About the North American Lithuanian Business Forum (NALBF)

The North American Lithuanian Business Forum is a trusted transatlantic platform that connects Lithuania and North America for long-term strategic partnerships

Hosted each year in a different North American location, the forum adapts its focus to local ecosystems. The Los Angeles edition connects California’s innovation ecosystem with Europe, positioning Lithuania as a gateway to European markets. Beyond the annual event, NALBF supports ongoing dialogue and collaboration that lead to concrete partnerships between Lithuania and North America.

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Agenda

April 27, Monday

Venue:TBA

Sector-specific programs

April 28, Tuesday

Venue: 777 S Aviation Blvd, El Segundo, CA 90245

2:00 PM - 8:00 PM

North American Lithuanian Defense and Space Forum

Venue: Skirball Cultural Center (2701 N Sepulveda Blvd, Los Angeles)

8am - 5pm

2026 Select LA Investment Summit

April 29, Wednesday | Networking Event

Venue: Luxe Sunset Boulevard Hotel (Brentwood Room), 11461 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90049

9:30 AM – 5:00 PM

Accelerator for Creatives: Unfiltered Conversations – LA Edition (limited seating)

Venue: 228 Santa Monica Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90401

3:30 PM - 6:00 PM

„From Local to Global: E-commerce without Borders“ (limited seating)

Venue: Luxe Sunset Boulevard Hotel (11461 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90049)

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6:30pm - 9:30pm

North American Lithuanian Business Forum's Networking Event - Powered by Mach Industries

April 30, Thursday | NALBF at UCLA

Venue: UCLA Grand Horizon Ballroom Terrace, Covel Commons (330 De Neve Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90095)

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8:30am – 9:30am

Registration, welcome coffee

Intro

MC:

Patrick Evans, Chief Meteorologist & Host KESQ Television

9:30am – 9:50am

Welcome remarks

Speakers:

Gitanas Nausėda, President of the Republic of Lithuania (video)

Eleni Kounalakis, Lieutenant Governor of California (video)

9:50am – 10:00am

Europe’s Innovation Sandbox – powered by Lithuania

Speaker:

Edvinas Grikšas, Minister of the Economy and Innovation of Lithuania

10:00am – 10:30am

AI as Strategic Infrastructure: What Every Industry Must Understand Now – Powered by Innovation Agency of Lithuania

Speaker:

Shilpa Kolhatkar, Global Head of AI Nations, Nvidia

10:30am – 11:15am

Fireside Chat – Powered by California Lithuanian Credit Union

Moderator:

Mary-Christine “M.C.” Sungaila, Partner, Complex Appellate Litigation Group LLP; Professor of Space Law & Policy, LMU Loyola Law School Los Angeles

Speakers:

Marty Kausas, Pylon CEO and Co-Founder

Jonas Žmuidzinas, Merle Kingsley Professor of Physics at California Institute of Technology (Caltech)

11:15am – 12:00pm

From Unicorns to Regulations: How AI is built, scaled, and deployed - Powered by Linijos

Moderator:

Christopher Savoie, Founder of SiC Systems

Speakers:

Anima Anandkumar, Bren Professor of Computing and Mathematical Sciences, Caltech, Member of the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General’s Scientific Advisory Board

Einaras von Gravrock, CEO and Founder of CUBE3 AI, Co-Founder of Cast AI, Founder of CUJO AI, Founder of Modnique, Judge @ Shark Tank Lithuania

Edvinas Grikšas, Minister of the Economy and Innovation of Lithuania

Randall Hunt, Chief Technical Officer of Caylent

12:00pm – 1:30pm

Lunch Break and Networking

1:30pm – 2:15pm

What VCs Look for Today: Signals, Red Flags, and Long-Term Bets – Powered by Plural Sales

Moderator: Alex Meshkin, Founder and Managing Partner of Fearless Capital

Speakers:

David Brown, Founding Managing Partner of Impellent Ventures

Evan Hamilton, Head of Capital Formation at Upfront Ventures

Jillian Manus, Venture Partner at SHIELD Capital, U.S. Venture Advisor to the European Innovation Council Fund

Viktorija Trimbel, Managing Director at Coinvest Capital, Board Member at LitBAN – Lithuanian Business Angel Network

2:15pm – 3:00pm

Resilient Nations: AI, Defense, Food and Information Power – Powered by Mach Industries

Moderator:

Vijay Sekhara, Director of Partnerships at Resilience Media

Speakers:

Drew Busbee, Expert in Venture-Backed Defense and Dual-Use Technologies

Andrius Pranckevičius, CEO of AB Kauno Grūdai and Deputy Chairman of the Board of AB Akola Group

Andrew Reid, Founder & CEO, Rival Technologies, Founder of Vision Critical (now Alida)

Jenn Virskus, Head of Marketing & Communications at Saildrone

3:00pm – 4:00pm

SuperConnectors Pitch Event by US Market Access Center – Powered by Innovation Agency of Lithuania

Paulius Kamaitis, Acting Director of Innovation Agency of Lithuania

Moderators:

Alfredo Coppola, Co-CEO, US Market Access Center, Inc.

Danny Maco, Founder of AeroTelematics, Advisor at US Market Access Center

The SuperConnectors is a highly engaging networking event platform which breaks away from the usual pitch format. Startup founders will bring forth their most critical ask and will receive bids for game-changing connections from the SuperConnectors community in Silicon Valley and the audience. These well-connected individuals will compete in giving the best introductions in their networks to resolve the asks.

4:00pm - 4:20pm

NALBF 2027: Invitation to Canada

Speakers:

Doug Ford, Premier of Ontario, Canada (Video)

Algis Pacevicius, Founder and Chairman of Pace Law Firm and Pace Global Advantages

4:20pm - 4:30pm

Closing remarks: Passing the Torch

Sandra Brikaite, Consul General of Lithuania in Los Angeles

Daiva Navarrette, Honorary Consul General of Lithuania for the California Central Coast

Eleonora J. Romuva, Co-Founder of Lithuanian American Business Association in Los Angeles

4:30pm – 6:00pm

Farewell Networking @ UCLA Grand Horizon Ballroom Terrace, Covel Commons – Powered by Roque & Mark Co.

Download Agenda (soon)

Past Events

NALBF 2025 – Boston

In June 2025, the forum was hosted in Boston, Massachusetts. The event gathered Lithuanian and North American leaders for panels, networking, and deepened cooperation in business and diplomacy.

NALBF 2024 – New York

The forum in NYC connected Lithuanian innovators with investors via high-level networking, workshops, and sector missions in fintech, defense, and ICT.

NALBF 2023 – Chicago

The forum in Chicago gathered 400+ leaders from LT/US/CA/MX to drive networking and dialogue across manufacturing, logistics, life sciences, and startups

NALBF 2022 – Philadelphia

The inaugural forum in Philadelphia brought together 200+ business, government, and diaspora leaders for high-level discussions, innovator sessions, and networking focused on transatlantic opportunities and long-term collaboration.