The annual "Investor of the Year" ceremony was held with the support of Signet Bank

On March 27, Riga hosted the annual flagship event of the investment sector, “Investor of the Year,” during which the most significant investors, deals, and drivers of the sector’s development in Latvia over the past year were honored at a formal ceremony. The event brought together investors, venture capital funds, private equity representatives, as well as financial and legal consultants.

“Investor of the Year” is a joint initiative of the Latvian Business Angels Network (LatBAN) and the Latvian Venture Capital Association (LVCA), launched in 2015. Its goal is to strengthen the investment culture, highlight best practices, and promote access to capital for Latvian companies.

Signet Bank closed out 2025 with its best-ever financial results, which allow us to engage even more actively in the development of Latvia’s venture capital ecosystem. We see our role not only in providing financing, but also in connecting investors and entrepreneurs, helping ambitious local companies attract capital for future business growth,

says Roberts Idelsons, Signet Bank CEO.

During the ceremony, awards were presented in several categories, recognizing both large-scale institutional deals and the contributions of private investors to the startup ecosystem.

Winners of the “Investor of the Year” award:

• Investment of the Year: Accession Capital Partners for the “Project Nest” transaction, in which Agrova International acquired 100% of the shares in the British company Sunrise Eggs, significantly expanding the Latvian company’s operations in Europe.
• Exit of the Year: ZGI Capital for its exit from Echoo Group, which was sold to the international market leader Nordomatic, demonstrating the ability of Latvian companies to successfully integrate into global markets.
• Best Syndicated Investment: ASP Asset Management AIFP for organizing the LatBAN syndicated investment in “Tournated.” Within a year, the company’s valuation increased from 3.3 million euros to 15 million euros, making it one of the fastest-growing examples in the Baltic startup ecosystem.
• Business Angel of the Year: Ansis Spridzāns, who has actively structured syndicated investments and fostered investor collaboration by coordinating several deals in Latvian startups.
• Signet Bank Special Award “Institutional Investor of the Year”: Luminor Asset Management, which has significantly increased its investments in Latvian assets, reaching €1.08 billion in assets under management and demonstrating a significant contribution to the development of the local capital market.
• Sustainability Award: Outlast Fund for its investment in Deep Space Energy, a company developing innovative energy solutions for extreme conditions that has garnered international attention, including from NATO.
• Financial Advisor of the Year: Oaklins Latvia, which advised on several major transactions, including the €40 million acquisition of Agrova International in the United Kingdom.
• Legal Advisor of the Year: Sorainen for its work on major and complex transactions in the Baltic region, including the €1.3 billion acquisition of Rimi Baltic.
• Porsche Latvia Special Award: Entrepreneur and investor Antons Sapriko, who invested in more than 20 startups in the Baltics last year, actively promoting the region’s international growth.

Attention was also focused on the industry’s pioneers and supporters. Mārtiņš Mellēns was named Industry Supporter of the Year (for his active involvement in education and training programs), while the Long-Term Industry Supporter Award went to Kristīne Bērziņa, whose work over the years has made a significant contribution to the development of the private and venture capital sectors in Latvia.

The event also featured a high-level discussion on the development of Latvia’s investment environment. Representatives from the government and the financial sector emphasized the crucial importance of capital availability, export potential, and international competitiveness for the country’s economic growth.

The year 2025 has been significant in that the general public – not just financial professionals – has begun to recognize that investments in startups are an asset class worth considering when building an investment portfolio. A direct result of this is the high level of interest in the training sessions organized by LatBAN and the growth in membership. Another very significant development is the growing collaboration between the Baltic ecosystems, which had previously been isolated, as well as a substantial increase in cooperation within the Latvian startup ecosystem itself. There is now a clear understanding that all ecosystem participants share a common goal – to attract more capital for the growth of promising Baltic startups,

comments Ansis Spridzāns, Chairman of the Board of LatBAN.

As the organizers emphasize, the “Investor of the Year” award once again confirms that an increasingly strong and mature investment ecosystem continues to develop in Latvia. Within this ecosystem, private and institutional investors, as well as the public sector, successfully collaborate, fostering not only the growth of individual companies but also the overall development of the national economy.

The event was organized with the support of trusted partners: Porsche Latvia, Signet Bank, the Riga Investment and Tourism Agency (RIGA), and ALTUM, which supports the event with co-financing from the European Regional Development Fund.

More about the event and nominations: https://www.latban.lv/gada-investors