The ElevenLabs Growth Story & CEE Tech Deal Trends
The Bratislava edition of The ScaleupFest 2026 event series brought together CEE founders, investors and tech ecosystem leaders to explore AI-enabled scaling through the ElevenLabs growth story and the latest trends shaping tech deals, valuations and exits in the region.
The evening focused on two key questions shaping the CEE tech ecosystem: how AI is changing the way companies are built and scaled, and how investor expectations around tech deals, valuations and exits are evolving. Through the ElevenLabs growth story, participants gained a practical look at the tools, workflows and operating decisions that help small teams achieve outsized impact. The investor panel then explored how AI, market sentiment and changing buyer appetite are influencing fundraising, M&A and exit opportunities across the region.
Covered topics
- The ElevenLabs growth story and lessons from scaling a fast-growing European AI company
- Practical AI workflows, tools and systems that help small teams operate more efficiently
- How AI is reshaping product development, growth, marketing and company operations
- Current investor appetite for CEE tech companies across VC and PE stages
- Key trends in tech deals, valuations and exits across the region
- How AI is impacting different technology subsectors and investment theses
- What founders should consider when preparing for fundraising, strategic partnerships or exit opportunities
- The role of positioning, market timing and growth quality in attracting investor and buyer interest
Agenda
Arrival and registration
16:45 - 17:00
Keynote: 11 Lessons from Scaling ElevenLabs
Practical lessons from inside one of Europe’s most visible AI growth stories
Gergely Bihary – Growth Engineer, ElevenLabs
This keynote offered a behind-the-scenes look at how ElevenLabs scaled its growth engine, workflows and digital infrastructure. The session focused on the tools, AI workflows and operating decisions that enabled a small team to move with the speed and output of a much larger organization.
- Lessons from scaling content and growth infrastructure from 100 to 50,000 pages
- AI workflows replacing manual or fragmented operating pipelines
- Tools and systems founders and operators can apply in their own companies
- How small teams can use AI to increase execution speed and operational leverage
17:00 - 18:0
Panel discussion: AI, Valuations & Exits – What’s Trending in CEE Tech Deals?
Investor perspectives on AI, deal appetite, valuations and exit opportunities in CEE tech
Moderated by Peter Kolesar – SASK
Tomáš Pacinda – Kaya VC
Lenard Horgos – Partner, Absolvo
Bence Gergely – Principal, PortfoLion
This panel explored how AI is reshaping not only products, but also the way technology companies are built, scaled, financed and transacted. Investors and transaction experts discussed how expectations are shifting across stages, what currently drives appetite for CEE tech deals, and what this means for founders preparing for fundraising or future exit scenarios.
18:00 - 19:00
Networking
Open networking over drinks and finger food.
18:45 - 20:00
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