Why Riga is a Melting pot between East and West — attracting startup talent to the Baltics, Andris Berzins

By @SimonCocking. Interesting interview with one of the moderators for the upcoming Riga Venture Summit event in Latvia.  Andris K. Berzins Veteran exec in two $100m+ startup exits. Co-founder @TechHubRiga. @Stanfordbiz grad in Europe. Advisor and board member for startups

What is your background?

I have been working in this area for a long time, involved in startups, also at the C-level executive position for startups that have gone all the way to large exits. This includes one that was a big sale to Black and Decker, and another that managed live bookings.  So I have good experience with larger startups, I’ve founded some and also invested, and been an angel investor too.

What is your role at RVS?

I will be moderating this panel on Start-up hubs – Baltic cities competing for global smart capital and global attention.

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What is your own background?

My parents are Latvian, we moved to Australia, I then lived in London, the States, and am now back in Latvia,

What is the relationship between TechHubRiga and TechHub, and what does TechHubRiga do?

We’re a branch of the London organisation. We have mentoring, an informal network of mentors, and help educate startups regarding the events we run. This is our biggest event, but we also run monthly meetups, training evenings such as the pitch training.

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What is hot in Latvia in terms of startups?

Fintech, because banking is strong relative to size of economy, so it is logical that it would do well. As well as this B2B, does well because they are able to do business with companies from all over Europe and the world too.

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What are you excited about in terms of the Latvian startup scene?

We now have a more mature ecosystem, with many great teams here. Five years ago things were very small, and you knew everyone. Now there are many people that I’ve never heard of, who are emerging with exciting new ideas and companies so it has got a lot bigger.

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