Thursday 14.05.2026. - Deep Tech Atelier

Deep Tech Stage

Deep Frontier Stage

Growth Stage

Side Events

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FINANCING, COMMERCIALIZATION

DEFENCE

WORKSHOP, PITCH

09:00 - 10:00

Doors open

Enjoy your morning coffee and get ready for the day

10:00 - 10:40

Deep Tech Atelier Opening session

Artis Ozoliņš

Deep Tech Stage Host
LATVIA

Laura Štrovalde

Deputy Director of Investment and Development Agency of Latvia (LIAA)
LATVIA

Viktors Valainis

Minister of Economics, Republic of Latvia

Alexander Cywes

Partnership Coordinator of Hello Tomorrow
USA

10:40 - 11:00

Designing the Future: How Deep Tech Will Reshape Society, Markets and Human Collaboration

Anne Skare Nielsen

Chief Futurist at Universal Futurist
DENMARK

European Deep Tech Funding | The Landscape and Where It Is Heading

11:00 - 11:15

Speed is the strategy: why rapid adoption — not funding — defines Europe's defence tech future

Kadri Tammai

Regional Director, Europe & Head of Accelerator Operations at NATO DIANA
ESTONIA

11:15 - 11:30

EIC and Europe’s Innovation Path: Signals, Shifts and What Comes Next

Stéphane Ouaki

Head of Department of European Innovation Council and SME’s Executive Agency (EISMEA)
BELGIUM

11:30 - 11:45

European Defence Alliance: Building Europe’s Strategic Autonomy Through Innovation

Jana Drzkova

Head of Business Development EuroQuity at Bpifrance
FRANCE

11:45 - 12:00

Strategic Investment for Strategic Science: Europe’s Funding Choices Ahead

Paul Walsh

Secretary General at EAIC
BELGIUM

12:00 - 13:00

Networking Break

13:00 - 13:05

Introduction

Ecosystem Blueprint | What Actually Builds a Working Deep Tech Hub

13:05 - 14:10

Polish–Baltic Corridor: Building a Knowledge Economy

Anton Adamovitch

Managing Partner of Commercialization Reactor
LATVIA

Jurģis Miezainis

Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Economics of the Republic of Latvia

Krzysztof Gulda

President of Polish Agency for Enterprise Development
POLAND

Gundars Bērziņš

Rector at University of Latvia
LATVIA

14:10 - 14:25

You're Building Europe's Future. Just Not for Everyone in It

Anthony Giannoumis

CEO at Inclusive Creation AS / Professor at Kristiania University College
NORWAY

14:25 - 14:40

What actually works: building deep tech ecosystems in Europe

Anu Puusaag

Head of Digital Technologies at Tallinn Science Park Tehnopol
ESTONIA

14:40 - 14:55

Beyond the minimum viable product fallacy

Siim Kinnas

CEO, IP Strategy Consultant at Intellegra IP, TalTech
ESTONIA

14:55 - 15:25

From policy to results

Marija Plotniece

Senior Expert at Latvian Council of Science / Horizon Europe NCP
LATVIA

Laima Balčiūnė

CEO at Sunrise Tech Park
LITHUANIA

15:25 - 15:55

Networking break

15:55 - 16:10

AI for what and for whom?

Cecilia Rikap

Associate Professor in Economics and Head of Research at Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose, University College London
UK

Lab -> Market | Why Most European Research Never Becomes a Company

16:10 - 16:25

The value of Business Awareness for academics

Gunther Schmidt

Formerly Co-led University of Sydney Nano Institute / YU - Training, Coaching & Consulting
AUSTRALIA

16:25 - 16:40

Patent Intelligence: European and Global Development Trends

Wiebke Hinrichs

Technical Patent Data Analyst at European Patent Office Chief Economist Unit
NETHERLANDS

16:40 - 16:50

No IP, No Deal: Why Intellectual Property Matters in Deep Tech

Agris Batalauskis

Director at the Patent Office of the Republic of Latvia
LATVIA

16:50 - 17:05

Quantum Leap: From Lab Breakthrough to Market Reality

Michael Baczyk

Investor at Heartcore Capital
DENMARK

17:05 - 17:35

From Lab to Market: Intellectual Property and Effective Commercialization Strategic Development Models in Innovation Ecosystems

Wiebke Hinrichs

Technical Patent Data Analyst at European Patent Office Chief Economist Unit
NETHERLANDS

Agris Batalauskis

Director at the Patent Office of the Republic of Latvia
LATVIA

Stefano Paleari

President / Professor at Anthem Foundation / University of Bergamo
ITALY

Jurijs Jastržembskis

Leading Expert in Technology and Innovation Transfer at University of Latvia
LATVIA

Dace Kārkle

Director of Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis
LATVIA

17:35 - 18:00

Reverse Pitches for Corporates | Demand on the Record

18:30 - 20:00

Dinner

13:00 - 13:15

Opening keynote

Christopher Burns

Journalist of Euronews / Co-Director of Burnstorm Communications
BELGIUM

13:15 - 13:30

Autonomous Systems and the New Architecture of European Defence: A Baltic Perspective

Dr. Artis Pabriks

CEO at MilTech Latvia
LATVIA

Autonomous Systems | Drone Superpower Ambitions and Remote Control

13:30 - 13:45

Military mass production: how Europe can produce at an industrial scale?

Frédéric Montagard

CEO / Co-Founder of ALVEVM
FRANCE

13:45 - 14:35

When Seconds Matter: Are Cities Ready for Drones, 5G and Artificial Intelligence in Public Safety?

Viesturs Celmiņš

Managing Director of VEFRESH
LATVIA

Gints Jakovels

Solutions Manager, Computer vision & Mobility of LMT
LATVIA

Lauris Labanovskis

Head of Radio Spectrum Monitoring Unit of Electronic Communications Office of Latvia
LATVIA

Kristaps Niedols

Urban Mobility Expert of Riga City Council
LATVIA

Ilona Platonova

Lecturer and Programme Director at University of Latvia BA School of Business and Finance
LATVIA

Infrastructure Resilience

14:35 - 14:50

Ground Zero: When Terrestrial Infrastructure Fails, What Does Space Actually Replace?

Robert Aare

Industry Liaison Officer of Enterprise Estonia
ESTONIA

14:50 - 15:05

The Invisible Infrastructure: How Thermal Intelligence Reveals What Europe Can't Afford to Miss

Max Gulde

CEO of constellr
GERMANY

15:05 - 15:20

Beyond the Grid: The Defence Energy Architecture Europe Hasn't Built Yet

Niclas Lehnert

CEO / Reserve Officer of PULSETRAIN / German Federal Armed Forces
Germany

15:20 - 15:50

Networking break

Cybersecurity & Critical Infrastructure | Europe Under Attack: From Threat Reality to System Response

15:50 - 16:05

Europe's AI Sovereignty Bet — data infrastructure, computing power, and what Europe's distinct regulatory path means for global competitiveness

Sébastien Garnault

President at Paris Cyber Summit
FRANCE

Space Tech -> Military Adoption | Satellites, Autonomy, and the Dual-Use Dividend

16:05 - 16:20

Built for the Moon, Needed on Earth: Autonomy at the Edge of the Possible

Sotirios Zormpas

Technology Development Manager at Lunar Outpost EU
LUXEMBOURG

16:20 - 16:35

How Nuclear Waste Can Save Military Satellites and Lunar Exploration

Mihails Ščepanskis

CEO / Founder of Deep Space Energy
LATVIA

16:35 - 16:55

From GPS to Doctrine: What Europe Can Learn from America's Space-Defence Playbook

Mihails Ščepanskis

CEO / Founder of Deep Space Energy
LATVIA

John Shattuck

Founder at Shattuck Advisory
CZECH REPUBLIC

Semiconductors in Warfare | How Chips Decide Modern Conflict

16:55 - 17:10

The Chip War Is Real: How Semiconductors Decide Modern Warfare

Benjamin Wolba

Co-Founder at European Defense Tech Hub
GERMANY

17:10 - 17:30

Can Europe Build the Chips It Needs to Defend Itself?

Benjamin Wolba

Co-Founder at European Defense Tech Hub
GERMANY

Jerzy Baratowicz

Distribution Manager Eastern Europe of Infineon Technologies
POLAND

Sandis Šrāders

Director of Defence Innovation at Riga Technical University
LATVIA

Quantum Computing in Defence | Architecture, Readiness, and Europe's Scalability Gap

17:30 - 17:45

The Architecture Problem: Quantum Computing, Defence Readiness, and Europe's Scalability Gap

Stefan Schmid

Head of Technology Partnerships at ParityQC
AUSTRIA

18:30 - 20:00

Dinner

13:00 - 13:05

Introduction

Egija Gailuma

Co-Founder of Engycell
LATVIA

High-Stakes Communication with Jeff Cabili

13:05 - 13:35

Beyond the Slide: The Art of Founder Presence

Jeff Cabili

Standford University / Principal / Founder of How2Captivate
USA

Startup Pitch Competition Semi-Finals

Jury Panel

Povilas Zinys

Director of Plug and Play Tech Center
LITHUANIA

Lucas Rodriguez

Former CEO of CerSci Therapeutics / Alacrita Consulting
USA

Caroline Sevier

Head of European Rearmament and Readiness at Airbus Defence and Space
SPAIN

Zane Caune

Partner at EY
LATVIA

Aiga Irmeja

Chair of the Board at Latvian IT Cluster / EDIH
LATVIA

13:35 - 14:25

Heal the Future: MedTech & BioTech Pitch Arena

14:30 - 15:20

Built for Battle: DefenceTech Pitch Arena

15:45 - 16:35

Intelligence Unleashed: AI Infrastructure Pitch Arena

16:35 - 17:25

Wild Cards: The Cross-Sector Deep Tech Pitch Arena

17:25 - 17:55

Flip the Script: Investor Reverse Pitches

Kadi-Ingrid Lilles

Partner of Iron Wolf Capital
ESTONIA

Adams Adamovičs

Manager of ESA BIC Latvia
LATVIA

Stefano Paleari

President / Professor at Anthem Foundation / University of Bergamo
ITALY

Isabel Zhang

Investor of HCVC
UK

Matīss Neimanis

Partner of Buildit
LATVIA

Egita Poļanska

General Partner of Outlast Fund
LATVIA

Michael Baczyk

Investor at Heartcore Capital
DENMARK

Daren Wilson

Founder - CEO at HealthSeed AG
SWITZERLAND

Ieva Treija

Editor of Labs of Latvia, co-founder of Finday.lv, communication practitioner, and enthusiast

17:55 - 18:00

The Final Ten: Finalist Announcement

18:30 - 20:00

Dinner

11:00 - 12:30

Asia - Europe Deep Tech Roundtable

Ilona Guļčaka

General Manager of Commercialization Reactor
LATVIA

Hayata Okubo

Senior Manager of Plug and Play Japan
JAPAN

Kohei Aihara

General Manager of Metal One UK
UK

Takenori Kumagai

Senior Manager at JX Advanced Metals Corporation
GERMANY

Oliver Hasse

Managing Director of Innovation Network for Advanced Materials
GERMANY

@DTA, Minox (invite only)

EIC & EIT: The Power Duo for Deep Tech Growth

12:30 - 14:00

EIC & EIT: From Opportunities to Real Impact in Deep Tech

Marija Plotniece

Senior Expert at Latvian Council of Science / Horizon Europe NCP
LATVIA

Stéphane Ouaki

Head of Department of European Innovation Council and SME’s Executive Agency (EISMEA)
BELGIUM

Izabel Alfany

European Head of Ecosystem Management at EIT Health
SPAIN

Alīna Dolmate

EIT Community Officer Latvia at Riga Technical University
LATVIA

Jekaterina Romanova

CEO / Founder of PrintyMed
LATVIA

Annija Emersone

CEO / Co-Founder of P-Agro Minerals
LATVIA

@DTA

Horizon Europe: Your Pathway to Health & Dual-Use Funding

14:00 - 14:45

Health & Dual-Use: Horizon Europe Innovation Pathways

Jānis Ancāns

Senior Expert at Horizon Europe National Contact Point
LATVIA

Ingrīda Lavrinoviča

Senior Expert at Latvian Council of Science / Horizon Europe NCP
LATVIA

Marija Plotniece

Senior Expert at Latvian Council of Science / Horizon Europe NCP
LATVIA

@DTA

Latvia’s Deep Tech Roadmap

15:00 - 15:45

Investors Guide to Latvian Deeptech Ecosystem

Kadi-Ingrid Lilles

Partner of Iron Wolf Capital
ESTONIA

Eduards Ritums

Project Manager at Startin.lv
LATVIA

Matīss Neimanis

Partner of Buildit
LATVIA

@DTA

15:00 - 17:30

Riga Bio Bridge

Magdalena Kulczycka

International Cooperation lead at Waclaw Dabrowski Institute of Agriculture and Food Biotechnology
POLAND

@DTA, Minox

16:00 - 18:00

From Validated Tech to First European Revenue: Building a Commercialization Roadmap That Survives Contact with Reality

Daren Wilson

Founder - CEO at HealthSeed AG
SWITZERLAND

18:30 - 20:00