From TechChill Founders Battle to Hosting a Party With Your First Investors

Some of the most visible TechChill moments happen on stage, the pitches, panels, keynotes, and the spotlight that finds a founder at exactly the right moment.

But often, the real value begins after.

For Adsmom, that story began at TechChill 2025, when the company won the 50 Founders Battle startup pitch competition. One year later, returning to TechChill as the Founders Battle finalists for the second year in a row. But this year together with Pleso, BUKI, investors that approached Adsmom after winning the Founders Battle and Vchasno Group, the team created The “After Round”. A TechChill side event celebrating founders, investors, ecosystem builders and the power of community.

“In December 2024 Adsmom was just an idea. It was a defining moment for the team. So we decided to join the Fifty Founders Battle for hopes of some recognition and proof that this can be big one day” Kristians Lancmanis, the founder and CEO of Adsmom

Adsmom was selected not only among the top 50 founders, but also got in the final top 10 founders, pitching in the Fifty Founders battle finals and in the end they won it. Bringing home 10k EUR no strings attached money prize and the spotlight of the TechChill stage. But that was no it. 

Winning the 50 Founders Battle gave Adsmom more than a winners title. It created visibility, trust, and momentum at an important moment in the company’s journey. Shortly after the event, Kristians met Oleksandr, founder of Pleso. That conversation led to introductions not only to the Pleso team, but also to investors who would later become part of Adsmom’s first funding round.

“Winning the Founders Battle gave us more than visibility. It gave us trust. Through TechChill, we met people who understood what we were building, believed in the team, and later became part of our first funding round. That kind of connection is hard to manufacture, and it shows the real value of being part of the ecosystem.” Kristians Lancmanis, the founder and CEO of Adsmom

This year at TechChill 2026 Kristians with Adsmom joined the TechChill Founders Battle for the second time. This time, however it wasn’t only a pitch.The company returned with their investors. Together Adsmom, Pleso, BUKI, and Vchasno Group, hosted “After Round”, where they brought together the TechChill community for evening networking, drinks, music and good time.

It became a natural extension of what’s one of the main goals of TechChill, creating space for ecosystems to meet and for founders to bring back to the community. This year, “After Round” also helped strengthen ties between the Ukrainian and Latvian startup communities.

“We wanted After Round to be more than an event after the event. For us, it was about creating a space where founders, investors, and operators could meet as people first. Communities become strong when they create trust, and trust is what leads to partnerships, investments, and long-term support.” Oleksandr Bondariev, CEO & founder of Pleso

Adsmom’s journey is a reminder that community is not just a nice addition to the startup world. It is infrastructure. It helps founders meet investors, get the motivation when it’s needed the most and gives a space to use their power to bring back to the community. The value of events like TechChill is not limited to what happens during the official programme. Its impact continues in the months after, through follow-up calls, introductions, partnerships, and the founder-to-founder support.