Want to build a startup but don’t know where to start?
Founders’ Handbook is a free, six-week incubation program by Baltic Sandbox for aspiring and early-stage founders. Six practical workshops, experienced mentors and a community of people at exactly your stage, from first idea to first real steps.
Sound familiar?
If you’ve thought any of these, this program is for you.
“I have an idea, but no clue if anyone actually needs it.”
“I’ve never sold anything in my life.”
“I don’t know how to find the right people to build this with.”
“Investors, funding, rounds… it all sounds like another language.”
“My idea comes from research, and I don’t know how to turn it into a business.”
“I freeze up when I have to explain what I’m building.”
No company yet? Come anyway.
You don’t need a registered company, a team or a finished product. Join as a free listener: come to every workshop and request one-on-one mentorship. Registering a company soon? Talk to us about joining as an official participant team.
The program
Six workshops. Six steps forward.
One workshop a week, led by people who have built, sold, funded and pitched startups themselves. In-person sessions take place at Lighthouse Hub, Liepų g. 83, Klaipėda.
Fundraising
Online
Matas Ramanauskas · LinkedIn ↗
Former venture capital Investment Manager at Coinvest Capital who led 32 early-stage deals worth €30M as a VC. With a background in Big Four advisory and finance degrees from ISM and VILNIUS TECH, he now helps early-stage founders get investor-ready.
Sales and psychology
In person · Lighthouse Hub
Eglė Čiuoderienė · LinkedIn ↗
Chief Partnerships Officer at Vital3D Technologies and founder of Duevo, with 17 years across business, innovation and technology. A European expert evaluator who has reviewed 200+ proposals, she helps deep tech, MedTech and biotech companies take innovation to market.
Market analysis and neuromarketing
In person · Lighthouse Hub
Indrė Razbadauskaitė-Venskė · LinkedIn ↗
Marketing strategist and lecturer in consumer behaviour, branding and neuromarketing at ISM and LCC International University, and co-founder of a neuromarketing research lab.
Team engineering
In person · Lighthouse Hub
Dr. Linas Jonušauskas · LinkedIn ↗
Co-founder of Vital3D Technologies and former Chief Scientific Officer at Femtika, with a PhD from Vilnius University in laser 3D micro- and nanofabrication. Now at Lithuania’s Ministry of the Economy and Innovation, and an advisor and evaluator for incubators, the EU and BSV Ventures.
Commercialisation of science
Online
Dominykas Milašius · LinkedIn ↗
Deep tech entrepreneur and investor with a decade of strategic and geopolitical risk advisory across EMEA. Co-founder of drug-discovery startup Delta biosciences and Venture Partner at BSV Ventures, where he scouts dual-use founders.
Pitching and public speaking
Online
Richard Donovan · LinkedIn ↗
Business English and communication coach from Boston and founder of The Language Café, with more than five years of international teaching and coaching experience. He works with accelerators and innovation organisations, recently including STARTPLATZ Cologne, to help founders pitch clearly and confidently in English.
What you get
We don’t hand out money. We hand you the people who’ve done it.
Six practical workshops
Hands-on sessions on fundraising, sales, market analysis, building a team, turning research into a business, and pitching.
One-on-one mentorship
Stuck on something specific? Anyone can request a mentor, participant team or listener.
- Tell us the problem you’re facing.
- We find the right mentor and connect you.
- You agree on a format together.
- We prepare the documents, you sign.
- Your mentorship begins.
A wide mentor network
Access to Baltic Sandbox’s pool of founders, investors, scientists and specialists.
People at your stage
Build alongside other first-time founders working through the same questions you are.
How to join
Two ways in. Both free.
Official participant team
Your company needs to meet both conditions:
- It is no more than 5 years old.
- Its legal entity is registered anywhere in Lithuania outside the Vilnius region, or it can move its registered address there.
The training is fully funded under the de minimis rule.
Free listener
No requirements. Come to the workshops, learn from the mentors, meet the cohort and request one-on-one mentorship.
Right for you if you don’t have a company yet, your company is registered in the Vilnius region, or you simply want to learn.
Everyone applies through the same form
Apply on F6S. It takes a few minutes.
We confirm your spot and send you the details before kick-off.
Join the first workshop on Monday, 19 October.
FAQ
Questions you might have
Is it really free?
Yes. The program is co-funded by the European Union and financed under the de minimis rule. Neither participants nor listeners pay a fee.
I don’t have a company yet. Can I join?
Yes, as a free listener. If you’re about to register a company outside the Vilnius region, get in touch about joining as an official participant.
I’m not a founder. Can I join?
Yes. The program is open to anyone on a startup team, not only founders.
Our company is registered in the Vilnius region. Can we still join?
Yes. Join as a free listener, or move your company’s registered address outside the Vilnius region and join as an official participant team.
What does “de minimis” mean for my company?
If you join as an official participant team, the value of the training is recorded as de minimis aid to your company: small-scale State aid that EU rules allow up to €300,000 per company over three years. It costs you nothing.
Do I have to come to Klaipėda?
Some workshops are in person at Lighthouse Hub and others are online. The schedule above shows which is which.
What language are the workshops in?
English.
Does Baltic Sandbox invest in participants?
No. The program doesn’t come with funding. Its value is in the mentors, the one-on-one mentorship and a solid foundation for whatever comes next.
Why Baltic Sandbox
Built around people who’ve done it.
Baltic Sandbox is an innovation and startup support organisation that runs acceleration, pre-acceleration and incubation programs in Lithuania, with past cohorts in deep tech, life sciences, AI, B2B SaaS and HealthTech.
A wide mentor network
Founders, investors, scientists and specialists you learn from directly, not from a textbook.
Mentorship matched to you
One-on-one sessions with world-class experts, matched to the problem you’re actually facing.
Built outside the capital
Programs in Kaunas, Klaipėda and other regions of Lithuania, so you don’t have to move to Vilnius for top-level support.
The investor’s view
We’re affiliated with BSV Ventures, an early-stage fund, and several of our mentors are on its team. You learn how investors think from people who make the decisions.
Your startup doesn’t have to be ready. You just have to start.
Applications are open until the program starts on 19 October 2026.
Apply now →Questions? Write to Augustas, Program Manager: augustas@balticsandbox.com
Co-funded by the European Union. Financed under the de minimis rule.