Business and investment professionals are invited to meet and discuss the latest trends shaping the mergers and acquisitions (M&A) market in the Baltic States in 2026.
Recent data shows that foreign investor interest in local businesses across the Baltic States has reached unprecedented levels. Over the past year, both the number of transactions and their total value have increased significantly. The total market volume of disclosed transactions has reached approximately EUR 3.85 billion, reflecting the growing involvement of international capital in Lithuanian and regional companies.
This growth signals rising investor confidence in the potential of local businesses, particularly in light of economic, geopolitical, and strategic growth prospects. The transaction market is becoming a key driver of national economic development, fostering innovation, competitiveness, and entrepreneurial growth.
At the 2026 conference, we will focus on:
- the potential return of large-scale transactions and their links to economic and geopolitical developments;
- the investment attractiveness of the energy and infrastructure sectors;
- developments in the defence, technology, and manufacturing sectors, as well as M&A prospects in the Baltic region.
Insights at the event will be shared by representatives of investment banking, private equity funds, international institutions, and the business community, while discussions will address both regional and global trends.
We invite you to attend, gain valuable insights into the direction of the Baltic transaction market, and engage with industry professionals.
Programme
08:30-09:00 Registration and welcome coffee
09:00-09:10 Opening remarks
09:10-09:45 Panel discussion | Are large-scale transactions returning? – Economy and geopolitics
Moderator: Dr Irmantas Norkus
Panel participants:
- Tomas Okmanas, entrepreneur and business founder
- Julijus Grigaliūnas, Managing Partner, Porta Finance
09:45-10:30 Coffee break
10:30-11:05 Panel discussion | Energy and Infrastructure M&A
Moderator: Elijus Burgis
Panel participants:
- Saulius Jurgelėnas, CEO, E Energija
- Nerijus Drobavičius, Partner at INVL Baltic Sea Growth Fund, INVL Private Equity Fund II and Member of the Investment Committee
- Šarūnas Skyrius, Partner at Superia
11:05-11:40 Panel discussion (in English) | Shaping the Baltic Defence Sector: Investment and M&A Outlook
Moderator: Dr Juozas Rimas
Panel participants:
- Erna Suslavičiūtė, Head of Beesense EU UAB and Chair of the Board of the Lithuania Defence and Space Industry Association
- Jesse Kivisaari, COBALT Partner, Estonian Office
- Dmytro Kuzmenko, CEO of Ukrainian Venture Capital and Private Equity Association (UVCA)
- Mateusz Bodio, Founder and General Partner at RKKVC & R+, Poland’s largest multi-family office
- Tomas Milašauskas, CEO at RSI Europe
11:40–12:00 Coffee break and informal networking
REGISTRATION https://luma.com/z3d022ja
We kindly ask you to confirm your attendance by completing the registration form no later than 09:00 on Monday, 2 March.
Please be informed that the personal data provided in the registration form will be processed in accordance with this information notice >> https://www.cobalt.legal/privacy-policy/
DATE & TIME: Thursday, 4 March 2026, 08:30 – 12:00
LOCATION: AC Hotel Vilnius, Vasario 16-osios 5, Vilnius
Speakers:
Dr Irmantas Norkus is the Managing Partner of COBALT Lithuania, with over 20 years of extensive experience in private and public M&A, competition, banking and finance. During his career Dr Norkus has led numerous landmark cross-border and domestic transactions and projects and has handled some of the most complex antitrust matters of recent times. He has represented a broad range of high-profile corporate clients, investment funds, issuers, financial institutions and institutional investors. Dr Norkus’ exceptional and impeccable service has earned him a reputation as a leading lawyer in his areas of practice.
Elijus Burgis is a Partner and Head of the firm’s Corporate Transactions Department. He has more than 20 years of experience in advising on different M&A, banking, project finance and competition law matters. International law directories have ranked him among the leading Lithuanian experts in M&A, Banking and Competition law. Elijus Burgis holds a Law degree from Vilnius University, Lithuania and a Master of European Law degree from Stockholm University, Sweden. During the years of his practice Mr Burgis has been an adviser in a number of the largest M&A transactions and financing projects in Lithuania and has also advised clients on various matters related to corporate, banking and finance, securities and competition law.
Dr Juozas Rimas is a Partner and the Head of the Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) Practice Group at COBALT Lithuania, specialising in the fields of M&A (Private Equity) and Corporate Law. Juozas Rimas holds a PhD in Law (2010), which he received from Vilnius University for a thesis on corporate law issues in private equity transactions. Dr Rimas has provided transactional and corporate advice to GE, Moog Inc., Johnson & Johnson, Gjensidige, Deutsche Bank, Samskip and many other clients.
Jesse Kivisaari is a Partner at COBALT Estonia, leading the Estonian Defence and Security industries and the firm’s Finnish Desk. He specializes in mergers and acquisitions, private equity transactions, and corporate law matters. With extensive experience in cross-border business activities, Jesse focuses on multi-jurisdictional projects, especially the ones connecting Finland and the Baltics, leveraging his native Finnish language skills and deep understanding of the legal and cultural aspects of both regions.
Tomas Okmanas is a serial tech-driven entrepreneur and the co-founder of several global startups. He co-founded Nord Security, a leading cybersecurity powerhouse which became a $3B unicorn in 2023. Tomas is known in the industry for his long track record of founding profitable, bootstrapped companies, including industry leaders Tesonet, Oxylabs and others. His most recent venture is nexos.ai, a rapidly growing AI orchestration platform for the agentic era.
Julijus Grigaliūnas is the Managing Partner of the investment banking company Porta Finance. Porta Finance operates in the three Baltic countries and, together with its global partner Rothschild & Co, advises strategic and financial investors, business owners, and government institutions. The company specializes in Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) and Capital Raising transactions.
Erna Suslavičiūtė is CEO of Beesense EU, Chairman of the Board at LGKPA (Lithuanian Defence and space industry association). Executive and board member with 15+ years of progressive leadership across government, innovation, and defense sectors. Proven track record in scaling operations, driving national policy initiatives, and steering high-impact partnerships between business and science
Saulius Jurgelėnas is a CEO of E Energija.
Nerijus Drobavičius is a Partner at INVL Baltic Sea Growth Fund, INVL Private Equity Fund II and Member of the Investment Committee. More than 15 years of experience in private equity and mergers and acquisitions. Former CFO of Sanitas, a specialized pharmaceutical company. Member of the boards of more than 10 portfolio companies.
Dmytro Kuzmenko is a СEO of Ukrainian Venture Capital and Private Equity Association. Dmytro has over 15 years of experience in the investment and finance sphere – retail lending, investment banking, venture investments on different stages, high-tech startups development (management and acceleration). Dmytro specializes in venture investments, syndicate deals, high-tech startups validation and analysis, team management. With a deep knowledge of Ukrainian venture investments market, he is able to conduct a high-quality analysis of current situation, existing trends and activities, main players and stakeholders.
Šarūnas Skyrius is a Partner at Superia. With more than two decades of experience as an investment banker, Šarūnas has contributed to significant business sales and acquisitions, as well as capital raising transactions.
Mateusz Bodio is a Founder of the multi-family offices RKKVC and R+, whose flagship investments include SpaceX, Sea Machines, Hypersonix Launch Systems, and Anthropic. He invests primarily in Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States, focusing on both software and hardware across multiple sectors, including dual-use and defense technologies. He has served as an advisor to portfolio companies, leveraging his professional network to create new strategic opportunities and open key business channels. He has also held executive and supervisory board positions in IoT 4.0 and big data companies. In parallel to his investment activities, he lectures at Kozminski University, sharing practical insights on venture capital, risk management, and strategic investing. Throughout his career, he has advised, invested in, and raised capital for companies and venture capital funds across diverse funding sources — from angel investors to corporate venture capital (CVC) funds.
Tomas Milašauskas – Co-founder and CEO of Lithuanian defense technology company RSI Europe. Under his leadership, RSI Europe has grown from a start-up that developed rapidly under war conditions to a strategic partner that combines innovation experience gained on the Ukrainian front with the creation and integration of NATO-compliant certified solutions into the armed forces of NATO and allied countries. Tomas actively participates in international defense forums, speaking on topics such as the speed of innovation, the interoperability of military systems, the responsible use of artificial intelligence in defense, the resilience of the European defense industry, and increasing production scale.
Speakers
