Lithuania is setting up its first national-scale startup accelerator, bringing together founders, investors, mentors and international partners in an effort to build more globally competitive technology companies.The programme will support both existing startups and aspiring entrepreneurs, from the earliest stages of business development through to international expansion, the Economy and Innovation Ministry said.
Planned activities include hackathons, mentoring programmes and access to laboratories, technology tools and international expert networks. The initiative will also target school and university students, aiming to identify entrepreneurial talent earlier and encourage more young people to pursue careers in technology and entrepreneurship.
Founders and executives who have helped build and scale successful Lithuanian startups and unicorns are expected to play a central role, sharing practical experience with the next generation of entrepreneurs.
“Lithuania has already shown that it can build world-class technology companies. The next step is to create a system that helps produce more of them,” Economy and Innovation Minister Edvinas Grikšas said.
The accelerator will be operated by a public-sector organisation selected through an open competition and working with a consortium of business and startup ecosystem partners with experience in building and scaling technology companies.
The ministry plans to select the programme operator in the third quarter of 2026.
The government expects the initiative to help increase the number of high-growth technology companies, attract more investment and strengthen Vilnius’ position as a regional startup hub.
