The trade mission to the U.S. organized by the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia (LIAA) has concluded; it took place during President Edgars Rinkēvičs’ working visit. The mission’s itinerary included New York, Los Angeles, and San Diego, bringing together 44 Latvian companies and organizations across four sector-specific itineraries. During the visit, memorandums of cooperation were signed in the fields of defense technology and genomics, and negotiations were launched on new research, investment, manufacturing, and export projects.
Trade turnover between Latvia and the U.S. reached 1.63 billion euros in 2025, representing a 13% increase over the year. Latvia’s exports of services to the U.S. increased by 10% to 510 million euros, with information and communication technology services accounting for more than 40% of that total.
“The agreements concluded during the visit confirm that the expertise of Latvian companies and scientists is capable of attracting the interest of world-class partners. In the field of defense technologies, this involves joint development, testing, and production, while in genomics, it involves the participation of our researchers, hospitals, and universities in the development of new technologies and precision medicine. For Latvia, this is an opportunity to increase high-value-added exports, attract new projects, and build long-term partnerships with world-class companies,” emphasizes Raivis Bremšmits, State Secretary of the Ministry of Economics.
ORIGIN and “Anduril” signed a memorandum of cooperation on air defense technologies
The Latvian defense technology company ORIGIN and the U.S. company “Anduril Industries” signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in the field of air defense and unmanned systems technology. The collaboration aims to integrate ORIGIN’s autonomous interceptor system “BLAZE” with Anduril’s artificial intelligence-based control platform “Lattice,” as well as to conduct joint technology testing and demonstrations in Latvia.
The goal of the agreement is to develop layered counter-UAV defense solutions for NATO’s eastern flank and to evaluate opportunities for their deployment in allied markets.
During the defense and dual-use technology program, Latvian companies met with representatives from “Neros,” “Anduril,” “Shield AI,” “Kratos Defense & Security Solutions,” “Qualcomm,” “Axon,” and “Analog Devices.” Discussions focused on component supply, joint product development, technology testing and manufacturing, as well as the integration of Latvian companies into the supply chains of U.S. partners.
President Edgars Rinkēvičs met with the management of “Analog Devices” in San Diego to discuss a potential framework for cooperation between “Analog Devices,” AS “SAF Tehnika,” and Riga Technical University.
Among the notable offerings from Latvian companies to their U.S. partners were the high-capacity battery systems and energy management solutions for unmanned and autonomous platforms, developed and manufactured in Latvia by “Perkons Energy.” Manufacturing these solutions in Latvia helps reduce Europe’s dependence on suppliers outside Europe.
“SAF Tehnika” has been operating in the U.S. market since 2012, so we know that a place at this table cannot be earned in a single visit—it takes a good product, time, money, and focused effort. The value of this mission lay not only in meetings with top executives of U.S. companies, but also in the opportunity to see which Latvian defense industry companies are ready to do business in the U.S. and how they present themselves. The presence of the President and the program prepared by the LIAA gave these talks a whole new level of significance, while lending Latvian companies additional credibility in the eyes of their U.S. partners. “The U.S. is the world’s largest and wealthiest market, and it is worth it for Latvian companies to compete for their place there,” notes Jānis Bergs, board member and vice president of sales and marketing at SAF Tehnika.
Latvian scientists have signed agreements with global leaders in genomics technology
The San Diego National Research and Innovation Institute signed a memorandum of understanding with the U.S. genomics technology company “Element Biosciences.” The agreement opens up opportunities for Latvian scientists to work with the company’s technologies and expertise, as well as to test and develop new genomics solutions in Latvia.
A separate memorandum of understanding was signed between “Illumina” and six Latvian scientific, medical, and higher education institutions—the National Research and Innovation Institute, Riga East University Hospital, Pauls Stradins Clinical University Hospital, the Children’s Clinical University Hospital, Riga Stradiņš University, and the University of Latvia.
The agreement reaffirms the parties’ commitment to advancing genomics and establishes a framework for collaboration on the use of precision medicine solutions and the latest biomedical technologies in patient care. For Latvian scientists and physicians, this opens up broader opportunities to participate in international research projects and in the development and testing of new technologies.
Participants in the life sciences program also visited the Technology Transfer Office at San Diego State University and the Office of Innovation and Commercialization at the University of California, San Diego. Discussions focused on opportunities for joint research projects, intellectual property licensing, technology transfer, and the commercialization of scientific results.
The Latvian film industry presented production and co-production opportunities in the U.S.
In Los Angeles, representatives of the Latvian film industry met with representatives from “Paramount Pictures,” “Warner Bros. Discovery,” “The Walt Disney Company,” “Lionsgate,” “Blumhouse Productions,” “Ketchup Entertainment,” and “Netflix.” President Edgars Rinkēvičs participated in discussions with representatives from “Warner Bros.” regarding opportunities to expand cooperation with the Latvian film industry.
Latvia’s offering includes film and TV series production, international co-productions, animation, studio and filming location infrastructure, set construction, technical support, and post-production. For foreign film and TV series projects, the LIAA program can provide co-financing of up to 30% of eligible costs incurred in Latvia.
The international competitiveness of the Latvian film industry is demonstrated by works filmed and produced in Latvia. Kristen Stewart’s directorial debut, *Chronology of Water*, had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, and Danish director Maya el-Touki’s film “The Unknown Woman,” most of which was shot in Riga, won the Venice Film Festival’s top prize—the “Golden Lion”—while the animated film “The Stream” received an Academy Award (“Oscar”).
Startups in New York Met with Investors
In New York, representatives of Latvia’s startup ecosystem met with U.S. investors and representatives of “ServiceNow,” a global enterprise artificial intelligence and digital workflow platform. The Latvian startups presented their solutions at the “Pitch to a President” event, receiving feedback from U.S. investors and recommendations for further development in this market.
The program gave companies the opportunity to test the suitability of their offerings for the U.S. market, build relationships with potential investors and clients, and discuss opportunities to launch or expand their operations in the U.S.
“Latvian companies and scientists demonstrated in the U.S. that they can offer not only ideas but also world-class technologies, research infrastructure, engineering expertise, and manufacturing capabilities. The signed memorandums are the most visible outcome of the mission, but several significant negotiations will continue even after our return to Latvia. The LIAA’s task now is to help turn the interest of U.S. partners into joint projects, orders, and investments. “That is precisely how we will evaluate the return on this mission,” notes LIAA Director Ieva Jāgere.
Latvian Companies and Organizations on a Trade Mission
The defense and dual-use technology programs were represented by “Aumeux,” “SAF North America,” ORIGIN, “Raw-tech,” SIA “Ardlat,” “Perkons Energy,” LMT, “LMT Defence,” and “VIC TEC,” as well as the Latgale Special Economic Zone, the Latvian Exporters Association “The Red Jackets,” the Latvian Security and Defense Industry Federation, the Latvian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the University of Latvia, and Riga Technical University.
Participants in the Biomedical and Pharmaceutical program included the National Research and Innovation Institute, the Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis, “Double Helix Technologies,” Riga Stradiņš University, Riga East University Hospital, Daugavpils University, and the University of Latvia.
Participants in the film industry program included “Nafta Films,” “RED DOT MEDIA,” “Mistrus Media,” “Trickster Pictures,” “Baltic Pine Films,” “CINEVILLA FILMS,” “Ierakstu Māja,” and the Latvian Film Services Producers Association.
The startup program included “BirdyChat,” “Monetizr,” “Engycell,” “Submerge,” “Spotwise,” “Supliful,” “Tournated,” “Capture Study,” “HoneyB AI,” “Cellbox,” and “Crowdable.”
Representatives from “BDO Latvia” and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also participated in the trade mission delegation.
“This visit confirmed that our U.S. partners highly value the level of innovation and technological development in Latvia’s defense and dual-use companies and engage with us as equal partners. Latvia’s unique experience and understanding of security challenges, shaped by our geopolitical location, are also highly valued. Latvian companies have the technologies, knowledge, and expertise to offer the world’s largest economies. This is precisely why such trade missions are essential—they help Latvian companies connect with world-class partners and open doors that would be much harder for a single company to open on its own. The presence of the President and relevant ministers on such visits lends Latvian companies additional credibility and confirms that the state stands behind our entrepreneurs and their ambitions in international markets,” notes Līva Stūrmane, Chair of the Board of the Latvian Exporters Association “The Red Jackets.”
Photo galleries are available here: Latvian Entrepreneurs in the U.S. 2026
Photo: Joren.Photography
Participation in trade missions abroad is organized by the LIAA as part of the European Union-co-financed Innovative Entrepreneurship Development Program for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs), with support from the European Regional Development Fund and state funding. A company may participate in a trade mission either by paying a fee or by receiving support to cover eligible expenses.
