TechChill announced on stage at its annual flagship event in Riga that it is going to Ukraine, and is inviting the innovations ecosystem to join. Entrepreneurs from Latvia will be driving 9 vehicles that will be donated, from Riga to Kyiv, followed by an ecosystem meetup in collaboration with Lift99 Kyiv Hub.
The meetup is intended to bring together the Baltic and Ukrainian startup ecosystems – to not only demonstrate support for Ukraine, but to learn from each other and share insights. 10 Ukrainian startups will present their companies, and the Latvian delegation will present funding and growth opportunities within the Latvian startup ecosystem. The meetup will be followed by networking and refreshments.
Latvia and the Baltic states have been staunch supporters of Ukraine, and TechChill is no exception. TechChill recently organized its flagship event in Riga, Latvia, which placed a major focus on DefenseTech and support for Ukraine. In addition to the on-stage content that has a major focus on DefenseTech, a delegation of startups from Ukraine was present, with 8 startups that were hand-selected by Ukraine’s Digital Ministry, and TechChill also held the Run for Ukraine, charity run to raise funds for drones.
Through bridging the Latvian and Ukrainian ecosystems, TechChill hopes to further strengthen the two ecosystems’ ties, as well as to bolster and support the Ukrainian people, economy, and startups, through soft-power measures.
“We are very impressed with the resilience not only of Ukraine, but also their startup community. We hope to continue to strengthen ties with the Baltic startup ecosystem to benefit both. By driving to Kiyiv we demonstrate unequivocally that we stand with Ukraine, and by bringing out startup ecosystems closer together, we highlight that we have much in common to fight for.” – Annija Mežgaile, TechChill CEO
The convoy is organized in collaboration with “Entrepreneurs for Peace”, a Latvian organization that organizes activities to strengthen the Ukrainian front through fundraising activities and car convoys. The organization has raised more than 10M EUR to date.
About TechChill:
TechChill is a startup community non-profit that hosts the largest tech event in Latvia. Having grown from a small grassroots movement of like-minded tech enthusiasts, TechChill celebrates the best of the Baltic startup community by annually bringing together thousands of attendees, including fastest-growing startups, most innovative corporations and speakers, investors active in the region and talented tech enthusiasts. TechChill is organized by a non-profit foundation of the same name, empowering the Baltic startup ecosystem throughout the year.
