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18 Minutes
The atmosphere inside the venue tonight was electric—a testament to a city that has firmly established itself as the engine of the Baltic economy. The Vilnius TechFusion Awards 2025, organized by Go Vilnius in partnership with Unicorns Lithuania and Sunrise Tech Park, was not just a ceremony; it was a declaration of status.
Celebrating its seventh edition, the event brought together the architects of Lithuania’s future: the startup founders, the investors, the scientists, and the policymakers. With the announcement of a new "Unicorn" (Cast AI), a record-breaking city budget, and emotional speeches about the reality of entrepreneurship, the evening offered a comprehensive look at where Vilnius stands today and where it is heading.
This is the exclusive Smarti report from the ground floor.
City Leadership: "A Safe Harbor for Growth"
The evening began with a keynote address by Adomas Bužinskas, the Director of Administration at Vilnius City Municipality. Taking the stage with palpable energy, he welcomed international partners and nominees, immediately framing Vilnius not just as a local capital, but as a European powerhouse.
"Vilnius is one of the safest and fastest-growing cities within the whole of Europe," Bužinskas stated. He provided a staggering economic context for the international guests in attendance: "Vilnius region's economy is already as big as the whole of Latvia's or most of Estonia’s economy. And one of the biggest reasons for that growth is this community."
He highlighted the rapid expansion of specific sectors—Fintech, Biotech, Life Sciences, and Cybersecurity—noting that numerous international examples now prove global success can be achieved from Vilnius.
Crucially, Bužinskas announced a major financial milestone for the city: "This week we approved the budget, the biggest so far: 1 billion, 750 million Euros."
He explained exactly how the success of the tech sector translates into civic improvements. "Your success means bigger success for the city, which means we have more taxes to spend," he told the entrepreneurs. He outlined specific infrastructure commitments funded by this growth:
Education: Construction of 4 new schools and 5 new kindergartens will begin this year.
Public Services: Improvements in public healthcare and city safety.
"We are really committed to helping your sector," Bužinskas concluded, urging the audience to "stay warm during this winter" and keep pushing forward.
The Evolution of the Awards & A New Unicorn
The host of the evening kicked off the formal proceedings by noting a significant change in the event's format. For the first time, the ecosystem partners curating the awards—Unicorns Lithuania, Sunrise Tech Park, and Go Vilnius—stepped forward to manage specific categories, ensuring that experts in each field selected the nominees.
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Before the first award was even handed out, the room erupted in applause for a major milestone. The host teased the audience: "Do we have some new unicorns? What do you think?"
The confirmation followed immediately: Cast AI was officially recognized as the newest member of the Unicorn club, receiving a massive round of applause for putting Vilnius on the global cloud technology map.
The night's winners would receive a custom statue created by Juozas Bružas, a professor at the Vilnius Academy of Arts, symbolizing the legendary creature every startup dreams of becoming.
1. Early Stage Star
Curated by Unicorns Lithuania
This award recognizes the technology startup that secured the most significant pre-seed or seed investment in 2025. It honors the "rising stars and risk-takers."
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The Nominees: Sintra AI, Nexos.ai, Samphire Neuroscience.
The Presenter: Justinas Baranovskis, Co-founder and CEO of Ovoko (last year's "Money Magnet" winner). Baranovskis set the tone with a reality check: "I think every founder here knows that the early stage is brutal. Resources are limited, ambition is insanely big, and there are no guarantees. This award is for the teams that gained traction and trust from investors when it was most important."
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The Winner: Sintra AI
The Speech: The team from Sintra AI delivered a humble and inspiring acceptance speech, admitting they struggled with what to say on stage. "We had a thought coming here... if we get an ability to speak on stage, what to say? Something cool, smart, or cliché?" the representative said. "We just wanted to show by example that probably all of you here are smarter than us. Everyone has an idea, and everyone can build it. Let’s make a wish that this is just the first step."
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The Prize: Presented by Karolina Urbonaitė of Startup Lithuania, the winners received a "Global Getaway": Two tickets to the Web Summit Conference in Vancouver this May.
2. Ecosystem Storyteller
Curated by Unicorns Lithuania
This category honors the person who got everyone talking about startups and innovation in 2025—spreading the word and shaping the conversation.
The Nominees: Tadas Burgaila, Tomas Okmanas, Thomas Plantega, Viktorija Čijunskytė, Mantas Mikuckas.
The Presenter: Agnė Selemonaitė, Board Member of Unicorns Lithuania. She emphasized that the winner was selected based on data: "MediaScope showed that the reach of the person's voice is not only the amount of talks... but how many clicks, how many screens, how many people saw." She jokingly added, "I purchased a TV subscription so my kids can watch him on Monday."
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The Winner: Tadas Burgaila
The Speech: Burgaila, a multifaceted figure known for his role in business and as the chairman of FK Žalgiris, gave one of the night's most memorable speeches. "Wow. Oh my God. I can’t believe it," Burgaila began. "It’s really very emotional for me... Finally, we recognize the real talent, the passion, the brave heart." He humorously pitched the wealthy room on sponsorship: "Because all of you have deep pockets... there are two ways to spend it: to burn it, or to become a Vilnius Žalgiris sponsor!" Turning serious, he shared an anecdote about his time on "Shark Tank" and the pitches he hears at bars. "The peak time is around 10:00 PM because people are not drunk enough, but brave enough." His core message was a call to humanize tech: "We should spotlight the stories. We should spotlight the people, not the fing excels**, but the real people... And then other people could think, 'Damn, I can do like you. I can do better.'"*
The Prize: A contemporary art piece titled "Children of Tomorrow", presented by Dmitrijus Sosunovas.
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3. The Bold Move
Curated by Unicorns Lithuania
Awarded to a startup or innovation that made a bold, unconventional, or risky strategic decision in 2025.
The Nominees: Atrandi Biosciences, CoinGate, Cast AI, Turing College, Flo Health.
The Presenter: Gintarė Narkevičiūtė, CEO of Unicorns Lithuania. Narkevičiūtė highlighted the struggle behind success: "Behind every success story, there's a grueling story. How to make decisions, how to pivot, and jump into the unknown." She praised the nominees, noting CoinGate's crypto license, Cast AI's unicorn status, and Flo Health's work for women's health.
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The Winner: Atrandi Biosciences
The Speech: The representative from Atrandi Biosciences accepted the award, emphasizing the difficulty of "Deep Tech" compared to software. "For us, the bold move—actually, there have been quite a few," he said. "I think the whole notion of founding a biotech company from scratch in a garage is a bold move in itself." He explained their specific bold move in 2025: "We decided it was the right thing to do without market evidence, without anyone offering us financial incentives... to use biotechnology for healthcare and humanities. The market will be telling our competitors that is the right thing to do now, but we will have been there first."
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The Prize: Presented by the Head of Strategic Partnerships at Rockit, the prize is a choice between a 3-month Space Pass membership or the chance to host a proprietary event at Rockit’s iconic venue.
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4. Tech for Good
Curated by Sunrise Tech Park
This award honors innovation with a purpose—companies turning technology into positive change, from decarbonization to social impact.
The Nominees: Green Genius, Fivrec, Inbalance Grid.
The Presenter: Dr. Laima Balčiūnė, CEO of Sunrise Tech Park. "Events like this remind us that no innovation can happen in isolation," Dr. Balčiūnė stated. “These companies share one common belief: that clean technologies can make our energy systems... more reliable and efficient.”
The Winner: Fivrec
The Speech: The CEO of Fivrec delivered a concise and logical breakdown of why their industry matters in the age of AI. "Today, everyone is chasing AI," he said. "AI needs data centers. Data centers need renewable energy. And renewable energy needs batteries. And batteries need metals. And metals need to be recycled. So that’s what we do. So don't forget to recycle."
The Prize: A one-year associate membership in the Unicorns Lithuania association.
5. Ecosystem Partner
Curated by Go Vilnius
This award celebrates collaborations that amplify the Vilnius ecosystem—organizations that work tirelessly behind the scenes to attract investors and facilitate growth.
The Nominees: Invest Lithuania, LT VCA, Startup Lithuania, Rockit.
The Presenter: Head of the Business Department at Go Vilnius. He praised the collective effort: "This achievement would never be achieved alone... When we promote it, when we work all our time for it... that's how we make Vilnius loud and proud."
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The Winner: Invest Lithuania
The Speech: Elijus Čivilis, the General Manager of Invest Lithuania, invited his entire team to the stage (though they seemed shy to join him). He asked the room, "Who knows what Invest Lithuania does?" noting that few hands went up. "It’s a group of people that actually on a daily basis try to attract newcomers, new investors, or help to expand existing ones," Čivilis explained. He closed with a powerful, patriotic sentiment referencing a "Lithuania 2050" vision: "We live in the country that we want to create. We live in the country that we want to defend. And that makes me calm. So I suggest all of you think of Vilnius as a place to create and live, and a place to defend."
The Prize: A tour through Vilnius business history topped off with an informal coffee meeting with the Mayor of Vilnius.
6. Science in Action
Curated by Go Vilnius
Recognizing the transformation of scientific breakthroughs into tangible technologies and products.
The Nominees: Vilnius University Foundation, Center for Physical Sciences and Technology (FTMC), Vilnius University Life Science Center (VU GMC), Tyrėjų Grand Prix, Vilnius Tech.
The Presenter: Viktorija Trimbel, Managing Director at Coinvest Capital. She spoke beautifully about Lithuania’s resources: "We do not have oil... but we have our biggest treasure: Scientists who make impossible things possible."
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The Winner: Vilnius Tech (Vilnius Gediminas Technical University)
The Speech: The representative accepted on behalf of the university's researchers and students. "Actually, this award belongs to the researchers, the students, to the partners, alumni," he said. "Those people, they join those missions... and make knowledge transfer to something very real, very specific, such as chips, AI platforms, or satellites. So this is for them."
The Prize: Presented by Laima Matienė, CEO at Sunrise Tech Park: Two full passes to VivaTech Paris, the largest startup event in Europe.
7. Talent Gateway
Curated by Go Vilnius
Celebrating organizations that excel in attracting high-skilled international talent and ensuring their smooth integration into Vilnius.
The Nominees: Western Union, Nasdaq, Tesonet.
The Presenter: Indrė Laučienė, Head of International House Vilnius. "Integration is not about something a newcomer needs to learn... quite often it's about how we welcome them," Laučienė said. "This award is about companies that open their doors... to help them become not a newcomer, but a regular Vilnius resident."
The Winner: Western Union
The Speech: The representative from Western Union highlighted the sheer diversity of their Vilnius hub. "17 nations represented in our [office]... 38 languages," she noted. "We are still trying to expand more and make Vilnius the most [international city]. Thanks a lot."
The Prize: Presented by Liudas Vasiliauskas, a civil resilience instructor at "Sanctum Nature." The prize is an "Inspiration and Wisdom Journey"—inviting the winners to trade the boardroom for the forest for a resilience retreat.
8. Emerging Vilnius Ambassador
Curated by Go Vilnius
The final award of the night recognized the "trailblazer" putting Vilnius on the world map—the entity shouting the loudest about the city’s potential.
The Nominees: Nexos.ai, Cast AI, Atrandi Bioscience, RSI Europe.
The Presenter: Dovilė Aleksandravičienė, CEO of Go Vilnius. "It’s not about the scale," she said. "It’s about the intention and the choice. The choice to take Vilnius together on the global stage."
The Winner: Nexos.ai
The Speech: The founder of Nexos.ai took the stage with high energy, sharing the secret to their ambassadorial success: hospitality. "We have two things we do at Nexos," he explained. "First, we really love what we do. And second, we really love Vilnius. It doesn't matter if it's Index Ventures coming to our city, Creandum, or journalists—we really take care of them." He shared colorful details of their hosting strategy: "You think kebabs in the Yami Kebab... going to Kinza, to Džiaugsmas, and to more fancier places like 1918. They really enjoy the city... We just spread the word around the globe."
The Prize: Presented by Julia Yegorova, founder of Black Unicorn PR. The prize is a comprehensive global PR strategy audit and advisory session to help the startup scale their narrative even further.
Closing: A Family Photo for History
As the formal ceremony concluded, the host invited all winners, partners, and presenters to the stage for a "Family Photo." Amidst jokes about lasers and lighting, the leaders of Vilnius's tech scene stood together—Unicorns next to University professors, investors next to bootstrap founders.
The message was clear: The 1.75 billion Euro budget and the new skyscrapers are just the hardware. The software of Vilnius—the people, the stories, and the bold moves—is what is truly running the system.
Comments
DaNix
Feels a bit overhyped, PR perfect, real struggles left out. Congrats tho, Cast AI, big win! but where's the long term plan? 🤔
Marius
I work with startups here, that 'software is the people' line hits hard. Budget good, but talent housing costs are real. keep pushing
bioNix
Cast AI a unicorn? hmm, sounds cool but what metrics? revenue, users, or hype... curious
mechbyte
That vibe sounds unreal! Vilnius turning into a proper tech hub, proud but curious how it scales, will people still afford to live here? So many skyscrapers, hope it stays human
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