On September 8th, for the first time, awards will be presented to the best Latvian startups in eight categories during Startup Day. Seven of the categories will have winners chosen by a jury established by the Latvian Startup Association „Startin.LV,“ while the eighth category, „Community Choice,“ will have its favorite selected through public voting on the Latvian Startup Awards website.
The decision to establish these awards was motivated by the success stories of Latvian startups on a global scale. Olga Barret-Gonsalvisa, the head of the Latvian Startup Association „Startin.LV,“ expressed her belief that these success stories inspire others to focus on entrepreneurship and celebrate the achievements of Latvian startups.
To nominate a startup for one of the seven categories, anyone could apply. The jury evaluated over 130 applications, consisting of experts who have been involved in the startup ecosystem since its inception or for a long time. Each jury member represented different sectors, including the public, non-profit, and private sectors. None of the jury members were founders of their own startups at the time of evaluation.
In each category, the jury selected three favorites:
1. Breakthrough Category:
– Aerones: a world leader in wind turbine maintenance, offering a robotic repair and maintenance system.
– Giraffe360: developed an AI-based video and photo capture camera for the real estate industry.
– Naco Technologies: developed nano-coatings and other new materials for green hydrogen production.
2. Newcomer Category:
– PrintyMed: artificial spider silk for use in 3D bioprinters and medical devices.
– Swotzy: an assistant for e-commerce companies that helps streamline product delivery.
– Trace.Space: an AI-based product creation tool for engineers.
3. Scaleup Category:
– Giraffe360: developed an AI-based video and photo capture camera for the real estate industry.
– Lokalise: a management system that provides text localization capabilities.
– Printify: a platform for creating and selling various personalized products.
4. Impact Category:
– BirgerMind: a brainwave-operated device that allows partially or fully paralyzed individuals to use a computer and communicate.
– Cellblox Labs: organ-on-a-chip technology for precise drug customization and testing without animal involvement.
– Longenesis: a tool for patient engagement in treatment processes and clinical trials, as well as data acquisition.
5. Hardware Category:
– Aerones: a world leader in wind turbine maintenance, offering a robotic repair and maintenance system.
– Giraffe360: developed an AI-based video and photo capture camera for the real estate industry.
– WeedBot: a high-precision weeding device that destroys weeds with laser precision.
6. Software Category:
– Atom Mobility: software for creating vehicle sharing services.
– Corebook: an online platform for creating and maintaining brand guidelines.
– Web Scraper: a web scraping extension that operates without software and does not require programming knowledge.
7. Founder-Hero Category:
– Artis Kehris: co-founder of Printify.
– Emīls Sjundjukovs: co-founder of Longenesis.
– Jānis Berdigans: co-founder of Printify.
The winners of each category will be announced and awarded at the Startup Day event, which will take place on September 8th at the Digital Art House in Riga. The winner of the „Community Choice“ category will also be revealed at the event. The event will be attended by the President of Latvia, Edgars Rinkēvičs.
Everyone is encouraged to vote and choose the most inspiring startup from the aforementioned list. Voting is open on the Latvian Startup Awards website until September 6th at 23:59. The program for Startup Day can also be viewed on the same website.
The organization of Startup Day is supported by the Ministry of Economics, the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia (ERAF project „Support for the Promotion of Technology Transfer Programs“), and the Riga Investment and Tourism Agency.
In conclusion, the Latvian Startup Awards aim to recognize and celebrate the achievements of Latvian startups across various categories, showcasing the innovation and talent within the country’s startup ecosystem.