Developing breakthrough technologies comes with significant challenges—especially when creating solutions capable of transforming entire industries. This is exactly the path chosen by Beatričė Laurinkutė, Co-founder and CEO of Lithuanian deeptech startup Strato Create. Through the startup, she is representing Lithuania in EPIC-X, one of Europe’s leading accelerator programmes for women-led deeptech startups, helping companies expand internationally.

Reinventing the Way Homes Are Designed

The Strato Create team is developing a digital platform powered by advanced mathematical algorithms that generates construction-ready house designs and 3D models based on user-defined parameters. Rather than producing simple visualisations, the platform delivers accurate designs that can be used by clients, architects, and construction companies.

“Our team has many years of experience developing innovations for the construction industry, so we clearly see where automation can make the biggest impact. Today, much of the home design process is still carried out manually, and even small design changes often require entire projects to be redesigned,” says Laurinkutė.

A Technology Built for the Future

According to the startup’s co-founder, architectural designs provided by clients are often incompatible with specific construction technologies. As a result, projects need to be redesigned from scratch, increasing material costs, construction expenses, and project timelines. At the same time, it is difficult for customers to understand how individual design decisions affect the overall cost.

“This inspired us to develop a technology that can quickly generate a house design tailored to a specific construction technology, instantly compare different design options, and automatically calculate cost estimates. Our system is based on more than one million architectural, ergonomic, construction, and engineering rules, enabling projects that optimise both the design phase and the overall construction process,” Laurinkutė explains.

The startup has already secured investment, established partnerships with construction companies, and launched pilot projects. The solution is expected to become available to end users in the near future.

International Mentorship Driving Global Growth

Strato Create is pursuing international expansion through EPIC-X, a European accelerator programme for women-led deeptech startups, with Innovation Agency Lithuania serving as the programme’s partner in Lithuania. Only 20 startups from across Europe were selected for the programme, with Laurinkutė representing Lithuania.

“EPIC-X is one of Europe’s strongest programmes dedicated to deeptech companies, so being selected is a truly exceptional opportunity. It allows us to validate our strategy in an international environment, build relationships with potential partners, and, most importantly, work with world-class mentors while exchanging experiences with other women founders facing similar challenges,” Laurinkutė says.

According to her, the six-month programme has helped refine the company’s international expansion strategy and strengthened confidence in the global potential of its technology. Strato Create has also received a €60,000 grant through the programme.

According to Karolina Urbonaitė, Head of Startup Lithuania, Beatričė Laurinkutė’s story reflects a broader trend: while women’s entrepreneurship is growing in Lithuania, women remain underrepresented in the deeptech sector.

“Today, 11% of Lithuanian startups have female founders—above both the Central and Eastern European and European averages. Since 2020, women-founded startups have attracted 21% of all venture capital invested in Lithuania. These figures show that women are building ambitious businesses, yet they remain underrepresented in deeptech. Stories like Beatričė’s encourage more women to build technology companies and prove that world-class innovation can come from Lithuania,” says Urbonaitė.

Inspiring More Women to Build

For Laurinkutė, being selected for such a prestigious programme is both an honour and a responsibility.

“Lithuania may be a small country, but we have a remarkably strong technology community and outstanding talent. I’m proud to show that globally competitive innovations can be created here and successfully compete in international markets. I hope Strato Create’s journey will encourage more Lithuanian deeptech startups—especially those founded by women—to build global products and pursue international recognition,” she says.

Having worked on innovation projects in construction, digital technologies, biotechnology, and robotics, contributed to the development of one of the world’s largest 3D printers, and participated in NASA programmes, Laurinkutė believes that the strongest innovations emerge when different experiences and perspectives come together.

“Seeing women build successful technology companies and attract investment can encourage many more to follow the same path. As the mother of two daughters, it is especially important to me that the stereotypes preventing women from building companies, leading teams, and pursuing ambitious goals disappear as quickly as possible. In entrepreneurship, gender should never be a defining factor—what truly matters are the idea, competence, and results,” Laurinkutė concludes.