Latvian Startup Awards 2026: From Drones to Space, Top Startups Honoured in Riga

The annual Latvian Startup Awards 2026 ceremony took place on Friday, 6 November, at the Latvian Railway History Museum in Riga. The best companies in the country's startup sector were honoured in seven categories, according to Startin.LV, the Latvian startup association.

How winners were chosen

Around 20 organisations and startup ecosystem representatives put forward candidates this year, and anyone could nominate in an open stage, including themselves. In six of the seven categories an independent jury picked the winners, with each member scoring nominees individually against set criteria. The Community Choice award was decided by public vote.

The winners

Newcomer of the Year – Amorphous Health, which develops a clinical data analytics platform for hospitals. Its solution turns unstructured medical records into structured data. In 2026 the company launched its product, signed its first partnership with an electronic medical records provider, began working with Daugavpils Regional Hospital and raised USD 2.2 million in pre-seed investment.

Breakthrough of the Year – Origin Robotics, which develops autonomous defence systems for Europe and NATO allies. Its turnover grew more than tenfold in 2025, and in 2026 it signed a multi-year framework agreement to supply the Blaze autonomous drone interceptor to Latvia's National Armed Forces. France has become the fourth NATO member state to buy Blaze.

Deep-Tech Startup of the Year – Deep Space Energy, which develops radioisotope power sources for missions to the Moon and Mars. It became the first Latvian company admitted to NATO's DIANA defence innovation programme and won the TechChill Founders Battle startup contest. In 2028 it plans to demonstrate its technology in orbit with the International Space Station.

Defence Tech Startup of the Year – SUBmerge Baltic, which builds unmanned underwater vehicles and maritime surveillance systems. It signed memorandums of understanding with the French naval defence company Naval Group and Ukraine's Roboneers, and raised more than EUR 2.6 million.

Fintech Startup of the Year – Convershake, which builds an AI-based voice communication platform for consumer lending companies. The platform operates in six countries.

Founder of the Year – Christoph Blaus, co-founder of Nutrameg, who has supported and advised other entrepreneurs and invested in new companies.

Community Choice – Outvoicer, an invoicing platform used by more than 900 businesses and responsible for more than 300,000 invoices.