About Latvian Startup Awards
The Latvian Startup Awards celebrate the standout achievements, breakthroughs, and victories of the startup world. It’s a salute to their relentless drive and unshakable spirit.
This initiative is fully powered by the non-government, non-profit Latvian Startup Association, Startin.LV. As the startup community’s voice, they ensure the Awards remain independent and community-focused.
Latvian Startup Awards 2024 are brought to life with the support of the Ministry of Economics and the Riga Investment and Tourism Agency.
Categories
We have carefully curated a range of categories to ensure that every startup in Latvia can easily find their niche. There is also a dedicated category for the founders themselves. Take a look and discover where you belong or show your support to others!
If you can’t find one that fits, contact startupawards@startin.lv – we’re here to help!
BREAKTHROUGH
Be it an exit, an investment, or whatever else that takes our breath away, this startup has recently experienced something truly BIG. Extraordinary even. And we want to celebrate this quantum leap with them.
Evaluation criteria:
- major investment, exit or similar kind of magic in 2023/2024
- magnitude of potential impact of this news on the startup further development
- presence of this news in the local and foreign media
NEWCOMER
New ideas are born every year, quiet and out of sight at first. And then one sunny day, they appeared out of thin air, took our ecosystem by storm and left us in awe with their startup ambition, vision and early-stage traction.
Evaluation criteria:
- registration year 2022-2024
- early traction measured by user and or revenue growth or/and investment
- ambition (e.g. impressive deals, unorthodox development path)
SCALEUP
A startup with a solid product and excellent traction and growth metrics. Someone we admire for being a great team with razor-sharp focus and undeniable ability to achieve set targets. We believe in them. A true unicorn material.
Evaluation criteria:
- revenue over 5 million eur in 2023 in Latvia
- revenue growth % over 2021-2023
- global markets and expansion
IMPACT
Whether saving humans or saving the planet (even if from humans), this startup is going big in making this world better, greener and healthier. We praise them for their purpose-driven approach and ability to make a difference.
Evaluation criteria:
- solving one of the SDGs
- estimated scale of potential impact
- progress in reaching objectives in 2023
HARDWARE
A startup whose patience and commitment to the world of tangible matter has paid off. They went through nine circles of physical prototyping and delivered a viable product which makes their clients fall head over heels.
Evaluation criteria:
- Significant hardware component
- Revenue growth % over 2021-2023
- IP
DIGITAL
A startup with an excellent digital product which is out there conquering hearts and wallets. Not only does it solve an important problem which is still poorly addressed in the market, but it also makes the competitors sweat. Think of market disruptors.
Evaluation criteria:
- revenue growth % over 2021-2023
- superiority versus competitors
- originality of solution
FOUNDER-HERO
This person rocks. Not only do they lift their own startup to great heights, but they also empower our whole startup community by being available, sharing their wisdom and experiences, and nurturing the give-back mentality. They command respect.
Evaluation criteria:
- personal impact on the ecosystem (e.g. in terms of time, initiative, money)
- team culture and people management in their own startup
COMMUNITY CHOICE
A startup which – whatever the reason – inspires you. Perhaps, it’s their work ethics and team culture that resonates with you? Or maybe it’s the can-do mentality and bravery to go where no one else is headed to? This category is a carte blanche – so use this opportunity to voice your choice!
Timeline
24 SEP – 24 OCT
Applications for the Latvian Startup Awards are open! Anyone in the startup world can throw their hat in the ring or nominate another stellar startup or founder across multiple categories.
04 NOV – 08 NOV
We’ll sift through the nominees and reach out if any details are missing. All categories, except for Community Choice, will be evaluated by our expert Jury to shortlist the top contenders.
11 NOV – 29 NOV
The finalists for each category (except Community Choice) will be revealed. Public voting kicks off for Community Choice, so rally behind the startup that sparks your inspiration and cast your vote.
06 DEC
The grand winners will be announced in a celebratory event during the Latvian Startup Awards 2024. Get ready to cheer on the best of the best