Estonian startups bring home awards from Deep Tech Atelier
RIGA — Estonian deeptech companies secured victories at the Deep Tech Atelier 2026 pitching competition, capturing top category awards and prominent corporate prizes at the Baltic region's flagship deep-tech event.
The conference, which concluded this week, drew more than 2,300 registered participants representing 69 countries. The annual gathering brings together startups, investors, scientists, and innovation enthusiasts to highlight the region's expanding deeptech ecosystem.
Following a rigorous selection process that narrowed the field from 35 semi-finalists down to 10 finalists, Estonian ventures took first place in two of the competition's four core industry categories.
Category Winners and Strategic Backing
In the MedTech category, Estonian startup Asvel claimed the top prize. Meanwhile, Tallinn-based PowerUP Energy Technologies secured the victory in the DefenceTech category following a winning presentation on stage by Fomo.Observer's co-founder Tarmo Virki.
The remaining two categorical victories were split between Baltic neighbours. Lithuania-based Diawiser took home the top spot for the Artificial Intelligence (AI) category, and Latvia’s Naco Technologies won the Cross-sector track.
The four winners received a suite of commercial prizes and strategic scale-up support provided by professional services firm EY, law firm Cobalt Law, and management consultancy Civitta.
In addition to the main category titles, international corporate partners and venture capital platforms distributed targeted enterprise awards to specific finalists.
PowerUP Energy Technologies doubled its haul, securing a joint special award from EuroQuity-Bpifrance and European Defence Week.
Estonian startup Snoika founder Anton Vedešin, ex-Vespia, received an award from the RIZZ® Group.
The event organisers characterised the atmosphere as a milestone for regional integration, noting that the "conference days were filled with technology, startup pitches, investors, networking, packed venues, and an energy that could be felt throughout the entire conference."
Deep Tech Atelier will return next year on April 15–16.
