A new Latvian startup platform, Startup Latvia, has been launched.

A new technology that can control a city’s infrastructure is currently being tested in Rīga, and hopefully that will make it possible to turn the Latvian capital city into one of the smartest cities in Europe. This announcement was made by the Latvian telecoms company Lattelecom during the Digital Freedom Festival.

BLINDSAVE USA LLC has created a unique product for athletes – the world’s first protective gear that adjusts itself to conform to the person’s body, thus ensuring superior protection and comfort. The gear is suited for use in basketball and other indoor sports, as well as football.

Latvia’s Cabinet of Ministers has approved an Economics Ministry programme to lower taxes and co-fund the salaries of highly qualified employees at start-up companies in 2017. The Economics Ministry has been charged with organising a EUR 3 million programme to co-fund wages when start-ups lack financing to hire qualified specialists. The plan is to be submitted to the full Cabinet of Ministers on October 11.

The Latvian audio-technology company Sonarworks has found EUR 700,000 in its third round of investments, thus becoming one of Latvia’s most popular start-ups in the eyes of investors. Total investments at the company have already reached EUR 1.5 million.

According to the European Innovation Scoreboard, the Regional Innovation Scoreboard and the Innobarometer of the European Comission, Latvia has become the “fastest growing innovator”.

Elviss Straupenieks graduated from Rainis 6th High School in Liepāja this year, but unlike other graduates, he is just 17 years old and already running his own business – Elviss is the founder, owner, and head of the AirBoard startup. AirBoard is the world’s smallest manned aircraft.

In the national finals of the Creative Business Cup, where four companies competed against one another to represent Latvia at the world’s leading competition for creative industries, the company Vividly came out on top. Vividly, which offers virtual reality solutions in architecture, will represent Latvia at the Creative Business Cup in Copenhagen this fall.

The winner of the 2015 Global Startup Battle – Tactile Eyesight, continues its cooperation with Mass Portal Ltd. in the creation of tactile books.

Out of 25000 participants from 60 countries, "Tactile Eyesight's" idea was recognized as the best one in the Great in the Making category.