From Startups to Scaling Global Innovation in Lithuania and Beyond | Innovantage Podcast #40

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