From Stockholm to Riga, Outlast Fund launches €21M fund to back founders in it for the long game
Outlast Fund, a Baltic-Nordic VC fund, has closed its first fund at 21M EUR to invest in pre-seed and seed-stage startups from the region. The fund is based in Riga and Stockholm, and aims to be the first cheque in backing founders building solutions that are built to last, with initial pre-seed tickets of up to 250,000 EUR and 1.5M EUR seed rounds.
The fund goes against the grain in the investment environment, eschewing typical VC advice to prioritize quick exits. Rather, they look to scour the edges to uncover the most promising founders in the Baltics and Nordics, and are prepared to invest in them at the earliest stages to help them build enduring companies.
The fund is particularly keen to keep an eye out for serial entrepreneurs with a proven track record, ready to back them as early as the idea stage. Outlast Fund also invests in first-time founders who possess unique and specific insights within their chosen verticals. However, a trait that they look for in all cases is an obsessive drive to solve their customers’ most pressing problems. Regardless of whether the founders are better suited for building lean teams with the help of angels, microfunds, and syndicates, or if they are eyeing large rounds from the get-go, Outlast Fund is ready to support from the first cheque, rather than jumping in at the middle.
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Originally published on 18 Sep
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HYBRIT’s pilot project for hydrogen gas storage has now been completed and reported to the Swedish Energy Agency. The results show that it is technically possible to store fossil-free hydrogen gas for producing fossil-free iron and steel on an industrial scale. This can also reduce the variable operating costs of hydrogen production by up to 40 per cent.
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Originally published on 27 Feb
In the Estonian-Latvian border region, public transport services that once provided convenient travel options for residents of both countries have been absent for several decades. The ROCC project, supported by the Interreg Estonia-Latvia Programme 2021-2027, is now approaching a significant milestone—the launch of two pilot bus routes. The Valga-Valka and Ikla-Ainaži (Salacgrīva) bus lines are expected to begin operating in the spring of 2025, offering new mobility opportunities for border residents and travelers alike.
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Originally published on 25 Feb
OpenAI is proud to work with Estonia’s government on a world-first initiative to provide all students and teachers in the secondary school system with access to ChatGPT Edu, a version of ChatGPT customized for education systems, starting with 10th and 11th graders by September 2025.
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Originally published on 25 Feb
A new solution has emerged in Latvia’s defence technology sector: the unmanned ground platform developed by the Latvian startup Natrix is a universal, modular solution that can be adapted for various applications. Currently, the Natrix platform’s primary tasks are delivering ammunition and food to the frontline and on the return journey evacuating the wounded and deceased, thus significantly reducing the risk of casualties for rescuers who previously had to evacuate the injured manually.
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Originally published on 25 Feb
Are you a VR/AR/XR company or a game developer in Finland, Sweden or Estonia looking to accelerate your growth?
The CDG-Booster program invites you to an inclusive community of peers and industry experts to help your company speed up growth, avoid business pitfalls, save resources, find your strengths and learn how to exploit them.
Through this program, your company will become it’s next, improved version of itself and you will journey the path to become a smarter and better entrepreneur.
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Originally published on 21 Feb
Over the course of 2024, the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Investment Fund (EIF) continued to support Sweden’s economic development and climate initiatives through substantial investments.
The EIB Group’s financing during the year amounted to around SEK 22 billion, of which more than 60% went to climate measures and environmental sustainability. This money supported wind power, energy-efficient housing and industrial electrification, among other projects.
These investments are estimated to have kept 32 000 jobs in Sweden.
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Originally published on 20 Feb
In the Rail Baltica project, envisioned as a seamless corridor stretching from Warsaw to Tallinn, Poland plays a crucial role as a strategic partner, serving as the gateway connecting Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia with the broader European rail network. While work on Rail Baltica has been progressing in all three Baltic countries, with 43% of the mainline expected to be construction-ready and actively under development by the end of this year, the Polish section has also experienced continuous development for several years.
Rail Baltica team recently conducted a visit to Poland to assess modernization efforts and observe the progress of the railway line that will connect Poland to the Lithuanian border.
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Originally published on 24 Feb
LIAA will carry out the project “Agri-Biocircular-Hub: Center of Excellence for Smart Agriculture and Circular Bioeconomy Towards a Sustainable Agri-Food Sector in Enlargement Countries.” The project will be implemented over a four-year period, from 2025 to 2029. LIAA’s 2023-2029 strategy focuses on fostering knowledge-intensive business, export growth, and investment attraction, with an emphasis on smart specialization strategy (RIS3) areas.
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Originally published on 21 Feb
The Hola 5G Oulu project has announced the successful launch of its private 5G standalone (SA) network at Oulu University Hospital, marking Europe’s first private 5G network in a functioning hospital. This achievement has the potential to revolutionise healthcare with advanced technology. The project, a collaboration between Pohjois-Pohjanmaan hyvinvointialue Pohde, Boldyn Networks, WICOAR Technologies, Oulu University Hospital, and the University of Oulu, aims to enhance patient care and operational efficiency through secure, high-capacity connectivity.
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Originally published on 19 Feb
Pactum AI, an Estonian startup focusing on autonomous negotiation technology, has been named the winner of DIGITALEUROPE’s prestigious Future Unicorn Award for 2025. The company was recognised at DIGITALEUROPE’s Masters of Digital conference in Brussels for its innovative AI platform that automates complex business negotiations.
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Originally published on 20 Feb