Riga TechGirls pre-acceleration program SPRING UP - your journey to become investable starts here!
Submit your application by October 16, 2026, 23:59
SPRING UP has been designed to empower early-stage startups led by diverse teams with at least one female founder.
By fostering a supportive environment, building community, and providing tailored mentorship, expert guidance, and resources, we help you validate faster, build faster, and gain the know-how, insights, and skills that make your startup investable – with the support of today’s AI tools every step of the way.
The need for more diversity within the startup ecosystem remains a persistent issue. In 2025, startups with at least one woman founder raised 13% of all European venture capital – a historic high, but still far from parity, and all-women founding teams are capturing as low as 1.3% of VC capital raised in Europe. In Latvia specifically, just around 23% of startups have a female co-founder.
Underrepresented founders, especially those with female leadership, continue to face real barriers in accessing mentorship, resources, and investment – and one of the most persistent is the lack of technical know-how or a co-founder at the idea stage. This is where SPRING UP 3.0 changes the equation: today’s AI tools let founders without a technical background build, test, and iterate on a real product themselves, faster than ever before. This program gives underrepresented founders an equitable, supportive platform – and the AI fluency to turn their startup ideas into investable ventures.
The program is free of charge and equity-free, consists of 3 phases, and will be happening in a hybrid format from October 27, 2026 until June, 2027
HYBRID FORMAT
FREE OF CHARGE
EQUITY-FREE
CURRICULUM:
An intensive, hands-on 8-week hybrid module where founders build fast-validation and fast-growth skills, including how to use AI tools to validate ideas, build prototypes, and reach customers without needing a technical co-founder, through workshops, sessions, and expert-led content.
MENTORSHIP:
Individual one-on-one 6-month-long startup mentorship from experienced mentors who understand the challenges faced by early-stage founders.
PROTOTYPING:
Hands-on 6-month-long prototyping and MVP development phase where startups bring their ideas to life with expert guidance, AI-powered build tools, and the option to collaborate with the Riga TechGirls Mentorship program’s mentees.
applications
open
28.09. – 16.10.
evaluation
17.10. – 21.10.
program kick-off
27.10.
workshops, seminars,
practical tasks
nov – dec 2026
mentoring & prototype development
jan – jun 2027
interim demo day
11.02.
grand demo day
15.06.
Submit your application by October 16, 2026, 23:59
TAILORED CURRICULUM AND PRACTICAL, AI-POWERED WORKSHOPS
Through hands-on learning, we share practical tips, methodologies, and AI tools to tackle key challenges for any early-stage startup founder – from validating an idea in days instead of weeks to building a working prototype without writing a line of code.
NETWORKING AND COMPREHENSIVE MENTORSHIP
We bring together a community of local startup ecosystem representatives, venture capitalists, and experienced startup founders to connect and empower founders. Participating startups are enrolled in the Mentorship Program and paired with mentors whose expertise aligns with their specific needs and challenges. Through regular one-on-one sessions, founders receive personalized guidance and insights to fuel their growth.
ACCESS TO INVESTORS
Throughout the program, startups connect with a wide range of investors, including angel investors, venture capitalists, and impact investors. We facilitate networking events, pitch sessions, and investor meetups to bridge the gap between startups and potential backers.
AI AS YOUR CO-LEAD
A defining feature of SPRING UP 3.0: founders learn to use AI-powered tools throughout the program – for market research, rapid prototyping, financial modeling, growth, and pitch-building, closing the gap that keeps so many non-technical founders from getting a product into users’ hands.
PEER-TO-PEER LEARNING
We believe collaboration is essential for startup success. Our program fosters a collaborative learning environment where founders exchange ideas, share experiences, and learn from each other’s journeys. Regular group sessions and peer-to-peer support create a strong sense of community within the cohort.
TEAM UP WITH TECH MENTEES
As part of the prototype-building phase, we give startups an opportunity to collaborate with Riga TechGirls Mentorship program’s “Tech Mentor” mentees for a mutually beneficial union – founders can get real technical support while building their prototype, and mentees can gain real-life practical experience.
DEMO DAYS
During the program’s journey, participating startups showcase their progress and growth during internal presentation events and the final Demo Day. These events provide a platform for founders to pitch their products to a curated audience of investors, industry experts, and potential partners.
The program is looking for early-stage startups fulfilling the following criteria:
- Latvia-based startup with at least one female founder
- Building an innovative and scalable tech product or service
- Have a validated idea and a strong understanding of the needed prototype and MVP
- Fully committed to the entire duration of the program (min of 8 h per week)
- Business English knowledge (the program will be conducted fully in English)
- Applications are open until October 11, 2026
- Evaluation of applications from October 12 – October 20, 2026
- Selected applicants might be invited for an interview with the Program Team
- All applicants will receive the application results by October 21, 2026
Previous experience & Testimonials from participants
“Helping to move project, opportunity to check in with peers, see our own and others’ progress, also presentation days have been very valuable for us”
“The whole learning process is super valuable. I really am getting everything I wanted to learn about building startups and attracting funding.”
“Knowledge, meeting investors, networking with professionals in different fields, our team, and their vision that complements the development of the startup”
Team
Alise gurenko
Alise has been actively shaping and connecting Latvia’s startup ecosystem through programs, communities, and industry initiatives since 2019. Her experience spans program development, partnerships, community building, and supporting early-stage founders.
At Riga TechGirls, Alise leads the startup direction and is the creator and program lead of SPRING UP, helping teams validate ideas, build products, and move towards investment readiness.
Alise has been a part of TechHub Riga as Managing Director and Board Member, and was running Partnerships and Production at TechChill.
She also leads the Female Founder Lunch initiative and works on works to create stronger, more inclusive opportunities for founders across the startup ecosystem.
LAUMA SĪLE
Lauma is the COO at Riga TechGirls and an experienced leader in operations, events, startups, and community building, with 10+ years of experience across the Baltic tech ecosystem.
She has worked with organisations and companies including Riga TechGirls, TechChill, Bolt, Google, and Aleph, taking on roles spanning operations, event management, community development, and strategic projects. Lauma has extensive experience building and managing teams, delivering large-scale events, and supporting organisations through growth and change. She is also a Board Member at TechChill and has been involved with the organisation for more than 7 years.
Anna Andersone
Anna is the CEO and Chair of the Board of Riga TechGirls and CEO and Co-founder of StartSchool. She has been actively involved in developing Latvia’s technology and startup ecosystem for more than 15 years, co-founding design technology startups berta.me and FROONT and serving on the board of TechHub Riga. Through Riga TechGirls and StartSchool, Anna works to make technology education more accessible, develop the next generation of tech talent and entrepreneurs, and empower more women to build careers in technology.
ANNA FIĻIPENOKA
Anna is a Growth Marketer, Startup vertical co-lead at Riga TechGirls, and Master’s student in Service Design Strategies & Innovations (SDSI).
She has a positive track record across the Baltic tech and startup ecosystem, including leading startup acquisition and community outreach at TechChill, managing founder operations for the Cocoon mentorship program, and co-creating BASAFUL, a student-run digital service agency. Skilled in growth strategy, digital marketing, service design, and community building, Anna is passionate about human-centric innovation and empowering early-stage founders to build sustainable businesses.
KRISTIĀNA BIEZUMA
Kristiāna leads the Young Innovators Workshops by Riga TechGirls, where she inspires the new generation of entrepreneurs through AI tools and STEM education for school children.
Kristiāna builds events, projects, and communities across the Baltic startup scene. She has managed product partnerships for TechChill, one of the region’s largest startup conferences, and at Junior Achievement Latvia she runs hackathons and programs that help young people start their first companies.
We invite mentors, experts, and partners to join us in this initiative to create a more inclusive and vibrant startup landscape.
If you are interested in collaboration opportunities, please contact us Program Director Alise Gurenko (alise.gurenko@rigatechgirls.com)
