Growing Global But Staying Local - Why Lithuanian Scale-Ups Expand Business from Vilnius

Instead of relocating, Lithuanian scale-ups are choosing to expand globally while keeping their headquarters in Vilnius. A favorable business environment, foreign investment, a growing talent pool, and a steadily expanding startup ecosystem are driving this shift as Vilnius becomes a hub for global businesses.

November 10, 2026. For many European scale-ups, international growth can bring a difficult decision: stay in the country where the business began or move headquarters closer to bigger markets, investors, and talent. In Central and Eastern Europe, that decision has led 48% of scale-ups to relocate abroad, according to Dealroom.

However, Lithuanian companies are moving in the opposite direction. Compared with relocation rates of 50% in Estonia and 70% in Latvia, 74% of Lithuania's scale-ups keep their headquarters here, especially in the capital, Vilnius, which holds more than 90% of the country's startup enterprise volume.

This points to a broader shift: companies no longer need to move abroad to grow internationally. If a home market offers access to capital, skilled people, international networks, and cross-border customers, staying can be a smart business decision.

In Vilnius's case, the capital combines a growing technology sector with access to the EU market, an established founder and investor community, and an international business presence.

Staying local for more growth

Lithuania's startup ecosystem has grown 5.9 times since 2020, reaching €16.4 billion in enterprise value in 2025. As digital business models, remote collaboration, and international local ecosystems make global reach possible while staying local, Vilnius reflects that change.

The city's startup ecosystem has produced six unicorns, while its international business community includes global companies operating technology, financial, and business-services functions from the capital. The startups based in Vilnius also reached an estimated €15.5 billion in combined enterprise value in 2025 and raised €212 million in venture capital.

For Marius Stasiukaitis, Head of Business at Go Vilnius, the official tourism and business development agency of Vilnius, this is an important part of the city's appeal to scale-ups entering their next stage of growth.

"Starting a business in Lithuania is one thing. Building it into an international company while keeping your headquarters here is another. What's encouraging is that more companies are showing that the two can go hand in hand. Vinted, Nord Security, and Hostinger have built global businesses from Vilnius, proving that you don't have to leave your home market behind to reach customers around the world.

"Our focus is on making sure that as companies grow, they can still find what they need here, whether that's skilled people, access to international markets, or a strong business community. We want Vilnius to be a place where ambitious companies can keep growing without feeling they need to move elsewhere to take the next step," Stasiukaitis adds.

Vilnius's established business-services sector is another part of the picture. For instance, 72 global business services centers, more than 70% of all such centers in Lithuania, are located in the capital, employing specialists in areas ranging from technology and data to finance and cybersecurity.

The city's GBS sector reports only 5.8% voluntary employee turnover, while Lithuania's ICT talent pool has grown about 14% annually. Companies looking to scale may find that access to experienced professionals matters as much as access to funding.

For Lithuania and Vilnius, keeping scale-ups at home also means that more high-value jobs, expertise, management functions, and economic activity remain connected to the local ecosystem as companies expand internationally.

ABOUT GO VILNIUS

Go Vilnius is the official tourism and business development agency of the City of Vilnius. The agency provides visitors, investors, and businesses with all the essential information about the Lithuanian capital.