Investor Camp 2026 in Vilnius: Capital, Resilience, and Deep Tech Take Center Stage for the Region’s Future

For the fifth year in a row, Vilnius hosted Investor Camp, the exclusive gathering dedicated entirely to the investor community. Held at the Energy and Technology Museum (following a morning kick-off breakfast at ROCKIT), this year’s event brought together venture capital partners, limited partners (LPs), business angels, and ecosystem leaders from across Europe and beyond for a high-level exchange on capital allocation, defense, photonics, AI, and scale-up strategies.

Organized by the Lithuanian Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (LT VCA), Investor Camp continues to strengthen its role as the annual benchmark shaping the region's capital flows.

Agenda Highlights: Data, LPs, DefenceTech, Photonics, and AI

The stage program was hosted by Andra Bagdonaitė (FIRSTPICK) and opened with the annual data-led keynote “What’s Up, Baltics? Startup Ecosystem Overview 2026, H1”, delivering sharp insights on venture trends and regional benchmarks.

Macro Trends & LP Dynamics

• Global LPs & Private Markets: Powered by Go Vilnius, Martins Mellens (McKinsey & Company) presented a data-led keynote outlining evolving LP expectations and changing priorities across global private markets.
• Evaluating Venture Funds: An off-the-record LP panel featuring Chloe Dagnell (Isomer Capital), Ott Jalakas (Amalfi Investors), and Oli Harris (Dream Ventures), moderated by Domilė Juozapaitė (Willgrow), unpacked how institutional capital evaluates funds and how Baltic funds are perceived globally.

Regional Ambition & Defence Tech

• Policy & Ecosystem Growth: A conversation featuring Edvinas Grikšas (Ministry of the Economy and Innovation of Lithuania) and Karolina Urbonaitė (Startup Lithuania) highlighted the policy choices and practical steps needed to solidify Lithuania as a leading European innovation hub.
• Europe's Defence Capital Stack: Keynote speaker Audrius Zujus (Mainline) set the scene for dual-use tech innovation, leading into the Defence Tech Stack panel (powered by Iron Wolf Capital) with Justinas Gudaitis (UFORCE), Kasparas Jurgelionis (Iron Wolf Capital), and Dainius Vilčinskas (ILTE).
• Financing Dual-Use Startups: Moderated by Roberta Rudokienė (LitBAN), a dedicated panel with Vytenis J. Buzas (Unmanned Defense Systems), Viktorija Trimbel (Coinvest Capital), and Justas Poderys (Monopulse) explored the distinct challenges of funding early-stage defence companies and navigating public-private collaboration.

Investing in Deep Tech & AI

• The Photonics Ecosystem: Highlighting one of Lithuania’s most advanced deep tech capabilities, Benas Poderis (Nter Asset Management), Eduardas Gvozdas (Optonas), and Andrius Šlekys (Workshop of Photonics), moderated by Akvilė Bosaitė (COBALT Lithuania), examined commercial opportunities in optics, semiconductors, and dual-use applications.
• AI & Changing Investment Theses: Featuring Raoul Oscar Flores, Dawid Sugier (Inovo VC), Sherington Amarapala (Atomico), and Tim Vaino (Practica Capital), the discussion looked beyond the AI hype to evaluate enterprise AI deployment, sovereign tech, and evolving founder expectations.

Lithuanian Scaleup Success Stories

• From Bootstrapped to Unicorn: In a session powered by WIDEN Legal Lithuania, Jurgis Rudgalvis (Oxylabs) joined Džiuginta Balčiūnė (WIDEN) to share the journey behind Oxylabs' growth from a bootstrapped start to raising $130 million at a $3.6 billion valuation.
• Hostinger's Global Journey: Powered by Unicorns Lithuania, Domantas Beržanskis (CFO at Hostinger)  shared the stage with Dovilė Burgienė (WALLESS) to discuss the leadership mindset, strategy, and execution behind building a global tech brand out of Lithuania.

A Strategic Platform for International Capital

Speaking on the impact of this year’s edition, Rūta Mačiulytė-Valickienė, Executive Director of LT VCA, shared what makes the gathering so meaningful:

“The real magic of Investor Camp happens in the side conversations, spontaneous meetings, and honest discussions around numbers and market visions. Behind the months of planning and late-night logistics, our goal was always to provide an informal, closed-door setting where investors can talk openly and spot new opportunities together. Watching 15+ countries engage in Vilnius and then head straight into Startup Fair the next morning proves how tight-knit and forward-looking our investment community has become.”

The Day Before Startup Fair

Investor Camp traditionally takes place on the eve of Startup Fair, Lithuania’s flagship startup ecosystem event held at LITEXPO, which brings together over 2,000 founders, investors, and ecosystem builders from across the globe.

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