Lithuania is launching a first specialised EdTech accelerator

Lithuania has launched its first specialised edtech accelerator, Edu Challenger.

It is also one of the few accelerators targeting EdTech innovation in Europe and addressing a growing demand for expert services. The accelerator will support 30+ startups throughout 3 batches. Edu Challenger seeks startups with traction that are looking to increase their sales, enter new markets, and attract investment and is open to startups from all over the world.

The launch of the Edu Challenger accelerator in Lithuania is an important step in fostering innovation in education in our country and across the globe.

This programme will provide a unique opportunity for startups to grow their businesses, access international markets and attract investment, resulting in economic growth and a stronger innovation ecosystem in Lithuania.

Startups selected for the programme will be eligible for the grants of 39 thousand EUR and 59 thousand EUR provided by the Innovation Agency.
says Minister of Economy and Innovation Aušrinė Armonaitė.

The launch of the Edu Challenger accelerator creates unique opportunities for our startups. We are thrilled that the programme will offer financial support for developing and growing startup solutions and open doors to international markets and investment opportunities.

The startups will be eligible to receive the first instalment of the grant when they start the programme and the rest of the grant – upon completion. Three programme participants will also be able to raise an additional 42 thousand EUR in investment, and the strongest teams will get an additional 24 thousand EUR.

It is important to note that to be eligible to receive this financial support, startups must be registered in Vilnius.
says Karolina Urbonaitė, the Head of Startup Lithuania 

The accelerator programme will consist of thematic workshops, individual mentoring, and sessions with other startups, investors, potential clients, and corporates. It will last 12 weeks, and the first batch will commence in November. Startups will receive a physical workspace and must attend the sessions in Vilnius.

The accelerator will have 3 batches in total, each with 10-15 startups. All activities will be concluded by the end of March 2026. The EC Recovery and Resilience Facility funds the programme under the Next Generation EU.

Startup Lithuania, a division of the Innovation Agency Lithuania, international advisory and digital company Civitta, and Finnish ed-tech accelerator xEdu will run the Edu Challenger accelerator.

Startup Lithuania is the national facilitator of the startup ecosystem, connecting fast-growing businesses, venture capital funds, accelerators, startup-friendly enterprises, and the government. Lithuanian startups are worth over 9.5 billion EUR, and the ecosystem has more than 1,000 startups and employs 17 thousand talents.

Civitta has been running business support programmes for more than 12 years. It has supported 1200+ startups, including Bolt, Slido, and Nanoavionics as clients, and has helped startups attract more than 1.3 BN EUR investment.

xEdu is a founding member of European Edtech Alliance and Baltic & Nordic hosting partner of Global Edtech Startup Awards. xEdu has been also hosting the official Edtech side event of Slush since 2017. They have supported over 100 startups that collectively raised over 50 MN EUR in investment.

We see a huge demand for a specialised edtech accelerator in the market.

Education, be it secondary, tertiary, lifelong learning or professional training and development, is a massive industry that can benefit from new technology, such as AI, VR, and machine learning, and create new models of immersive learning.

We hope to bring such solutions to fruition through the accelerator programme.
says Jurga Mečinskienė, associate partner at Civitta leading the accelerator.