From Startups to Scaling Global Innovation in Lithuania and Beyond | Innovantage Podcast #40

Episode notes

Building a startup is a series of tests you don’t see coming until you fail one. In this episode, Max sits down with Povilas Žinys , Director of Plug and Play tech center in the Baltics, working with startups from Pre-Seed to Series B and helping founders prepare for the realities of venture-scale growth. They unpack what separates scalable companies from “busy” startups that never break through — the 2026 landscape founders are walking into, how investors filter opportunities, and what it really takes to go global from Lithuania and the Baltics. What you’ll hear in this conversation: ️ What startup accelerators actually do for founders ️ The toughest startup challenges founders face in 2026 ️ Why investors back teams before ideas ️ The thinking behind the “90% fail” reality ️ Older founders and the edge experience can create ️ Unfair advantage that’s real, not branding ️ What’s missing in Lithuania’s startup ecosystem ️ Going global faster and avoiding common traps