The ScaleupFest 2025

💡 Mergers, Acquisitions: when CEE champions do the roll-up game. Two stories with the lessons learned. Big fish eats small fish—or so they say. But why should M&A be the privilege of large enterprises?
In this session, we spotlight two bold CEE teams who flipped the script—becoming market consolidators instead of being outpaced by competitors. Munch’s co-founder shares how they merged with Czech and Romanian peers, their motivations, when they’d recommend this path, and the personal impact of the deal. WHC Group’s CEO tells how they grew from a small team to 600+ people across 35 offices in multiple countries—thanks in part to JVs and acquisitions.
Real stories. First-hand lessons. Regional champions in the making."

💡 Invoice checker or a strategic powerhouse? The role of a CFO at a scaleup. Many tech founders underestimate the CFO’s role, often seeing them as “invoice checkers”. or compliance Investors are keen to see a good CFO in your management. But why? This masterclass will unpack the real impact a CFO can have on your growth, fundraising, and long-term success. We’ll explore when to bring in, what to expect from a CFO, and how to avoid common founder blind spots. We host one of the region's best scaleup's CFO, an ex-CFO of a global corporation and a real "Jedi Knight CFO" supporting scaleups until they make 100M+ exit.  

💡 "LIVE ON STAGE: roasting startup growth plan! One brave startup. One ambitious growth plan. A panel of VCs who’ve seen it all—and aren’t afraid to say what they think.
In this fun-but-fierce session, a founder will pitch their scale-up strategy live, face a panel of investors ask the uncomfortable questions, and serve up spicy feedback. But it’s not just about the roast—these VCs will also share real-world advice and help reshape the plan into - hopefully - something fundable. It’s part pitch and 100% learning opportunity for anyone serious about scaling. Bring popcorn."

💡 To Raise or Not to Raise? Bootstrapping or Raising Capital - A Debate on Growth Strategies Should you raise capital or grow on your own terms? In this lively debate, founders and investors go head-to-head on one of the most critical decisions to make. Expect strong opinions, real-world war stories, and practical insights as we explore the trade-offs between speed and control, dilution and discipline, and ambition and autonomy.

💡 Case study: the Lightware story. How we scaled a hardware business from one Hungarian office to 18 offices globally?
The COO shares the most expensive lessons learned through this journey. Opening own offices or setting up JVs. Can you ""copy paste"" the GTM plans for specific markets? USA vs China vs Singapore & Hong Kong vs Australia vs Europe….
Sales planning, tracking, controlling. Financing and production.

💡 Building a startup: work hard, play hard... burn out fast? 72% of founders say entrepreneurship has negatively impacted their mental health. Driven by constant uncertainty, high stakes, and relentless pressure, how can you perform without a healthy balance? Despite this, 81% don’t openly share their struggles, often fearing it could damage their reputation or investor relationships. Founders, experts are invited to share practical tips and advice on how to be self-aware on finding balance within the five health pillars.

💡 Buy first, build faster: how to hack hyper-growth with acquisitions. Yes, you want to grow, open new offices, hire talents, get more customers. But what if you could do that in ONE step? Let's turn the classic M&A playbook on its head: we tell you why ambitious scale-ups should buy mature companies instead of battling for every new customer from scratch. Capitalizing on real German succession cases, we uncover how injecting breakthrough tech into a proven business can unlock instant sales channels, international footprints, and so on. Also, Private Equity LOVE buy and build, happy to finance it, if you have a story.

💡 From founder-led sales to scale: challenges, processes, RevOps, hiring & compensation. How you automate it and implent AI tools. ChartMogul's CRO shares her experience - having built international go-to-market teams, scaling high-performing departments, driving territory expansions, and advancing GTM strategies for cutting-edge SaaS products for 10+ years. Joined by a founder telling us exact tips and tools how they automated B2B sales for the W-EU/UK markets.

💡 Debate: Advisors, Angels, Smart VCs or Hired Guns: Who Really Helps You Scale—And Who Just Talks? Every founder hears it: “You need senior talent to scale.” But what does that actually mean—and who delivers real value? In this no-holds-barred debate, we’ll challenge the conventional wisdom. Are angel investors truly strategic partners, or just passive check-writers with opinions? Do consultants bring clarity or just PowerPoints? Are fractional C-levels the secret weapon—or a costly shortcut?

💡 Buzzword Bingo: what VCs hate in pitchs deck they get every week? Revolutionary / Disruptive / Game-Changing Tech / AI driven ... with a viral growth loop. In this candid and entertaining session, seasoned investors will tell you frankly to the most overused, misunderstood, and downright cringey phrases they see inpitch decks. From “Uber for X” to “no competition,” we’ll unpack why these lines fall flat—and what founders should say instead. Expect laughs, real talk, and actionable advice for crafting a pitch that actually gets funded.