Here’s our curated list of the most promising Baltic startups in 2025, covering high-growth teams from Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, and reflecting the latest Baltic startup trends. The Baltic startup ecosystem has matured far beyond early-stage app development. Today, founders in the region are building solutions in AI, deeptech, defencetech, and climatetech, many with global potential.
To build this list, we asked top VCs in the region, including BADideas.fund, Change Ventures, Iron Wolf Capital, Karma Ventures, NGL VC, Outlast Fund, Practica Capital, Specialist VC, Superhero Capital, Trind VC and Vendep Capital to nominate the most promising startups outside of their own portfolios.
These are some of the most promising VC-backed startups in the Baltics, nominated by investors who see the future of the Baltic startup ecosystem first-hand.
🇱🇹 Top Lithuanian Startups to Watch in 2025
The Lithuanian startup ecosystem in 2025 shows strong growth in AI, deeptech and fintech. The VC-nominated list includes teams led by experienced second-time founders, like Nexos AI and CyberUpgrade, alongside fresh success stories such as Sintra AI. Built by a young and ambitious team that raised a €17M seed round, Sintra AI represents the new generation of Lithuanian entrepreneurs pushing the ecosystem into its next chapter.
- Nexos AI – An all-in-one AI platform designed to help enterprises streamline the adoption and management of large language models. Nexos replaces scattered AI tools with a centralised platform – for full AI usage control, visibility, and data leak prevention. (AI)
- Sintra AI – World’s first AI digital assistants, personalised for small businesses. From social media, sales, recruiting, and personal guidance, they can complete tasks 24/7 and on demand, with integrations to the most common platforms. (AI)
- InSoil – A climate finance company accelerating the transition to regenerative agriculture across Europe. With a strong emphasis on soil health and carbon storing, InSoil supports farmers through medium-term financing, expert agrotechnical guidance, and advanced soil and emissions monitoring technologies. (Fintech/Climatetech)
- Turing College – An online school for data and tech careers. (Edtech)
- Biomatter – Synthetic biology company that creates new proteins for health and sustainable manufacturing applications. The company has developed the Intelligent Architecture™ platform that addresses limitations of current engineering approaches to unlock completely new horizons for protein design and development. (Biotech)
- CyberUpgrade – Offers an advanced cybersecurity compliance platform for financial institutions, focusing on DORA while also supporting a range of other industry frameworks. The platform simplifies compliance with predefined and customisable workflows that eliminate manual tasks. (Cybersecurity)
- Astrolight – Develops advanced laser communication systems that bridge the connectivity gap between space and Earth, delivering energy-efficient optical solutions for defence and commercial applications. (Spacetech)
- Axiology – DLT trading and settlement system for regulated tokenised securities, poised to disrupt the EU fixed-income markets. (Fintech/Capital Markets)
- Sort A Brick – Brings unused LEGO bricks back to life by using AI-powered automated sorting to make brick reuse affordable, sustainable, and fun. They turn mixed brick collections into organised, ready-to-play sets. (AI)
- UDS – Advanced loitering munitions and ISTAR platforms, along with swarm command, control, and analysis software designed for fast-paced operations and rapid battlefield readiness, seamlessly integrated into a complete kill-chain ecosystem. (Defencetech)
Andra Bagdonaitė
“The Baltic startup ecosystem is entering a new chapter, defined by global ambition and exceptional talent. Lithuania stands out as the fastest-growing ecosystem in CEE, reaching a €16B valuation after 39x growth in a decade and raising €167.7M in H1 2025, which is 5x more than last year. Larger rounds, breakout AI startups, and renewed VC activity show that Lithuania is entering a stage where success compounds and fuels further growth. The 30 VC-recommended startups highlighted here demonstrate the depth and diversity emerging from our region.” – Andra Bagdonaitė, Partner at FIRSTPICK
🇱🇻 Top Latvian Startups to Watch in 2025
The Latvian startup scene is rapidly growing, especially in deeptech, defence, and AI. Startup funding surged by 623% year-on-year, jumping from €9.7M in H1 2024 to €70.1M in H1 2025. Among the VC-nominated standouts are cutting-edge solutions like Trace.Space and Handwave, as well as SUBMerge Baltic, the winner of TechChill’s 2024 Fifty Founders Battle.
- Trace.Space – AI-first system of creation for complex hardware specifications that cuts the cost of R&D in half. It delivers a simple UI with robust traceability, time-based & custom versioning, item level attributes, and flexibility to adapt to workflows. (Deeptech)
- Handwave – A biometric payments company that enables people to pay, verify their age, and collect loyalty rewards with a simple palm scan, delivering faster, safer, and more convenient checkout experiences for both customers and merchants. (Fintech)
- Origin Robotics – A defence technology company specialising in cost-efficient unmanned aerial systems and robotics, developing advanced drone solutions to strengthen security and defence capabilities for Europe and NATO allies. (Defencetech)
- Supliful – On-demand white-labeling platform for supplements and CPG brands. (Marketplace)
- Swotzy – Provides a simplified shipping tool to help eCommerce merchants optimise their last-mile operations by always using the best-fit carrier and saving operational costs. (Logistics)
- RivalSense – An AI-powered competitive intelligence platform that monitors companies across cyber, AI, hardware, biotech, enterprise software, and other technical industries, curating insights from 80+ public sources. (AI)
- SUBMerge Baltic – Working on dual-use autonomous underwater drones (AUVs) for water safety and security. (Defencetech)
- Convershake – Provides an AI-powered unified knowledge platform for contact centers. (SaaS)
- TheoGrowth – A plug-and-play platform that transforms scattered business knowledge into an AI-friendly format, designed specifically for SMB marketers and marketing consultants, enabling them to make any AI assistant understand their unique business. (AI)
- Viangoo – A tech company making the cargo delivery process to business construction sites more convenient and transparent. (Logistics)
Marija Rucevska
“A lot is happening in the Latvian startup ecosystem right now and plenty more under the hood that can’t be shared just yet. H1 2025 funding already hit €70.1M (623% YoY and surpassing all of 2024) and on the ground, you can sense the momentum. Startup House Riga expanding, new teams emerging from the edges. Exciting times ahead!” – Marija Rucevska, Partner at Outlast Fund
🇪🇪 Top Estonian Startups to Watch in 2025
In H1 2025, Estonian startups raised €213.3M, down from €292M in H1 2024, yet still the highest in the Baltics. VC-nominated startups highlight the ecosystem’s diversity, spanning healthcare, energy, deeptech, and SaaS. Standouts include companies that recently closed seed rounds: Soldera which raised €2.5M, and Vocal Image which secured $3.6M.
- Gridraven – An energy-tech company that uses dynamic line rating software and precision weather forecasting to boost power grid capacity by up to 30%, enabling faster growth in data centers, renewables, and electrification without building new power lines. (Energytech)
- Vocal Image – An AI-powered communication coach that helps users unlock their full speaking potential through guided voice lessons, personalized AI feedback, and interactive vocal challenges. (Edtech)
- Soldera – Uses AI to make managing and selling Guarantees of Origin (GOs) easier and faster by bundling renewable energy supply and offering smart sales strategies. (Energytech)
- Creem – helps SaaS companies to boost their revenue through integrated embedded finance. (Fintech)
- Patchstack – helps web developers to easily secure web apps from third-party component vulnerabilities. (SaaS)
- Mifundo – A data solution that enables cross-border lending for people and banks in Europe. (Fintech)
- Qminder – An offline CRM for in-person service, an all-in-one hub for walk-ins, appointments, and queue management. (SaaS)
- ÄIO – Uses precision fermentation to upcycle wood and food industry side-streams into sustainable microbial oils, providing climate-friendly alternatives to palm, coconut, and animal fats for food, feed, cosmetics, and green chemistry. (Deeptech)
- DrHouse – Provides on-demand online doctor visits and medication delivery. (Healthtech)
- Lutso – A non‑wearable home device that uses machine learning to learn an older adult’s daily routines. It flags falls and subtle health shifts early, sending clear alerts to family and care teams. (Healthtech)
Tim Vaino
“A little rivalry is the best fuel for progress. The Baltics are a perfect example, Lithuania, Estonia, and now also Latvia all push each other forward. Competition here doesn’t divide us, it pushes us and raises the overall quality of the companies being built. It means founders move faster, investors think bigger, and the ecosystem as a whole benefits. I’m convinced that in the coming years we’ll see even more teams growing, scaling, and delivering globally, from Estonia and the rest of Baltics.” – Tim Vaino, Investment Manager at Practica Capital
🔍 Key Trends in the Baltic Startup Ecosystem 2025
The startups featured in this list show how the Baltic startup ecosystem is evolving in 2025. Across Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, founders are building beyond traditional SaaS to solve deeper, more complex problems using advanced technologies.
AI Is Embedded Across Sectors
In 2024, 37% of all global VC funding went to AI companies, up more than sevenfold compared to a decade earlier. In 2025, this number is expected to rise even further, as AI becomes one of the biggest drivers of innovation this decade. The rise of trends like vibe-building and AI-native tooling means more and more founders across the Baltics are putting AI at the core of what they build.
It is no surprise that nearly every startup on this list, and most new ones being built, use AI in some part of their product or process. The selected AI startups to watch show where VCs are placing their bets and what kind of AI-powered solutions they believe have the most potential.
Defence and Cybersecurity Startups on the Rise
Defence tech and cybersecurity are becoming a major priority in the region, as global tensions and regulatory shifts push resilience to the forefront. Across the Baltics, founders are responding to growing demand for high-trust, security-focused products by building tools that protect digital systems and national infrastructure, supported by NATO’s commitment to raise defence spending to 5% of GDP by 2035 and the EU’s 30% defence budget increase since 2021.
Purpose-Driven and Sustainable Business Models
In the Baltics, sustainability is no longer just a nice-to-have. It is becoming a strategic foundation for how startups operate and grow. Investors and founders alike are shifting focus toward measurable environmental impact, embedding climate-conscious thinking into everything from agriculture to supply chain innovation. This reflects a broader trend where Baltic founders are aligning startup innovation with the world’s most urgent climate and environmental challenges.
This article wouldn’t be possible without the contributions of BADideas.fund, Change Ventures, Iron Wolf Capital, Karma Ventures, NGL VC, Outlast Fund, Practica Capital, Specialist VC, Superhero Capital, Trind VC, Vendep Capital. Thank you for sharing your insights and helping us spotlight the region’s promising startups.
👉 FIRSTPICK invests in pre-seed and seed-stage startups across Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. If you’re currently fundraising or about to start, check out our website or apply here.