With over a decade of experience working alongside day -1 founders, Andra has built her career across consulting, acceleration, and venture capital. She began with entrepreneurship and coding education before moving into management consulting at Civitta. Later, she was an Investment Manager at Startup Wise Guys, one of Europe’s leading accelerators, where she worked hands-on with more than 50 early-stage startups. Today, as General Partner at FIRSTPICK, she leads investments, brand and LP engagement, while working side-by-side with founders at the earliest stages — offering honest feedback, quick decisions, and steady support.
Why FIRSTPICK?
FIRSTPICK is a first-check VC fund backing Baltic founders at inception and pre-seed
01.
We focus on inception & pre-seed
02.
We are the fastest fund in the Baltics
03.
We are in it for the long run
This is how we roll
While founders train for the marathon, we are like coaches running by their side and supporting them from the idea to the growth stage.
Our portfolio companies gain access to a platform of a 250+ founder community, experienced operators, and battle-tested early-stage know-how.
We are investing in
AI
first
software
companies
and other verticals
Wherever we go, we fill the place with contagious energy. The wins of our portfolio startups recharge us - as our community grows, we become collectively stronger.
Our portfolio consists of:
Startups:
43
Founders:
113
FIRSTPICKers
FIRSTPICKer /fɜːstpɪkər/ n. A founder, operator, or investor who has joined the FIRSTPICK community. Once a FIRSTPICKer, always a FIRSTPICKer.
Team
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Jonė VaitulevičiūtėGeneral PartnerJonė started her career at IBM to see what tech dinosaurs look like and never wanted to go back to the life of a global corporation. So she dived right into advising startups at Civitta and Startup Division, and later — managing the first VC fund under Startup Wise Guys flagship. 50 investments later, FIRSTPICK was born. Jonė knows it all about fundraising, strategy, and metrics, and is passionate about marketplaces, wellness tech, and fintech.
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Dmitrij SosunovManaging PartnerDmitrij‘s track record includes several of his own businesses — some failed, some exited. His own experience led to a management consulting career where he learned everything about hands-on work, analytical thinking, project management, business development, coaching, leadership, and team management. Finally, Dmitrij entered the VC world to manage his first fund together with Jonė — and now, continuing this journey at FIRSTPICK, he shares all of the product-market fit, sales, and strategy know-how with portfolio startups.
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Marijus AndrijauskasGeneral PartnerWith 15 years of international experience in company management, strategy, sales, marketing, business development, and operations for software markets and technologies, Marijus tried both consultant and founder‘s shoes — successfully launching a tech startup in the US and an award-winning SaaS company, Teamgate. After moving to the VC side, he managed a 200+ startup portfolio at the fastest-growing startup accelerator in the CEE. His work at FIRSTPICK involves mentoring startups in the areas of strategy, goals, investor decks, fundraising, and business plans.
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Nikodemas ValiušaitisFinance and Compliance AssociateNikodemas holds Economics degrees from Vilnius University and Ryukoku University in Japan. Before joining FIRSTPICK he worked in tech sales, financial modelling, and product implementation, gaining a clear view of how finance meets technology in practice. At FIRSTPICK, he supports legal and fund operations while diving deeper into startup ecosystems, combining an analytical mindset with a strong interest in venture finance and market. He brings sharp attention to detail and a calm approach to the often messy early stages of startup life. Ask him if your cap table is cooked, or how to stay Zen when budgets get tight.
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Rūta SičiūnaitėInvestment AnalystBefore joining FIRSTPICK, Rūta built her foundation in consulting and tech through strategy, finance, and market analysis work. She spent time at Civitta and PwC before moving to a software startup, where she focused on strategic planning, go-to-market strategy, and finance. That’s where she developed her knack for turning messy, unclear situations into structured, actionable plans. At FIRSTPICK, Rūta finds the most promising founders and ideas, then guides them from that very first call all the way to an investment decision. She works with founders and partners to turn early gut feelings into solid, well-researched investment cases that actually make sense.
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Tadas GudauskasHead of PlatformStill in his first months at university, Tadas started at Invest Lithuania before heading to the Lithuanian Embassy in India, where he helped shape Lithuania’s value proposition in Bangalore. That early exposure to how countries and companies compete for talent and capital pulled him toward venture. At FIRSTPICK, he leads the platform, working closely with founders from day one and making sure the network, knowledge, and support around them is actually useful.
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Simona RybakovaitėHead of Content & BrandShe began her career in management consulting, working closely with accelerator programs and early-stage startups, contributing to the growth of the startup ecosystem from within. That experience gave her a front-row seat to how founders build and scale companies. She later transitioned into digital marketing, specialising in social media across several agencies, where she developed a strong command of positioning, audience psychology, and growth. The combination gave her the best of both worlds: a deep understanding of startup dynamics and the ability to turn complexity into clarity and visibility. Today, as Head of Content & Brand at FIRSTPICK, she applies this dual perspective to shape how the fund is positioned across the Baltic ecosystem, strengthening its voice, credibility, and influence within the VC and founder community.