Best Startup
Entries and nominations for the 2026 EcomExpo Awards are closed. For an existing entry, follow your confirmation email or contact [email protected]. The published entry deadline was 3 September 2026, 23:59 EEST.
Best Startup recognises a breakout brand launched within the last 24 months showing exceptional potential.
The Best Startup award is one of 10 categories in the first-ever EcomExpo E-Commerce Awards — the Baltic region’s e-commerce awards, judged by an independent jury and announced live on 1 October 2026 in Vilnius. Here is what it rewards, what a strong entry shows, and how to enter.
What the Best Startup award rewards
It rewards traction and momentum from a young brand — what it achieved given its age and resources, and why it is built to scale.
What a strong entry shows
Every entry is scored on the same 100-point rubric — goals & budget, target audience & strategy, creativity & innovation, execution, and results & impact (weighted highest). For Best Startup, the jury looks for:
- Launch date (within roughly 24 months) and early traction
- Growth, retention or unit economics strong for the stage
- What makes the brand or business model distinctive
- Evidence of product-market fit
- The next 12 months and why it scales
Traction distinguished from a forecast
Evidence to look for: State launch dates and show actual customer cohorts, repeat purchase, net revenue and unit economics. Label forecasts separately from realised results.
What needs context: Explain discounts, founder-led sales and retention measurement. Consult the published terms for eligibility; this checklist adds no eligibility rule.
Illustrative example — not an actual entrant: Of 100 customers acquired in a defined month, 28 ordering again within 90 days gives a 28% repeat-purchase rate for that cohort, not a whole-business retention rate.
Editorial guidance, not additional judging rules. Entries are closed. For an existing submission, follow your confirmation email; do not treat this checklist as an invitation to submit new material. See the published rules or contact the awards team.
Who should enter
Baltic e-commerce brands launched on or after roughly October 2024.
How to enter Best Startup
Entries and nominations for the 2026 EcomExpo Awards are closed. For an existing entry, follow your confirmation email or contact [email protected]. The published entry deadline was 3 September 2026, 23:59 EEST.
Entry is €190 + VAT per category, with 20% off for five or more entries and 80% off for businesses based in Ukraine. Entries closed on the published deadline of 3 September 2026.
Questions
How new must my brand be for Best Startup?+
Launched within roughly the last 24 months (on or after about October 2024). Judges weigh traction relative to age and resources, not absolute size.
How do I enter the Best Startup award?+
Entries and nominations for the 2026 EcomExpo Awards are closed. For an existing entry, follow your confirmation email or contact [email protected]. The published entry deadline was 3 September 2026, 23:59 EEST.
Explore the awards
See all 10 award categories and the full process, read the Baltic E-Commerce Awards 2026 guide, or compare programmes in the best e-commerce awards in Europe.