Belarusian start-up center "Imaguru" was opened in Vilnius on Wednesday, it was moved out of its country half a year ago due to support for the opposition.
The center moved to Lithuania was opened by the Minister of Economy and Innovation by cutting the symbolic ribbon Dawn Armonaitė and Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Cichanouskaya.
This center was established in order to "support talented Belarusians who decided to move their activities to Lithuania", Tatsiana Marinič, the founder and head of Imaguru, said at the opening event.
"In today's Belarus, everything that was created by our community has been destroyed, and the future of Belarusian business is in danger," said the businesswoman.
The "Imaguru" startup center will act as a co-working space for Belarusian and Lithuanian companies, will organize trainings for entrepreneurs, and will help them build relationships with each other.
Imaguru is one of approximately 80 companies that have already moved or are moving their operations to Lithuania following the 2020 presidential election in Belarus and Aliaksandr Lukashenko's crackdown on the opposition and its activists.
S. Cichanouskaja said at the event that many Belarusian talents leave the country because "they face restrictions on their professional activities".
The politician claimed that the IT sector not only pays a lot of taxes, but also creates new opportunities and jobs, and contributes to the development of other sectors of the economy.
It also helps people who remain in Belarus and are looking for work, and creates conditions for the return of displaced businesses to Belarus as soon as it is possible, the opposition leader added.
S. Cichanouskaja claimed that the IT sector contributed a lot to mobilizing people for protests in Belarus, and by creating vote counting platforms showed the true will of the people during last year's elections.
"You respond to physical strength with intellectual strength," she said.
Economy Minister A. Armonaitė said at the event that "Imaguru" will make a significant contribution to the ecosystem of Lithuanian startups.
"However, economic freedom and economic policy are not the most important thing - the most important thing is values," said the minister.
"I hope that unicorns and other magical creatures will be born here," she added, referring to startups that have raised more than a billion euros in investment.
To facilitate the relocation of businesses from Belarus, Lithuania liberalized migration rules and took other measures, such as allowing companies to import property without paying customs duty and import VAT.
The government is also considering allocating compensations to Belarusian companies experiencing relocation costs, said A. Armonaitė.
The minister claimed that other measures are being considered, but A. Armonaitė has not named them yet.
"We're excited to be home to those creative people," she said.
Author Saulius Jakučionis
Photo: Greta Skaraitiene, BNS 
Photo: Greta Skaraitiene, BNS 
Photo: Greta Skaraitiene, BNS 
Photo: Greta Skaraitiene, BNS 
Photo: Greta Skaraitiene, BNS 
Photo: Greta Skaraitiene, BNS
