EBAN Congress 2026 Heads to Vilnius, Spotlighting Europe’s Resilience and Startup Growth

The European angel investment community will gather in Vilnius on June 1–2, 2026, as the EBAN Congress makes its debut in Lithuania. Now in its 26th edition, the event will bring together business angels, startup founders, corporates, policymakers and innovation ecosystem stakeholders from across Europe.

This year’s programme centres on Europe’s resilience, with a clear focus on strategic industries and technological autonomy, particularly in Space & Defence Tech, BioTech, CleanTech and enabling deep technologies. The agenda reflects a broader shift among investors towards sectors tied to long-term competitiveness and systemic resilience.

Held each year in leading European innovation hubs, the EBAN Congress serves as a key platform for connecting early-stage capital with emerging companies. Its arrival in Vilnius underscores the city’s rapid rise as one of Europe’s fastest-scaling startup ecosystems, especially in early-stage and regulated digital sectors.

Lithuania is now home to more than 1,100 startups, many concentrated in the capital, supported by a strong base of founders and angel investors. The country has also produced five unicorns, a notable achievement given its population of just 2.8 million.

Vilnius has further distinguished itself in fintech and regulated innovation, with around 300 fintech companies and over 130 licensed electronic money and payment institutions operating nationally. This growth is underpinned by close coordination between public and private stakeholders, including the Bank of Lithuania, Startup Lithuania, Innovation Agency, Unicorns Lithuania, LT VCA, Lithuanian Business Angels Network (LitBAN), and Go Vilnius, alongside an active network of venture capital funds, accelerators, angel investors and reinvested founder capital from Baltic tech companies.

For LitBAN, hosting the congress marks a significant moment. “We are very happy and proud to bring the EBAN Congress to Lithuania and Vilnius for the first time. This is an important recognition for the LitBAN community and for the Lithuanian startup ecosystem as a whole,” says LitBAN Director Roberta Rudokienė (right side).

She adds: “Business angels are a key part of a healthy and growing innovation ecosystem – they not only provide capital to early-stage companies, but also share their experience, networks, and knowledge, helping startups grow into global businesses.” Rudokienė notes that the event is expected to attract more than 500 participants from across Europe, including investors, founders and ecosystem leaders, with the aim of further strengthening Lithuania’s visibility as a destination for private capital.

Mangirdas Šapranauskas (left side), Head of Business Department at Go Vilnius, highlights the city’s positioning as an efficient gateway into the European market. Companies building locally are inherently international in outlook due to the limited domestic market, a dynamic that has helped foster strong regulatory expertise, institutional alignment and faster pathways to scale.

He adds that the ecosystem’s strength lies not only in the number of companies choosing Vilnius, but also in the predictability and speed of market entry, factors that are increasingly attracting international founders operating in regulated and deep-tech sectors.

The congress is expected to further reinforce Lithuania’s role as a high-efficiency entry point into EU innovation and financial markets, particularly for early-stage investors seeking scalable, cross-border opportunities.
 

Published by Meeting Media Company, the publisher of Headquarters Magazine (HQ) – a leading international publication based in Brussels, serving the global MICE industry and association community.