The conference, which will be held already in Riga this week on 7 November, gathers thousands of participants from different regions of the world. Its distinguishing feature is that the conference is devoted to the latest technological developments. Therefore, prior to the conference, a special competition to seek the best startups was launched, in cooperation with TechHub Riga Academy – a Latvian platform for uniting startups. This week it was announced that over 50 applications have been received for the competition from different countries – the Baltics, Belarus, Russia, Egypt and others. The process of selecting ‘the best of the best’ startups will take place at Rietumu, the official bank of the forum, on 6 November. Its 10 leaders will be able to present themselves and participate in the preliminary discussion part of the forum. And the five best startups will be honoured on the big stage on the main day of the conference. After that, experienced mentors will choose the winner of the competition. Rietumu Bank has also established its independent prize for the competition in the fintech area.
The preliminary part of the forum – Riga Venture Summit, to which 10 finalists of the competition are invited – will take place on the same day, with the selection of the contestants. The forum, similarly to the conference, will focus on the title subject: “Money Goes Where Talent Grows”. This platform will gather business leaders, influential politicians, economists, investors, young entrepreneurs, and founders of startups. Admission is by invitation only. The goal is to investigate the role of the state and suitability of the Baltic Region for creating viable political measures when launching and developing startups, as well as to determine the economic value and the employment potential. The summit will secure a platform for seeking the best strategic methods when launching competitive startup ecosystems. There will be four sections in the agenda: Baltic Startup Ecosystem – Status Quo; Reality check – startup perspective; Success stories – what can be learned; What next? The results of the discussion part of the fourth section will be summarised by Member of the Board and Senior Vice-President of Rietumu Bank Renat Lokomet.
On Saturday, 7 November, the key event in the world of startups will take place – the “Silicon Valley Comes to the Baltics” international conference. The programme is divided into three parts, in accordance with the declared subject: Money, Growth, Talent. Conference participants will hear the summarised results of the Riga Venture Summit and will immerse themselves in the world of hi-tech and innovations along with the speakers. For this role, each year the organisers invite promising innovators, remarkable entrepreneurs, and masters of their trade. Among the keynote speakers of this year are ten world-famous speakers from the American Silicon Valley, spokespersons from the 500 Startup Club, GVA Launch Gurus, TransferWise, Ask.fm, Infogram, owners of startups from different parts of the world, and founders of their own successful projects.
More details are available on the conference website.