Longenesis from Latvia triumphs in this year’s Fifty Founders Battle startup competition

The leading technology and startup industry event in the Baltic region, TechChill, concluded at the end of last week. This year, for the first time, it was held in a digital format. The annual Fifty Founders Battle startup competition was also held online as the central event of the series, with the Latvian startup Longenesis emerging victorious and receiving the main prize—a EUR 10,000 cash award from TechChill. Meanwhile, the Estonian company Gelatex and Latvian company VREACH received EUR 250,000 in funding from the leading business angel syndicate in the Baltics.

Longenesis is a digital health B2B startup based in Latvia and Hong Kong that offers a platform for biomedical organisations with the aim of accelerating the progress of clinical studies. This is achieved by enabling direct communication with biomedical research organisations for the secure processing and use of data for research purposes. In cooperation with patient organisations, Longenesis enables doctors and scientists to raise their profile among a broader audience, as well as find cooperation partners and financial supporters for their research in order to develop new treatments to combat diseases.

This year, a record number of participants sought to take part in the Fifty Founders Battle competition, with more than 200 applications from the Baltics, Scandinavia, Central Europe and even Australia. However, only the 50 most promising applicants presented their business ideas on the TechChill virtual stage before more than 200 investors and 1,700 event viewers. This year, particular emphasis was placed on FinTech, B2B, artificial intelligence technology, robotics and sustainability, as well as innovations and solutions in these fields.

Fifty Founders Battle brought together five of the strongest players in the startup industry in its final: Gelatex (Estonia), AVA (Australia), Cellbox Labs (Latvia), Longenesis (Latvia/Hong Kong) and Algomo (United Kingdom). In addition to the main cash prize, for the first time in TechChill’s history, the Baltic business angel syndicate—bringing together investors from LATBAN, ESTBAN, LITBAN+ and Cocoon Ventures—also awarded a prize worth EUR 250,000 to two competition participants. It was shared by Gelatex, which produces sustainable gelatin using nanoparticle technology, and VREACH, whose solutions are based on VR technologies and focus on rehabilitation.