to showcase their products and services on the Latitude59 stage to an audience of 700 international investors attending the conference this year.”
Lead investor Jana Budkovskaja, CEO of Beamline Accelerator, said that this year’s finalists represent some of the most promising and ambitious founders in the region. “What makes them stand out is their bold approach to real-world problems and early signs of traction, with most already generating revenue and proving market demand. The level of the competition has been remarkably high, and we’re not just seeing good ideas — we’re seeing companies that are building with scalability and sustainability in mind. For us, it’s all about backing the right teams who can execute relentlessly and grow into global success stories.”
David Clark, a fund member of EstBAN with Tera Ventures, added: “All of the selected teams showed great founder-market fit and grit. It was an incredibly challenging task for the Baltic BANs to narrow down to just six given the diverse industries range of top companies and various stages of growth. This year’s competition highlights the need not only for bold visions but also the execution strength to become global leaders,” he said.
The Latitude59 startup competition is the largest of its kind in the Nordic and Baltic regions and has, over the years, established itself as a leading launchpad for early-stage companies aiming for international growth. The grand prize is a syndicated investment of up to half a million euros, offered jointly by the Estonian, Latvian, and Lithuanian business angel networks EstBAN, LatBAN, and LitBAN.
Emils Kragis, Managing Director at LatBAN said that selecting the Top 6 from such a strong Top 10 wasn’t easy. “Our investor team put in the hours – diving into market validation, founder dynamics, product potential, and follow-up calls. In an environment where vision alone isn’t enough, we were focused on identifying teams with real execution power,” he said.
Roberta Rudokienė, Managing Director at LitBAN, emphasized that the top 6 startups selected for the Latitude59 pitch battle truly earned their spot. “Our angels dug deep through meetings, product demos, and tough Q&A sessions to understand not just where these teams are now, but where they can go. The level of dedication from founders was impressive — they pitched with heart, clarity, and ambition. And even those not in the final six have taken an important step by building visibility and investor interest — a win-win for the whole ecosystem,” she said.
A total of 391 startups applied to participate in Latitude59’s startup competition taking place this May in Tallinn, Estonia. Applications came in from every corner of the globe—startups from 47 countries applied to the competition, including teams from South America, Africa, Europe, Ukraine, and across the Nordics and Baltics. From the pool of applicants, 30 teams were selected to step up in the pre-finals, where they received training and mentorship from seasoned professionals.
The top six will pitch in the finals on May 23, held live on the main stage at Latitude59 2025. The grand prize is a syndicated investment of up to half a million euros. In addition to the syndicate by the Baltic business angels, the prize pool also includes awards from Latitude59’s partners such as Startup World Cup, Pegasus Ventures, Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud, Infobip, SEB, Talenthub, Triniti, Widen Legal and Workland.
Latitude59 will take place for the 13th time from May 21–23 at Kultuurikatel in Tallinn. It is the most international and influential startup and tech conference in the Baltics and New Nordics, bringing together startups, investors, and ecosystem builders from across the globe.
