“The startup market continues to grow actively. In the near future, it will not only be catalysed by the funding instruments and acceleration programmes developed, but we will also take several important steps: we will cut red tape, increase the globalisation of startups, and actively work on raising investment. Therefore, I’m very pleased that Karolina, who already has experience in both internationalisation and investment raising, will take up the position of Head of Startup Lithuania. She also knows the startup ecosystem well, is aware of their expectations, and comes to her new position with a clear vision of how she can emphasise the value created by Startup Lithuania and increase the competitiveness of Lithuanian startups,” says Romualda Stragienė, Director of the Innovation Agency.
Urbonaitė gained her experience working at the Innovation Agency and later moved to Plug and Play in Silicon Valley. There, she worked with all startup life-cycle stages and with the country’s largest corporations such as Nike, Colgate, IGT and others.
The Innovation Agency together with Plug and Play, an accelerator from the USA, is currently implementing a three-year programme, during which the renowned Silicon Valley company plans to grow as many as 60 innovative businesses in Lithuania, to transfer expertise to the country’s start-ups, and to help them establish contacts with foreign investors and large corporations. This year will also see the launch of specialised accelerators for Lithuanian start-ups in GameTech and EdTech. In addition, the Innovation Agency invites start-ups to benefit from a grant of EUR 150,000 to fund travel to international technology events.
In total, more than EUR 20 million have been allocated to the Innovation Agency to encourage the startup ecosystem from The Recovery and Resilience Facility funding instrument.