Vilnius TechFusion Startup Awards

For the fifth consecutive year, the public institution Go Vilnius and its partners hosted one of the most important events for the local startup ecosystem – the Vilnius TechFusion Startup Awards 2023. Dedicated entirely to the startup community, the event is proudly organized under the Vilnius TechFusion brand, in collaboration with the association Unicorns Lithuania, which unites Lithuanian startups, as well as the formidable Sunrise Tech Park, one of Lithuania’s premier science and technology hubs. The awards honour startups that bring the highest value, while also expressing gratitude to them for championing Vilnius and contributing to Lithuania’s economic growth. Every candidate went through a selection process and was then assessed by a specialized jury consisting of experts from startup support organizations and representatives of businesses that collaborate with startups.

Startup Awards regulations*
*Regulations are written in Lithuanian

2023 Startup Awards nominations:

1. Startup of the Year: The primary award, with the winner chosen by Startup ecosystem leaders, given to the most exceptional and deserving Startup.

Five awards determined by a jury of experts:

2. Newcomer of the Year: The award celebrating the most notable foreign startup that moved part of its operations to Vilnius. This award serves as motivation for international companies to take notice of Vilnius. For the recipients, it symbolizes gratitude for successfully building a business and creating new job opportunities within the city.

3. Rising Star: This award is given to early-stage startups based in Vilnius. It recognizes the uniqueness of a startup, which is assessed through rapid growth, significant development and the potential to attract investments, as well as the potential number of jobs it creates. The goal of this award is to identify and promote companies that, while not widely recognized, are actively contributing to the city’s prosperity.

4. Highlight of the Year: This award recognizes an accomplishment that enhances the Lithuanian startup ecosystem and inspires us to work collectively towards the shared aspiration of becoming the premier destination for nurturing unicorns. It represents a moment like no other that brought value to the entire startup ecosystem. This nomination serves to honour exceptional achievements.

5. Ecosystem Hero: This award is designed for startups, individuals or organizations that have effectively enhanced communication within the community and engaged its members in pursuing shared objectives. It aims to promote and support community-focused initiatives.

6. Tech for Good: This award highlights the flagships in cleantech – startups dedicated to both innovation and environmental preservation. We celebrate those who harness technology to create a positive environmental impact, promote sustainability and push the boundaries of clean innovation. In light of the crucial target to achieve zero emissions by 2050, the Tech for Good Award is more than just recognition – it serves as a testament to technology’s potential to steer Lithuania towards a cleaner, more sustainable future.

The winner of this award is determined through public voting on the information partner’s channel:

7. Public’s Favourite: The award is dedicated to the most renowned, cherished and beloved startups in our society. The winner is determined through online voting on public news portals or social media platforms from the pool of nominated startups. This category aims to elevate the visibility of startups esteemed not just by members of the startup ecosystem or experts, but also by the general public.

Winners of 2023 Awards

Startup of the Year

PVcase

PVcase won the main Startup of the Year Award. The startup develops cutting-edge digital solar park design tools. PVcase's technology solutions are used by customers in more than 60 countries worldwide.

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Ecosystem Hero

Tomas Okman & Eimantas Sabaliauskas

Tomas Okman and Eimantas Sabaliauskas were honored with the Ecosystem Hero Award. They are co-founders of Nord Security, a cyber security company. The company develops market-leading cybersecurity solutions for both consumers and businesses. They also founded the technology accelerator Tesonet.

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  • Darius Žakaitis
  • Lietuvos Junior Achievement
  • Tomas Okman & Eimantas Sabaliauskas
  • Vladas Lašas
  • Women Go Tech
Startuolių apdovanojimai
Newcomer of the Year

Plug and Play

This year's Newcomer of the Year award went to Plug and Play. It is a leading innovation platform connecting start-ups, corporations, venture capital firms, universities, and government agencies. It offers corporate innovation programmes and support at all stages of the innovation journey - from education to implementation.

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Startuolių apdovanojimai
Tech for Good

PVcase

This year's Tech for Good awardee is PVcase. It was the only startup with two Awards this year!

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  • Dancer Bus
  • Inbalance Grid
  • Inion
  • PVcase
  • Viezo
Startuolių apdovanojimai
Rising Star

Ovoko

This year's Rising Star Award went to Ovoko, a fast-growing start-up operating in Lithuania under the RRR.lt name. The company runs one of the largest e-commerce platforms for used car parts in Western and Northern Europe.

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Startuolių apdovanojimai
Public’s Favourite

RatePunk

RatePunk was named the Public's Favourite. It is a free app & browser extension that saves travelers' money on hotels by getting around all the pricing hacks booking websites use. Price comparison across all booking websites, on different devices, and in different countries, price tracking, rebooking, and seven other hacks applied - all in one.

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Startuolių apdovanojimai
Highlight of the Year

Cyber City opening

The Highlight of the Year award went to the opening of Cyber City. It is a city within a city, the largest technology community centre in the capital, with optimal conditions for employee well-being and productivity, continuous improvement, innovation, aesthetics, and sustainability at its core. One of the main objectives of this tech city is to catalyse and contribute to the renaissance of the New Town.

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  • Cyber City opening
  • The first national IT exam in Lithuania
  • Direct flight to Web Summit
  • The Lithuanian startup ecosystem
  • Tech Zity Vilnius project

Previous Year's Winners

2022 yr.
  • Startup of the Year - OmnisendMore
  • Ecosystem Hero - Mantas Mikuckas (Vinted)More
  • Newcomer of the Year - Flo HealthMore
  • Best Emerging Tech - LitilitMore
  • Rising Star - PVcaseMore
  • Public‘s Favourite - Walk15More
2021 yr.
  • Relocation of the Year - WargamingMore
  • Rising Star - OndatoMore
  • Best Emerging Tech - Biomatter DesignsMore
  • Ecosystem Hero - Unicorns LithuaniaMore
  • Public‘s Favourite - OndatoMore
  • Startup of the Year - TansferGoMore
2020 yr.
  • Relocation of the Year - MambuMore
  • Newcomer of the Year - LigenceMore
  • Community Influencer of the Year - TesonetMore
  • Best COVID-19 Response - MindleticMore
  • Emerging Technology Startup of the Year - PixeviaMore
  • Startup of the Year - QoorioMore
2019 yr.