Vilnius Founders

✊ For founders, by founders ✊

[Vilnius Founders @VilniusFounders]

🚀 Meet Vilnius Founders @ Startup Fair! https://t.co/LzFBnEsLQB

🍰 13:00 — Go Vilnius Sweet Deals Happy Hour
📍 Go Vilnius booth near Startup Village, LITEXPO

#GOVilnius is inviting the #VilniusFounders community to join them at their booth! Skip the boring coffee break — come for something sweet, something useful, and possibly your best connection of the day. ☕🍰 Meet fellow founders, investors, and friends from across the startup ecosystem.

🎙️ 15:00–15:30 — Founders pyramid of needs: funding, talent, regulation
📍 Podcast Studio, LITEXPO

Edmundas Balčikonis, Founder of Vilnius Founders & Such Much AI, will moderate a conversation with Sakari Pihlava, General Partner at Vendep Capital, and Karolina Urbonaitė, Head of Startup Lithuania, on what founders actually need to grow - capital, talent, stronger communities, or better public support and funding.

🎟️ #Vilnius #Founders community gets 15% off Startup Fair tickets! Use code VilniusFounders_15 at checkout: https://t.co/9kns5FCWJc

See you tomorrow at Startup Fair! 🚀

[Vilnius Founders @VilniusFounders]

🇱🇹 ❤️ 🇵🇱 More than 260 people showed up in #Warsaw to meet #Lithuanian startups and investors! For the first Vilnius Founders event in Warsaw, we brought a chunk of the Lithuanian startup ecosystem to #Poland — and the response exceeded expectations.

One of the main conversations of the evening was Investing & Fundraising in the Era of AI, with:
🎤 Dawid Sugier — Principal at https://t.co/AHCSHkIdf5
🎤 Kamil Węgliński — Associate at Market One Capital
🎤 Elena Mazhuha — Partner at Flyer One Ventures
Moderated by Edmundas Balčikonis @edmundas_eddy — Founder of Vilnius Founders and Such Much AI

We discussed:
- What it takes to raise #preseed and #seed funding today
- How #AI is changing what #VCs expect from startups
- What makes a company #standout when everyone can #buildfaster
- How #investors think about #traction, market size, and distribution
- What separates a real AI opportunity from another easily replicated product
- How #founders should approach investors and prepare for #fundraising

If you’re building in #Lithuania, #Poland, or elsewhere in #CEE — and fundraising is on your roadmap — watch the video below.

A huge thank you to #InovoVC and #MarketOneCapital for sponsoring the #Warsaw meetup, supporting the community, and keeping the networking with drinks for everyone 🍻

260+ people for our first Warsaw event was a pretty good sign that there should be another one soon 😉

But first — back to #Vilnius on August 19 🚀 This time we’ll focus on #gotomarket, #productledgrwoth, #GTM, #PLG, #growthhacking, and scaling internationally.
👉 RSVP for August 19: https://t.co/KQDHU4NhKz

Amazing speakers:
🎤 Milda Mitkutė, Co-Founder of Vinted — on #Vinted’s early days, finding what worked, growing the company, and scaling beyond Lithuania.
🎤 Mario Araujo, Head of PLG at Flosum — practical lessons from building and scaling #product-led growth across global technology companies.
🎤 Raimonds Kulbergs, Founder & CEO of https://t.co/Be1ajc4Hhc — on the #GTM patterns he is seeing across startups today: what works, where founders get stuck, and what teams should prepare for next.

👉 RSVP: https://t.co/BIL9FHhMiy

#VilniusFounders #Startups #Fundraising #VentureCapital #AI #GTM #Growth #CEE #Lithuania #Poland #Warsaw

[Vilnius Founders @VilniusFounders]

300+ registrations, 40+ investors and 7 great speakers at the 🚀 Vilnius Founders in Warsaw 🧜 event next week on Jul 16th: https://t.co/0neysvO0Ng

[Vilnius Founders @VilniusFounders]

Over 300 registrations for tomorrow’s 🚀 Vilnius Founders 🍸 event From Seed to Scale: with Donatas Keras, Founding Partner at Practica Capital and Justinas Lasevicius, Co-Founder of TransferGo! REGISTER: https://t.co/TJdWlYmBOS

[Vilnius Founders @VilniusFounders]

🚀 Vilnius Founders: How EU Policy Shapes Innovation & Startups 🇪🇺 https://t.co/K3QUdExiPq

Europe is at a turning point. From the AI Act and Digital Markets Act (DMA) to deep-tech funding through the European Innovation Council, policy decisions made in Brussels are increasingly shaping how startups are built, funded, and scaled.

​👉 But are these regulations accelerating innovation — or slowing it down?

​Join us for a high-signal Vilnius Founders panel bringing together policy insiders, founders, and ecosystem builders to unpack what EU regulation actually means for startups on the ground.

​This event is organized together with ACT | The App Association, a global trade association for small and medium-sized technology companies. If you would like to learn more, contact Co-Hosts Brad and Ivy.
​🎤 Panel Discussion

​We’re bringing together a rare combination of perspectives — from Brussels-level policy to real founder experience:

​Mike Sax — Founder & Chairman, ACT | The App Association

​A long-time advocate for small tech companies, Mike founded ACT to represent app developers and SMEs in global policy discussions. He has spent decades working directly with policymakers on issues like competition, IP, and digital regulation, helping bridge the gap between government and the tech ecosystem.
​Erika Maslauskaitė — Founder, Deverium & alongID, Board Member, ACT | The App Association

​Erika is the CEO and Co-Founder of deverium, a bootstrapped software development company, and co-creator of alongID, a cross-border digital identity platform backed by €2M in funding. She began her journey in 2009 as a co-founder of LOGIN, the leading Baltic tech festival, and today also serves as a Board Member at ACT | The App Association, where she contributes to the intersection of startups and policy in Europe.

​Remigijus Šimašius — CSO, Such Much AI
​Former Minister of Justice, Member of Parliament, and two-term Mayor of Vilnius. A leading voice in regulatory reform, Remigijus has implemented major policy changes reducing bureaucracy and improving business conditions, and now focuses on how regulation can enable (not block) innovation.

​Danielius Stasiulis — Co-founder & CEO, Ogvio | Board Member, European Innovation Council
​Serial founder and ecosystem builder working across AI, Web3, and fintech. As an EIC Board Member, Danielius operates at the core of Europe’s €10B+ innovation funding engine — while also building startups himself, giving him a unique dual perspective on policy vs reality.

​🎙 Moderator - Edmundas Balčikonis — Founder & CEO, Such Much AI

​🧠 What we’ll cover

​Is Europe becoming more startup-friendly — or more regulated?
​AI Act, DMA, data laws — what actually matters for founders?

​Why EU policies often sound good but feel different in practice

​How founders can navigate (or even influence) regulation

​What needs to change for Europe to produce more global winners

​About 🚀 Vilnius Founders

​Vilnius Founders is a casual, founder-driven meetup series bringing together startup builders, operators, and investors over drinks. No slides. No suits. Just honest conversations about what it really takes to build global companies from Lithuania.

​Come for the investor perspective. Stay for the cocktails and the real talk. 🍸

[Vilnius Founders @VilniusFounders]

🚀 Vilnius Founders 🍸 From Seed to Scale: Donatas Keras (Practica Capital) & Justinas Lasevicius (TransferGo) https://t.co/K3QUdExiPq

What does it look like when an early-stage VC backs a startup early — and that company goes on to become one of Lithuania’s biggest global fintech success stories?

​This time at Vilnius Founders, we’re bringing together both sides of that story:

​Donatas Keras — Founding Partner at Practica Capital
Justinas Lasevicius — Co-founder of TransferGo
​What makes this event especially interesting is that Practica Capital was one of TransferGo’s earliest investors, backing the company at the seed stage in 2012. So this is not just a VC talk and a founder talk — it’s a chance to hear both the investor and founder/operator perspectives on what it takes to go from early conviction to real scale.

​Donatas Keras, Founding Partner at Practica Capital

​We’ll talk with Donatas about what top VCs actually look for at pre-seed, seed, and Series A, what founders still get wrong when raising, and what separates startups that raise once from those that keep compounding. Donatas has been involved in 65+ venture deals, backing companies such as Atrandi, Biomatter, Eneba, and Spike.

​About Practica Capital

​Practica Capital is an early-stage venture capital firm backing Baltic founders at seed, selected pre-seed, and Series A stages. The firm invests in technology-driven companies, focusing on SaaS, AI, fintech, marketplaces, and deep tech, and works closely with founders to support long-term growth. Practica Capital manages over €130M in assets across four funds and has made more than 70 investments to date, including PVcase, TransferGo, Ovoko, Atrandi Biosciences, Montonio, Handwave, Sintra, and others.

​Justinas Lasevicius, Co-founder of TransferGo

​Then we’ll sit down with Justinas Lasevicius, who co-founded TransferGo in 2012 and helped scale it into a global fintech serving 160 countries and 9M+ registered customers, with 400+ employees across hubs including London and Vilnius. Over the years, Justinas has held key leadership roles across finance, operations, and product, including CFO, COO, and interim CPO. He is also an Endeavor Entrepreneur.

[Vilnius Founders @VilniusFounders]

Salesforge #startup - from 0 to over $3m ARR in less than 1 year https://t.co/M6E9d5gJR5 via @YouTube

[Vilnius Founders @VilniusFounders]

@prince_of_web3 Hello

[Vilnius Founders @VilniusFounders]

Next 🚀 Vilnius Founders 🍸 events: https://t.co/KwHmbD8xP9

Q&A with Andrius Bičeika, who has spent a decade at #Revolut. ​Andrius played a key role in #scaling the company across Europe and beyond. Today, he is a Non-Executive Director at Revolut Holdings Europe, overseeing Revolut’s #banking, securities, and insurance businesses serving 30+ million retail and 500k+ business customers across the EEA.

​🎙️ In the full Q&A with Andrius [YOUTUBE LINK IN BIO]
​- What early-stage founders should focus on in the first 12–24 months
​- How Revolut scaled country by country — and what startups underestimate
- ​Building teams, culture, and leadership during hypergrowth
​- Partnerships and business development: when they help and when they don’t
​- Lessons from regulated markets that apply even outside fintech
​- How Lithuania can produce more globally competitive companies

About Andrius Bičeika, NED at Revolut, https://t.co/0NW2N290Ch

​Andrius Bičeika is a senior business leader and board member with deep experience in global expansion, fintech, and high-growth organizations. He is a Non-Executive Director at Revolut Holdings Europe and a former Deputy CEO & Board Member of Revolut Bank (EEA). Beyond Revolut, Andrius has held leadership roles at TransferGo, CityBee, Mobassurance, and DevMotion, and currently serves as Chairman of the Board at https://t.co/0NW2N290Ch.

​About 🚀 Vilnius Founders 🍸

​Vilnius Founders is a casual, founder-driven meetup series bringing together #startup builders, operators, and investors over drinks. No slides. No suits. Just honest conversations about what it really takes to build global companies from Lithuania.

​Come for the #fintech insights. Stay for the cocktails and the real talk. 🍸

Next 🚀 Vilnius Founders 🍸 events: https://t.co/KwHmbD8xP9

[Vilnius Founders @VilniusFounders]

@lunarfq Hey

[Vilnius Founders @VilniusFounders]

Former #Revolut Deputy CEO & Board Member - What it was like working in early Revolut: https://t.co/7OwSYUP6rK via @YouTube

[Vilnius Founders @VilniusFounders]

🚀 Vilnius Founders 🍸 Q&A with Andra Bagdonaitė — Partner & Co-Founder at FIRSTPICK, a first-check #VC fund backing #Baltic #founders at inception and pre-seed, typically investing €100k–€500k with a new, recently announced 25M EUR fund.

FIRSTPICK is a first-check #VC fund backing top Baltic founders at the inception and #preseed. They’re a generalist early-stage fund with a strong focus on #AI, #SaaS, and #Fintech, writing first checks of €100K–€500K and backing our founders with follow-on capital up to €1M. In addition to capital, portfolio companies get access to a community of 250+ founders, experienced operators, and practical early-stage know-how.
stages

What we cover with Andra:
* What #investors actually look for at idea, pre-seed, and seed
* What makes a #founder and #startup feel fundable early
* Common mistakes Baltic founders make before fundraising
* How to think about traction, timing, and investor fit
* What matters more in the beginning: team, market, product, or momentum

About Andra

Andra Bagdonaitė is a Partner and Co-Founder at FIRSTPICK, a first-check VC fund that backs top Baltic founders at the inception and pre-seed stages. With 7 years of VC experience, she has backed 90+ startups, focusing on AI, SaaS, and fintech. Before launching FIRSTPICK in 2022, she led investments at Startup Wise Guys, one of Europe’s best-known accelerators.

About 🚀 Vilnius Founders 🍸

Founder-driven meetups for builders and operators in Lithuania. No slides. No suits. Honest conversations, practical takeaways, and focused networking.

[Vilnius Founders @VilniusFounders]

🚀 Vilnius Founders 🍸 Q&A with Andrius Minkevičius with x3 prev. #startup #exits, now Co-Founder & #CTO at Copla, a regtech company building real-time compliance infrastructure for regulated financial services. Copla recently raised a €6M Series A to expand its product and team, and drive international growth.

What we cover with Andrius
Lessons from building startups in fintech, infrastructure, and regulated environments
What early-stage founders get wrong when building products for serious industries
How to validate whether a painful workflow is big enough to become a company
Building with limited resources while regulation, customer demands, and product scope keep expanding
What Andrius learned from Paysolut, startup exits, and now scaling Copla after its Series A

Andrius Minkevičius, Co-Founder & #CTO, Copla

Andrius Minkevičius is a serial entrepreneur and technology leader with deep experience in product architecture, IT security, and startup building. He is currently Co-Founder & CTO at Copla, a regtech company developing real-time compliance infrastructure for regulated financial services. Before Copla, Andrius co-founded Paysolut, a core banking platform acquired by SumUp, and has also founded and advised multiple technology ventures across fintech and software. He was also a Co-founder and CTO at Drivitty (contactless refueling payments) and a Founder at IT Girnos (Dev House).

About 🚀 #VilniusFounders #vilniusfounders #LTstartups

#Founder-driven meetups for builders and operators in #Vilnius #Lithuania. No slides. No suits. Honest conversations, practical takeaways, and focused networking.

[Vilnius Founders @VilniusFounders]

Hope everyone understood that yesterday was Aprils Fools day and yesterday’s announcements were a joke 🙂 Whats happening for sure - see you tonight at 🚀 Vilnius Founders 🍸 Q&A with Andra [FIRSTPICK] and Andrius [Copla]! RSVP: https://t.co/yLzqJ1uSQs

[Vilnius Founders @VilniusFounders]

At tomorrow’s Vilnius Founders event we will have some big news - announcing a new €120M VC Fund to attract #US founders to the #Baltics. Americans are leaving US in record numbers and we need to capture this unique opportunity.

See you tomorrow! RSVP: https://t.co/MaBcbGaW3e

[Vilnius Founders @VilniusFounders]

https://t.co/3m5AZQfXoo