To celebrate its 15th anniversary, the leading Baltic startup and technology conference TechChill has unveiled its largest-ever prize pool for the TechChill Founders Battle pitch competition – €1 million. Startups from across Europe that qualify for the Founders Battle finals will compete for the prize pool. Additionally, a €10,000 “no-strings-attached” cash prize will be awarded to one startup. Startups can apply until February 1st, 2026.
The €1 million TechChill startup prize package offers top startups the opportunity to secure investment deals with several Latvia-based VCs, including BADideas.fund, Outlast Fund, and Buldit 5G Fund, as well as the Latvian Business Angel Network. Two international funds, PurposeTech VC and FIRSTPICK VC, will also be offering investment opportunities. Additionally, the annual no-strings-attached €10K cash prize will be provided by eazyBI, a business intelligence and data visualisation software company, known for its powerful reporting and analytics tool.
“Fifteen years ago, eazyBI started just like most startups and participants of this competition. We want and are able to support someone who is just at the beginning of this journey, which is why we have decided to award €10,000 to a TechChill startup competition winner,” explains Raimonds Simanovskis, founder and CEO of eazyBI.
The Founders Battle – TechChill’s annual pitch competition – is open to early-stage startups that have not received more than 700K EUR in equity funding, and are less than 3 years old. The battle is industry-agnostic, but this year focuses on startups from the Baltics, Nordics, and CEE.
The 15th edition of TechChill will take place in Riga from March 25 to 27, 2026. It is the largest startup event in the Baltic States. As part of the two-day conference program, 80 speakers from around the world will discuss technology trends and share entrepreneurial success stories across two parallel stages.
“15 years in, TechChill remains a cornerstone of the European startup scene. We’re more than a meeting place – we’re an inspiration for new founders. We’re also a trusted hub for investors, who are bringing significant opportunities to the top startups hitting our stage again this year,” says Annija Mežgaile, CEO of TechChill.
In 2026, TechChill’s agenda will focus on scaling and helping founders grow beyond their home markets. The topics covered will blend founder inspiration stories and practical advice with the most crucial industry verticals, including resilience & defense, AI & big data, and fintech & venture capital. The event is expected to gather 2,300 entrepreneurs, 300+ startups, 250+ investors, as well as tech experts and international media. The first day will feature numerous free events held at various locations across Riga.
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.
source: TechChill
