Lithuania’s capital, Vilnius, is set to become home to one of Europe’s largest digital tech campuses in late 2024. Tech Zity has launched its €100 million infrastructure-first project to create a sprawling campus that will house 5,000 digital ecosystem workers. The Vilnius-based campus will offer free-to-use cafe and co-working spaces for micro-companies, commercial co-working spaces for pre-seed/seed-stage firms, as well as private office space ranging from 10-1,000 desk locations. The campus will also include extensive co-working and co-living spaces, meeting room space, and a number of world-class event locations and on-site restaurants, cafes and bars.
The site will be open 24/7, with a focus on becoming a night-time hub, cultural and educational venue, as well as a bespoke workplace campus. And with extensive co-living spaces, the campus will offer close-to-site homes, providing access to bars, sports facilities and more, all on-site. The campus will be located in Vilnius’ newly refurbished New Town, the former industrial site which sits across three adjacent streets.
Valdas Benkunskas, Mayor of Vilnius, praised the forward-thinking values of Vilnius’ tech scene. He said Vilnius is maintaining a firm position within the European tech scene thanks to rapid innovations and visionary businesses such as Tech Zity—bursting with innovative entrepreneurs, multinational talents, and ambitious investors.
Tech Zity’s Founder, Darius Žakaitis, said the project is a first-of-its-kind in its ambition, being 30% larger than any tech campus developed previously in Europe, and in infrastructure terms—being the first to bring in every aspect of real estate that any technology business, from a pre-seed startup to the likes of Google, can call their home in Vilnius.
This project is part-funded by Tech Zity’s existing operations, with support from Mantas Mikuckas, the COO and founder of Vinted. Tech Zity remains in talks with a number of investment banks, family offices, and institutional investors for additional funding.
According to the report, Lithuania has grown its digital economy by 16.8x annually between 2017-2022, with the digital ecosystem valued at more than €9.5 billion. The total volume of start-ups based in Vilnius has now reached 740, and the city has around 17,000 workers in its tech and digital ecosystem—a figure which is expected to double within the next three years.
