Innovantage Podcast

Building a startup is a series of tests you don’t see coming until you fail one. In this episode, Max sits down with Povilas Žinys, Director of Plug and Play tech center in the Baltics, working with startups from Pre-Seed to Series B and helping founders prepare for the realities of venture-scale growth. They unpack what separates scalable companies from “busy” startups that never break through — the 2026 landscape founders are walking into, how investors filter opportunities, and what it really takes to go global from Lithuania and the Baltics.

What you’ll hear in this conversation:

➡️ What startup accelerators actually do for founders

➡️ The toughest startup challenges founders face in 2026

➡️ Why investors back teams before ideas

➡️ The thinking behind the “90% fail” reality

➡️ Older founders and the edge experience can create

➡️ Unfair advantage that’s real, not branding

➡️ What’s missing in Lithuania’s startup ecosystem

➡️ Going global faster and avoiding common traps

 

Connect with Our Guest

Povilas Žinys – https://www.linkedin.com/in/povilaszinys/

Connect with Max (Host)

Max Golikov – https://www.linkedin.com/in/maxim-golikov/ 

 

🎧 Listen Now

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/19M3HKc1pbeTkYcOeOkJc0?si=aab60a9ec2864ba2 

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/pl/podcast/innovantage-podcast/id1749330437 

 

Watch us on YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/@InnovantagePodcast

 

Follow for More Insightful Episodes

Innovantage Podcast:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/innovantage-podcast/ 

Sigli:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/sigli/     

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/sigli.gang 

TikTok: @innovantage / @sigliofficial