On 26 February 2026, the SKALE2CT project organised a regional event in Valmiera, Latvia, titled “Start-ups – The Next Level of Entrepreneurship Development in the Vidzeme Region.”

The event gathered representatives from public authorities, business support organisations, universities, start-up ecosystem actors and entrepreneurs to discuss how national policy instruments can better support start-up creation and scale-up in Vidzeme region.

The event contributed to the overall objective of SKALE2CT under Interreg Europe: improving regional development policies and instruments that foster innovation-driven entrepreneurship through interregional learning and exchange of good practices.

The programme opened with an introduction to the SKALE2CT project and examples of good practices from other European regions, demonstrating how coordinated ecosystems, structured support services and policy alignment can accelerate start-up growth beyond capital cities.

A high-level panel discussion addressed the opportunities and challenges of developing start-ups in regional areas. Representatives from the Ministry of Economics, Startin.LV, the Valmiera Development Agency, Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences and Ventspils University highlighted key policy-related aspects such as access to finance, mentoring structures, talent attraction and retention, cooperation between academia and business, and long-term strategic coordination. 

Special attention was given to the role of ecosystem-building organisations in strengthening regional start-up capacity. Startin.LV presented an overview of current trends in the Latvian start-up ecosystem, highlighting data-driven insights on start-up growth, investment dynamics and regional development gaps. 

TechChill shared its experience in fostering entrepreneurial mindset and international exposure through flagship events, acceleration initiatives and founder–investor matchmaking formats, demonstrating how ecosystem connectors contribute to scale-up potential. 

Ventspils University of Applied Sciences introduced its “Learn by Doing” approach to entrepreneurship education, showcasing how student-driven innovation centres and practical incubation models can stimulate start-up creation in regional contexts. Together, these contributions illustrated how coordinated action between national ecosystem leaders and regional academic institutions can strengthen policy impact and support sustainable start-up development beyond capital cities. 

Participants were also informed about national support instruments available to innovative and export-oriented SMEs, including incubation and grant schemes implemented by the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia (LIAA). These instruments demonstrate how policy frameworks can be translated into practical support measures contributing to regional competitiveness.

These instruments demonstrate how policy frameworks can be translated into practical support measures contributing to regional competitiveness.

An inspiring entrepreneurial perspective was provided by a technology founder active in AI and health-tech solutions, who shared experience in developing innovative products outside the capital region. The intervention underlined the importance of ecosystem collaboration, mentorship, networking opportunities and growth-oriented mindset in regional start-up environments.

The second part of the event consisted of a structured design thinking workshop facilitated by PowerHouse Latvia. Using a user-centred and participatory methodology, stakeholders identified bottlenecks within the Vidzeme startup ecosystem and prioritised concrete, implementable actions. Particular attention was given to identifying short-term “quick wins” and defining medium-term strategic steps to strengthen the regional startup support framework over the next three years. 

The results of the workshop will feed into the SKALE2CT regional policy learning process and contribute to the refinement of relevant policy instruments. The event reinforced multi-level cooperation and stakeholder engagement, both of which are essential elements of effective Interreg Europe implementation.

By fostering dialogue between policymakers, business support organisations and entrepreneurs, the Valmiera event marked an important step towards more coherent and effective startup support policies in the Vidzeme region.