TechChill

What TechChill does

TechChill Foundation is a Latvian non-profit that organizes the Baltic region's flagship annual startup and technology conference, held each year in Riga since 2012. The organization serves as a marketplace-connector between early-stage startup founders, venture investors, and ecosystem participants, with the 2026 event drawing 2,000+ attendees, 310+ startups, 250+ investors, 60+ media, and 80+ speakers from 40+ countries. TechChill's product portfolio comprises five interlocking programs: the main TechChill Conference, the Founders Battle pitch competition (EUR 1M+ investment pool and EUR 600K+ in prizes), the Baltic-exclusive Fifty Founders Battle for sub-EUR 700K-raised startups, the Student Challenge 24-hour hackathon for 18-26-year-olds, and the TechChill Kyiv Ukrainian startup growth program. The operating platform consists of an in-house ticketing and registration system ("TechChill Platform") plus an event production layer that delivers the physical gathering; there is no proprietary AI/ML technology stack.

Revenue is generated through ticket sales to attendees and a sponsorship and partnership layer (Business Expo booths, side-event hosting, thought-leadership slots), with prices quoted in euros inclusive of Latvian 21% VAT. The organization operates with a small core team of 5-10 people, with operations led by Managing Director Annija Mežgaile and Marketing & Communications lead Selīna Glaudāne, and governance provided by a board comprising regional VC leaders (Marija Ručevska of Outlast Fund, Andris K. Bērziņš of Change Ventures) and ecosystem partners. Institutional support arrives through the Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (funding the Kyiv program under Development Cooperation) and through a broad sponsor and VC partner base including eazyBI, Sorainen, Draper University, Google Cloud, BADideas.fund, Buildit 5G Fund, LatBAN, PurposeTech VC, and Firstpick.

Name

TechChill

Legal name

TechChill Foundation

Website

https://techchill.co

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

TechChill Foundation is a Latvian non-profit that runs the Baltic region's flagship annual startup conference in Riga, drawing 2,000+ attendees, 310+ startups, and 250+ investors from 40+ countries. It combines pitch competitions, satellite programs in Ukraine, and ecosystem-building events for founders.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Startup Conferences and Pitch Competitions

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Technology & Innovation Expos Organizers (THAHABAE)

Keywords

• Startup conference events
• Pitch competition platform
• Tech ecosystem community
• Investor networking events
• Founder education programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Riga

HQ country

Latvia

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: TechChill generates revenue through sale of event tickets to attendees. The conference is the main revenue-generating activity.
2. Sponsorship & Partnership: Companies partner with TechChill through sponsorship packages including booth space at Business Expo, side event hosting, and thought leadership opportunities during the conference.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels13 records

Core offering

TechChill Foundation organizes the Baltic region's flagship startup and technology conference, held annually in Riga, Latvia, drawing 2,000+ attendees, 310+ startups, and 250+ investors from 40+ countries. Its offering includes the main conference, the Founders Battle pitch competition (600,000+ EUR prize pool), the Fifty Founders Battle (Baltic-exclusive pitch competition), the Student Challenge hackathon for students aged 18-26, the Startup Expo, and satellite events including the TechChill Kyiv Ukrainian startup growth program, all supported by an in-house ticketing and registration platform.

Product overview

TechChill is a non-profit startup and technology conference company that organizes the Baltic's leading startup conference in Riga, Latvia. The company offers a platform of interconnected programs including the main TechChill Conference (featuring 2,000+ attendees, 300+ startups, and 250+ investors), the Founders Battle pitch competition with prize pools exceeding 600,000 EUR, the Baltic-exclusive Fifty Founders Battle, the Student Challenge 24-hour hackathon, and the TechChill Kyiv Ukrainian startup growth program. The TechChill Platform serves as the digital ticketing and registration system for all events. These offerings work together to create networking, educational, and investment opportunities for the startup ecosystem across the Baltic, Nordic, and CEE regions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• TechChill Conference
• TechChill Founders Battle
• Fifty Founders Battle
• TechChill Student Challenge
• TechChill Kyiv
• Startup Expo
• Side Events
• TechChill Platform

Quantifiable outcome

• Startups awarded over 600,000 EUR in prizes at Founders Battle 2026
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SorainencoreOthers · 1 March 2026Law firm providing up to €5,000 worth of legal and tax advice as prize for Founders Battle winner.
• Draper UniversitycoreOthers · 1 March 2026Entrepreneurship program in California providing full scholarship (valued at $12,000+) for up to 2 co-founders of winning startup.
• CarguruminorOthers · 1 March 2026Mobility company providing €1,000 gift card as additional prize for Founders Battle winner.
• Google CloudminorOthers · 1 March 2026Provided $2,000 cash prize to all four Founders Battle finalists.
• JunctionminorOthers · 1 January 2026One of Europe's largest hackathons where Student Challenge winner Team '4 of a Kind' earned opportunity to participate.
• Estonian Business HubminorOthers · 1 January 2026Provided €5,000 cash prize to Thistle startup at Founders Battle.
• TechosystemcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Ukrainian NGO uniting startup ecosystem members, partnering with TechChill for Ukrainian Startup Growth Program including TechChill Kyiv event and delegation to Riga.
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs of LatviacoreOthers · 1 January 2025Funding the TechChill Kyiv startup growth program within the Development Cooperation program.
• Startup Wise GuysminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Accelerator with Partner Alexandra Balkova speaking at TechChill Kyiv 2025, managing 400+ portfolio companies.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Slush: Annual startup and tech conference held in Helsinki with ~10,000 attendees and a strong founder/investor focus. Most direct comparable to TechChill as a Northern-European flagship startup event with pitch competitions and investor matchmaking.
• TechBBQ: Copenhagen-based annual startup and tech conference focused on the Nordics with thousands of attendees, investors, and a founder/community focus. Closest regional peer to TechChill by format, size band, and audience mix.
• How to Web: Leading CEE startup conference held in Bucharest, focused on founders, investors, and ecosystem building across Eastern Europe. Directly comparable to TechChill in geography, audience, and pitch-competition format.
• Wolves Summit: CEE-focused tech and startup conference held in Wrocław with startup pitch tracks and investor matchmaking. Comparable to TechChill in targeting CEE founders and the regional ecosystem-builder role.
• Pioneers: Vienna-based tech and startup event operator running multiple formats (Pioneers, Farm) for early- and growth-stage founders with heavy investor participation. Comparable founder/VC audience and Central-European positioning to TechChill.
• Latitude59: Tallinn-based annual flagship startup conference for the Baltic and Nordic tech ecosystem, often run alongside the official Estonian EU Presidency startup program. Direct peer in geography, format, and founder/investor audience.

Broad incumbents

• Web Summit: Global mega tech conference (Lisbon, plus regional events) with 70,000+ attendees and extensive startup/investor programming. A scaled, incumbent competitor that has expanded into CEE/Nordics, putting pressure on regional events like TechChill.
• TechCrunch Disrupt: Iconic global startup conference and pitch competition with major Startup Battlefield prize. Indirect incumbent competitor whose pitch-competition format TechChill's Founders Battle is modelled after.
• Tech Week (London) / Tech Week Singapore: Multi-event tech week umbrella (Singapore, London, etc.) aggregating large-scale startup, investor, and enterprise tech programming. Relevant incumbent comparable for scaling TechChill into multi-track, multi-venue formats.

Regional players

• Startup Junction (Junction): One of Europe's largest hackathon operators, already partnered with TechChill's Student Challenge. Direct peer on the hackathon/programming side, anchored in the Nordics.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TechChill
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCUxKGxYx9RMcF03gP-mUh2Q
• Facebookfacebook.com/TechChillHQ
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/techchill
• Instagraminstagram.com/techchill
• TikToktiktok.com/@techchillhq?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments3 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about TechChill