In Estonia, the largest pitching competition in the Baltic and Northern European countries with an investment fund of 1 million euros will take place. Estonian investors invite entrepreneurs from Ukraine to participate.
The pitching competition will be held as part of the largest technology and startup entrepreneurship conference in the Baltic countries, Latitude59. The 1 million euro investment will be made by the Estonian business angel network EstBAN and the investment fund Specialist VC. Last year, three winners were announced on the main stage of Latitude59, and the investment amount exceeded the announced 1 million euros, reaching a record 1.25 million euros.
The main organizer of Latitude59, Liisi Org, noted that for investors, Latitude59 is an exceptional opportunity to analyze numerous startups from Estonia and Europe in a very short time.
"Latitude59 is more than just a conference; we bring together startup communities in Europe and around the world. Therefore, this year EstBAN and Specialist VC can be confident that they will have plenty of startups to bet on," said Liisi Org.
Last year, over 400 startups went through the selection process at Latitude59. This year, the pitching competition investors are looking for original and competitive ideas, as well as teams that can demonstrate tangible results. The investment fund Specialist VC aims to attract new entrepreneurs to the region, including those from Ukraine.
"We do not limit the selection to any particular sphere, but for winning, the presence of a technological component and a scalable business model are crucial. Through the international competition in collaboration with Latitude59, we hope to attract startups from the entire region, especially from Ukraine," explained Anton, a partner at Specialist VC.
Martin Goroshko, a leading investor at EstBAN, noted that in addition to a strong team and significant market potential, preference is given to startups whose product is difficult to replicate.
"Originality creates value, the production of which in the highly competitive world of startups is becoming increasingly challenging," said Martin Goroshko.
"We are looking for those who operate in a growing market, and whose competitive advantages are becoming more evident—either due to unique market opportunities, technologies, or the team's ability to better understand the customer," described Heidi Kako, one of the leading investors at EstBAN, outlining the expectations of Estonian investors.
