About the Program
A comprehensive 18-week pre-acceleration journey by Startup House Riga to help aspiring founders build the mindset, skills, and support network needed to launch a scalable startup.
Why Apply?
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18 weeks of structured startup training
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Build the mindset and skills to launch a scalable startup
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1-on-1 mentorship from founders and industry experts
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Real-world validation and pitch practice
Program Overview
The 18-week (split into 2 parts) pre-acceleration program by Startup House Riga is designed to equip aspiring founders with the skills, mindset, and support to launch a scalable startup. Structured in two parts, the program combines online learning with in-person bootcamps and networking events, offering hands-on training, expert mentorship, and real-world validation.
Your Commitment
Participants are expected to commit a minimum of 20 hours per week, working independently and within their teams to develop, test, and pitch their startup ideas.
February 5 - March 14, 2026
Part 1 is about laying the foundation. You’ll learn startup fundamentals, develop your skills, test your ideas and connect with potential co-founders. By the end, you'll form a team and be ready to apply for Part 2.
What You’ll Do:
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Learn startup fundamentals and tech trends
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Develop your entrepreneurial skills
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Pitch ideas and meet potential teammates
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Join on-site networking events and hands-on bootcamps
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Define your solution and prototype your idea
Who is this for?
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Solo or in the very early stages of forming a team
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Curious about entrepreneurship and startup opportunities
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Looking to validate a problem or idea
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Open to joining or building an innovative team
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Week 1
Feb 5, 18:00-20:00 Program Kick-off | Online
Feb 6, 18:00-20:00 Lecture on Creativity Culture | Online
Week 2
Feb 12, 18:00-20:00 Lecture on Trends & Ideation | Online
Feb 13 18:00-22:00 Idea-Pitch Night | Onsite
Week 3
Feb 17, 18:00-20:00, Checkpoint #1 | Online
Feb 19, 18:00-20:00 Lecture “Founding Co-founders and building teams” | Online
Feb 20, 18:00-20:00 lecture about Project Management Tools | Online
Week 4
Feb 26, 18:00-20:00, Discovery Bootcamp Day 1 | Onsite
Feb 27, 10:00-17:00 Discovery Bootcamp Day 2 | Onsite
Feb 28, 10:00-17:00 Discovery Bootcamp Day 3 | Onsite
Week 5
March 3, 18:00-20:00, Checkpoint #2
March 5, 18:00-20:00, Learn Startup 1
March 6, 18:00-20:00, Learn Startup 2
Week 6
March 12, 18:00-20:00, Validation Bootcamp Day 1 | Onsite
March 13, 10:00-17:00 Validation Bootcamp Day 2 | Onsite
March 14, 10:00-17:00 Validation Bootcamp Day 3 | Onsite
April 1 - June 17, 2026
In the following 12 weeks, you'll reapply with your formed team for idea pre-acceleration.You’ll develop your MVP, work directly with mentors, test your market, and prepare to pitch at Demo Day.
What You’ll Do:
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Validate and develop your concept into an investable business model.
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Match with experienced startup and industry mentors
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Learn legal, marketing, and fundraising essentials
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Pitch at Demo Day in front of investors & the startup community
Who is this for?
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Teams with at least two co-founders
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Working on a real, meaningful problem
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Begun validating the solution or built an early prototype
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Ambitious to scale and eager to grow through mentorship
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Week 1
April 1, Pre-Accelerator Kick off & Program Info 18:00-20:00 | Online
Week 2
April 7, Checkpoint 1 18:00-20:00 | online
April 8, Mentor and Startup matchmaking 18:00-21:00 | In person
April 9, Lecture on Usability & Product 18:00-20:00 | Online
Week 3
April 15, Topic Mentoring (Usability & Product), 18:00-20:00 | Online
April 16, Topic Mentoring (Usability & Product),18:00-20:00 | Online
Week 4
April 23-25 Product Development Sprint 10:00-18:00 | In person
Week 5
April 29, Program Mentoring | Online
April 30, Program Mentoring | Online
Week 6
May 5, Checkpoint 2 18:00-20:00 |Online
May 6, Lecture on Marketing 18:00-20:00 | Online
May 7, Lecture on Sales 18:00-20:00 | Online
Week 7
May 13, Topic Mentoring (Marketing & Sales), 18:00-20:00 | Sales
May14, Topic Mentoring (Marketing & Sales), 18:00-20:00 | Sales
Week 8
May 20, Lecture on IP & GDPR, 18:00-20:00 | Online
May 21, Lecture on Founders & Legal 18:00-20:00 | Online
Week 9
May 27, Topic Mentoring (IP, GDPR & Legal) 18:00-20:00 | Online
May 28, Topic Mentoring (IP, GDPR & Legal) 18:00-20:00 | Online
Week 10
June 3, Content on Funding 18:00-20:00 | Online
June 4, Content on Pitching 18:00-20:00 | Online
Week 11
June 9, Checkpoint 3 18:00-20:00 | Online
June 10, Topic Mentoring (Pitching) | Online
June 11, Topic Mentoring (Pitching) | Online
Week 12
Pitch Drills
June 17, Demo Day 17:00-21:00 | In Person
Key Dates
March 19
Online Q&A session
March 24
Application Deadline for Part 2
April 1
Online Kick-off of the Program Part 2
April 8
Mentor and Startup Matchmaking (in person)
April 23-25
Product Development Sprint (in person)
June 17
Demo Day
Team
Viesturs Sosārs
Program Director
Elīza ŠNEIDERE
Program Manager
Lecturers & Mentors
Viesturs Sosārs
TechHub Riga
Julia Gifford
Truesix
El'ina Bumbiere
Zuper
Mārtiņš Viļums
Abillio
Egita Poļanska
Startup House Riga
Līva Pērkone
Helve
Emil Syundyukov
Longenesis
Kaspars Kalnišs
xelo-fenders.com
Sigvards Krongorns
Verge HealthTech Fund
Līna Sarma
Intellify
Anna Andersone
Riga TechGirls & StartSchool
Mihails Ščepanskis
CENOS
Startup House Riga Pre-accelerator was the missing piece of a puzzle to take my startup idea to the next level. The program was a great opportunity to test each other's ambitions, skills, and work-ethic and now we continue to work together to bring Hospilly to the market.
Laura Lokmane, Founder of Hospilly
Pre-Accelerator Program is brought to you by the Ministry of Economics of the Republic of Latvia.
FAQ about the Pre-accelerator Program 2025
A: The pre-accelerator program is a hybrid of online and in-person activities.
Our previous experience shows that the better connected you are with your teammates, the more likely you’ll succeed in the program and in building your business. Therefore, we offer several in-person activities for participants to meet each other and work together. We suggest saving the in-person session times in your calendar:
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February 13 | Idea Pitch Night
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February 26-28 Discovery Bootcamp
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March 12-14 | Validation Bootcamp
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This question doesn't have a 'one size fits all' answer. It depends.
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For Part 1 (February - March) you need to have Latvian personal code in order to apply as this program is publicaly funded
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For Part 2 (April-June) the registered Team Lead has to have a Latvian personal code (personas kods) for us to register your de minimis support, teammates don't have this requirement as de minimis is calculated per team.
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If you have the personal code but aren't based in Latvia, we encourage you to travel here for the in-person bootcamps as you'll be missing out on some of the core activities;
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Part 1 is for individuals who want to find co-founders, join an existing team, or already have a team and are looking to develop their skills and validate an idea.
Part 2 is made specifically for early stage teams - that are either formed during the Part 1 or external.Yes, you can apply for Part 1. Program Part 2 is meant for already formed teams of 2 or more founders that are already working on a business idea
Yes, in Part 1 you can decide on which idea to work on. The program (Part 2) is a hands-on teamwork to develop one startup into an investable business.
The Part 1 of the program is individual application-based and focused on getting participants 'on the same page' by sharing some startup-related content and fostering team building.
For Part 2 we will evaluate the team, ambition of the idea and scalability of the business model.
No fees, participation is free of charge. The program is delivered with the support of the Ministry of Economics of Latvia. It means that we can sign the contract with individuals with a valid personal code (personas kods) of Latvia. Participants can't have tax debt and will have to comply with de minimis support rules.
Homework would only include tasks that you need to do for your business, no 'fake homeworks'.. As in - if you need to make e.g. a customer journey or stakeholder map, then you need to make it for your startup, not for the program.
Most of the content and live activities are planned outside 'work hours'- 18:00-20:00 EEST on weekdays and occasional Saturdays (e.g. February 28 and March 14)
We ask 75% attendance but it’s not a kindergarten and it’s us providing you support system to develop your company. If you need it, you take it, if you don’t, you don’t. Everyone is expected to be an adult in the room and to assess the needs and possibilities. We’re here to help.
No, we don't have any restrictions to what the participants are doing outside this program as long as you can commit to at least 75% of the session times in Pre-accelerator. The only limiting factor might be if you've used up all the de minimis support in Latvia but that is very unlikely.
We will let the applicants know that they have been accepted as soon as possible, will go through the applications as they come and reach out by January 27 (if you apply by January 26).
If you have any questions please refer to the Pre-accelerator Wiki page , contact us at preaccelerator@startuphouse.lv
