About GEN in Lithuania

The Global Entrepreneurship Network has been active in Lithuania since the early years of Global Entrepreneurship Week, with ISM University of Management and Economics (ISM) anchoring the national campaign from the outset. As one of Lithuania’s leading business schools, ISM brought academic credibility and institutional reach to the campaign at a time when entrepreneurship was still an emerging priority in the country’s economic conversation. The inaugural campaign drew on ISM’s networks of students, faculty, and business community partners to plant GEW firmly in the Lithuanian calendar. 

The Lithuanian GEW campaign quickly demonstrated remarkable reach. In 2010, the campaign registered an extraordinary 124,844 participants across 1,198 activities — a figure that reflected both the breadth of ISM’s mobilization efforts and the appetite for entrepreneurship programming across the country.  

A significant chapter in GEN’s Lithuanian story was written by Imaguru Startup Hub, originally founded in Minsk in 2013 and widely recognized as one of Eastern Europe’s leading startup communities. After the Belarusian government shut Imaguru down in 2021,  designating it an “extremist” organization, it relocated to Vilnius, where itoffered free workspace, mentoring, and consulting to Ukrainian and Belarusian entrepreneurs. Imaguru organized GEW Lithuania programming during that period, including a 2022 Startup Pitch Battle won by CatZu, a mobile speech assistant for preschool children, and hosted GEW Belarus in Vilnius for Belarusian entrepreneurs abroad. Though the Vilnius hub is no longer operating, Imaguru’s story of a resilient startup community despite geographical challenges is a testament to the importance of a global entrepreneurial ecosystem. 

Lithuanian government officials have been consistent participants in GEN’s Startup Nations community, which connects entrepreneurship policymakers and program leaders from across the world to share innovative policy levers. Apolinaras Skikunas, Director of the Entrepreneurship Department at Enterprise Lithuania within the Ministry of Economy, represented Lithuania at the Startup Nations Summit (SNS) in Cork, Ireland in 2016, where working groups explored topics including startup visa design. Raminta Krulikauskiene of the Ministry of Economy attended SNS 2017 in Tallinn, Estonia, the edition that introduced the inaugural Startup Nations Policy Hack. Donata Gipiskiene, Adviser of Small and Medium-Sized Business in the Policy Division of Lithuania’s Ministry of Economy, continued that engagement at SNS 2018 in Surabaya, Indonesia. Startup Lithuania, the national agency for startup development, is recognized as a government stakeholder within GEN’s global policy network. 

Lithuanian startups have participated in GEN programs designed to accelerate founders and connect them with global investors and mentors. The Entrepreneurship World Cup (EWC), run by GEN and Monsha’at, is one of the world’s largest startup competitions, offering participants access to perks, mentorship, and the opportunity to pitch for a share of $1 million at the Global Finals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. eTrain, a Lithuanian education technology startup, reached the EWC Top 100 in 2021, competing against finalists from across the world at the Global Finals. GEN’s broader suite of programs, including the GEN Starters Club for early-stage founders, provides additional pathways for Lithuanian entrepreneurs to connect with the global network. 

GEN maintains relationships with key Lithuanian ecosystem stakeholders, including Startup Lithuania, the Ministry of Economy, Go Vilnius, and Vilnius TechFusion. These relationships span government, the innovation infrastructure, and the international business community that partners in Vilnius have worked to cultivate. 

Lithuania’s combination of a growing startup scene, engaged government policymakers, and a history of ecosystem builders who have shown extraordinary commitment to entrepreneurship make it a distinctive and valued part of the GEN global community.