Startup BBQ 2026: 10 Years of Bringing the Startup Community Together

Ten years ago, Startup BBQ started with one grill and a handful of founders.

The idea was simple: bring people from the startup ecosystem together in an informal setting, without the usual conference barriers.

In 2026, we celebrated the 10th Startup BBQ, bringing together more than 1,200 founders, investors, ecosystem organisations, partners and friends from Latvia and around the world in Riga.

The event has grown. The idea behind it hasn’t.

From the community, for the community.

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Pictures here: HERE

Where founders meet investors — without the conference feeling

This year, representatives from at least 15 international investment funds joined Startup BBQ, giving Latvian founders the opportunity to meet investors, start conversations and build relationships throughout the day.

Some meetings were planned. Many weren’t.

And that is a big part of what Startup BBQ is about.

A founder can meet an investor in front of the stage, while waiting at one of the grills, or through an introduction from someone they met ten minutes earlier.

It’s networking without forcing networking.

Seven grills, one community

The BBQ itself remains at the heart of the event — not because of the food, but because of who is behind the grills.

This year, startups and ecosystem organisations took over seven grills, cooking more than 300 kg of food for everyone attending.

It’s a small tradition that says a lot about the event: people don’t just come to Startup BBQ as guests. They help create it.

Around the grills there was stage content, live music, dancing, activities and hundreds of conversations happening at the same time.

But there was no strict line between speakers, founders, investors, partners and attendees.

For one day, everyone was simply part of the same community.

Ten years later

Going from one grill and a few founders to more than 1,200 people from different countries is something we’re incredibly proud of.

But numbers are only part of the story.

The real measure of Startup BBQ is harder to put into a spreadsheet: the introduction that leads to an investment, the founder who meets their next partner, the person who discovers the Latvian startup ecosystem for the first time, or simply the feeling of seeing so much of the community in one place.

After ten years, that is still why we do it.

A huge thank you to our partners, supporters, volunteers, startups, investors and every person who showed up and contributed to Startup BBQ 2026.

Startup BBQ is made by the community, for the community.