On 27 March 2026, at the annual “Investor of the Year 2025” awards ceremony hosted by the Latvian Business Angel Network (LatBAN) and the Latvian Private and Venture Capital Association, Sorainen received the “Legal Advisor of the Year 2025” award for work on major and complex transactions in the Baltic region, including the EUR 1.3 billion acquisition of Rimi Baltic.
The purpose of the “Investor of the Year” event and award is to support the development of Latvia’s investment industry by expanding and strengthening the investor network. By identifying and promoting the year’s most successful investments, the organisers aim to highlight the important role of investors in the growth of business projects.
Any investor, as well as any financial or legal consultant operating in Latvia, may apply for the award, and candidates may be nominated by any interested party.
Ansis Spridzāns, Chair of the Board of LatBAN, notes that 2025 has been significant in that a broader public – beyond financial professionals – has begun to recognise that investing in start‑ups is an asset class that should be considered when building an investment portfolio. This has directly resulted in strong interest in the training programmes organised by LatBAN and a growing membership base.
As a second key development, Spridzāns points to the growing collaboration between the Baltic states’ startup ecosystems, which until recently largely operated independently, as well as a significant increase in cooperation within Latvia’s own startup ecosystem. There is now a clear understanding that all ecosystem participants share a common goal: to attract more capital to support the growth of promising Baltic start-ups.
The organisers emphasise that “Investor of the Year” demonstrates the continued development of an increasingly strong and mature investment ecosystem in Latvia. It brings together private and institutional investors as well as the public sector, fostering not only the growth of individual companies but also the overall development of the national economy.
“Investor of the Year” is a joint initiative of LatBAN and the Latvian Private and Venture Capital Association, launched in 2015. Its aim is to strengthen the investment culture, highlight best practices, and promote access to capital for Latvian companies.
