Founders & Stories – Summer Edition
As part of The ScaleupFest 2026 event series, Founders & Stories – Summer Edition brings together founders, scaleup leaders and investors for a relaxed summer evening of honest founder stories, practical lessons and meaningful conversations on scaling, deals, international expansion and adapting in today’s market.
This meetup is designed for founders who are already beyond the basics and want to hear what actually happens behind the scenes of building, scaling, adapting and making hard strategic decisions. Through candid founder stories on deals, international expansion, growth challenges and lessons learned, the evening offers practical insights, honest reflections and valuable conversations with the right people in the CEE tech ecosystem.
Covered topics
- Honest founder lessons from real company-building journeys
- Scaling beyond the early stage and adapting in a changing market
- International expansion and growth challenges
- Deals, strategic decisions and tough turning points
- What worked, what did not, and what founders would do differently
- Practical insights for scaleup founders, operators and investors
- Informal conversations with the right people in the CEE tech ecosystem
Agenda
Arrival and registration
Guest arrival, registration and informal welcome.
17:40 - 18:10
Opening remarks
A short introduction to the evening by The ScaleupFest and BIG FISH.
18:10 - 18:20
Founder stories
The evening will feature 3x10-minute founder talks by Zsolt Somogyi, Erik Barcsay and Adam Koteles, sharing practical lessons on scaling, deals, international expansion, tough decisions and what it takes to build and adapt in today’s market.
18:20 - 19:00
Networking
Open networking over drinks and finger food.
18:45 - 21:00
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