One technology. Two markets.
Dual Use is a free pre-acceleration program by Baltic Sandbox for founders, innovators and early-stage teams developing technology with applications across civilian and defence sectors. Six practical workshops combining expert insight with hands-on work.
Sound familiar?
If you’ve thought any of these, this program is for you.
“Our engineering is strong, but we need to build the company around it.”
“Our tech came out of a lab, and turning it into a business feels like a different job.”
“I don’t know which investors would back a dual-use company.”
“We need to sell to two very different kinds of customers.”
“I’m not sure how to protect what we’ve built before we show it around.”
“I have to explain complex technology to people who aren’t engineers.”
Civilian tech today? Come anyway.
The program is also for teams exploring whether their technology could serve defence or other critical markets, not only those already selling there. Not eligible as a team? Join as a free listener: come to every workshop and request one-on-one mentorship.
The program
Six workshops. Six steps forward.
Six workshops across five weeks, led by founders, investors and specialists who work at the meeting point of science, business and defence. In-person sessions take place in Kaunas; the venue will be announced to registered participants.
Team engineering
In person · Kaunas
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
In person · Kaunas
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.
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 · Kaunas
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.
IP protection
Online
Diana Karyan · LinkedIn ↗
Startup lawyer specialising in venture capital, corporate and technology law, now at Salv and formerly Legal Officer and DPO at the accelerator Startup Wise Guys. Runs workshops for founders on IP portfolio management and GDPR compliance.
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 team engineering, commercialisation of science, fundraising, sales, IP protection 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.
Connections across ecosystems
Meet people from the startup, technology and defence communities.
A clear path to market
Identify and validate dual-use opportunities, understand customer needs in both markets and shape a viable business model.
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 your company is registered in the Vilnius region, you don’t have a company yet, or you’re curious about dual-use technology.
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 Thursday, 19 November.
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.
Our technology is civilian today. Is this still for us?
Yes. The program is also for teams exploring whether their technology could serve defence or other critical markets, not only those already selling there.
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 Kaunas?
Some workshops are in person in Kaunas 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 the connections into the startup, technology and defence ecosystems.
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 technology could matter in more places than you think.
Applications are open until the program starts on 19 November 2026.
Apply now →Questions? Write to Augustas, Program Manager: augustas@balticsandbox.com
Co-funded by the European Union. Financed under the de minimis rule.