Gintarė Verbickaitė-Bačiulienė, CEO of Unicorns Lithuania, responds:
1. What is the primary activity and mission of Unicorns Lithuania?
Unicorns Lithuania is the Lithuanian Startup Association. Our mission is to unite and encourage startups and society to create the future of Lithuania as a successful, modern state based on a high-value-added economy. Our vision is to make Lithuania the best place in the world for unicorns. We operate in four main directions:
Building the community. We bring together the startup community, share experiences and insights, and provide a platform that helps startups grow faster and address various issues together.
Enhancing value. We expand the visibility and recognition of the startup ecosystem’s activities and value, representing startup positions in relationships with institutions, interest groups, and partners.
Inspiring and motivating. Through public projects and initiatives, we aim to encourage the creation of successful startups, expand the job market, and increase the supply of talent within the country while also attracting talent from abroad.
Driving change. We represent startup positions in decision-making processes and contribute to activities and projects that promote positive changes and breakthroughs in the country's education system and business promotion.
2. How would you best describe your team and internal culture?
Our work is not confined by office walls, but it’s great to have a space where we can focus and work productively, as well as invite other members of the startup ecosystem or partners to meet. Within the association, we use a hybrid work model. We aim for balance, choosing what works best for each situation, ensuring everyone has the freedom to choose how they work most comfortably.
3. What recent achievements or lessons learned would you like to share?
Unicorns Lithuania was founded in 2021 by seven leading startups: Vinted, Tesonet, KiloHealth, Hostinger, Bored Panda, Omnisend, and Tech zity. In just three years, the association has grown to include over 110 tech companies, representing nearly half of all tech workers in Lithuania. We’ve built a community where businesses collaborate, sharing knowledge, contacts, and solutions.
The startup sector in Lithuania has also grown rapidly. Today, there are around 1,000 active startups employing 18,000 people. In 2023, startups contributed €372 million in taxes and attracted €292.3 million in investments. The value of Lithuania’s startup ecosystem has grown sevenfold since 2018, reaching €13.7 billion. Our goal is to make the tech sector the main driver of Lithuania’s economy, with initiatives like "4 Percent" and the "National IT Exam."
4. What does your typical workday look like, and how do Workland solutions meet your organization’s needs?
We bring together the startup community, sharing insights to help businesses grow faster. We also represent their interests with institutions and partners, while contributing to positive changes in education and business development. Workland provides a great community and responds quickly to our needs. Its convenient location helps us plan meetings, and the high-quality services let us focus on work without worrying about office management.
5. What inspires and motivates you to pursue your goals?
I’m inspired by the desire to contribute to building a successful future for Lithuania, driving necessary changes, and bringing like-minded people together to achieve common goals. The fact that the Unicorns Lithuania community not only contributes to the growth of the startup ecosystem but also to important changes for our country, like educational and social initiatives, is incredibly powerful! I’m happy to dedicate my energy and time to such important work.
6. What businesses would you encourage to join the Workland community?
I believe Workland spaces are perfect for freelancers, startups, or small business teams. The convenient locations, the ability to focus on direct work, and a workspace without extra worries are very important advantages!
