VCs in CEE – Who’s next? International VC event
Are you building a startup and you are aspiring to become a regional or even global key player? Are you fundraising and want to meet international VCs? Or, are you simply interested in the investment and startup world of the CEE region?
If so, this event is for you! This event brought together ambitious startups, experienced entrepreneurs, and international venture capital investors to explore the evolving startup and investment landscape of the CEE region. Participants gained first-hand insights into global growth strategies, met new international VCs interested in CEE and Hungary, and connected with key players shaping tomorrow’s industry.
Our esteemed guests
Covered topics
- The current and future startup and investment landscape in the CEE region
- Global market entry challenges and scaling beyond CEE
- Real-life case studies and success stories from founders and VCs
- Perspectives from a new wave of international VCs exploring first-time investments in CEE
- Opportunities for startups to connect directly with investors through pitch deck sharing and face-to-face meetings
Agenda
Registration to the SEMINAR SESSION
13:45 - 14:15
Seminar session, open discussion
Experiences of international investors:
- Guillaume Fournier - Credo Ventures – General Partner
- Marcin Hejka – OTB Ventures – Co-founder, General Partner
Highlights:
- Challenges of entering global market: when and how to do that? Role of the founders
- Fundraising beyond CEE: when do you have a real chance at a global / US investor?
- What can we learn from CEE unicorn UiPath?
14:15 - 15:35
Case study, Talk-a-bot story
Robots supercharged: a business story with Microsoft cosell
- Zoltan Bikadi – Talk-a-bot – Business Development Director
15:35 - 15:45
Specialities of international transactions
What you wouldn’t imagine but might be important
- Akos Fehervary – Baker&McKenzie – partner
- Andras Molnar – PortfoLion – CEO
Moderated by Balazs Tahy, private equity professional, former VP of Riverside Europe.
15:45 - 16:10
Hiventures: lessons learned
First-hand experience of 100+ startup deals, typical challenges of a Hungarian startup during their growth journey.
- Laszlo Hradszki – Hiventures – Member of the Board of Directors
16:10 - 16:25
Q&A, networking until the main stage session starts
16:25 - 16:30
Registration to MAIN STAGE SESSION
16:30 - 17:00
Welcome words
- Levente Zsembery – X-Ventures – CEO, Chairman of HVCA
17:00 - 17:20
Founders’ stories: how we raised funding from international investors?
First-hand experience from entrepreneurs and their view on VC world
- David Salamon – CloudStorm – Founder, CEO
- Mark Felegyhazi – Avatao.com – Founder, CEO
Moderated by President of HunBan Antal Károlyi
17:20 - 18:05
From CEE to global: the essence of really making it
Lessons from dozens of successful VC investments
- Michael Schuster – Speedinvest – Co-founder, Managing Partner
18:05 - 18:40
Break, networking, snacks served
18:40 - 19:10
The new wave of VCs on stage
- What is their investment focus? Stage, industry?
- What makes CEE startups / scaleups special?
- Why should the entrepreneurs choose them?
- What do they think is the real challenge for CEE teams when entering international markets?
We welcome on stage fantastic investors bringing hundreds of million EURs to our region:
- Marcin Hejka – OTB Ventures – Co-founder, General Partner
- Konrad Sowa – Deutsche Telekom hub:raum Fund – Investment Manager
- Maciej Balsewicz – bValue – CEO, Managing Partner
- Enis Hulli (video) – 500 Startups – Venture Partner
- Aaron Michelin – FinestLove / Corporatum – Chairman, Managing Director
- Zoltan Hopka – EBRD Venture Capital – Principal
Moderated by:
- Zoltan Vardy – Serial Entrepreneur, Angel investor (HunBan)
- Lenard Horgos – Partner of Absolvo, Board Member of HVCA
19:10 - 20:40
Q&A, networking
20:40 - 21:00
Organized in partnership with:
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Meet our VCs – about the investors
OTB Ventures is a newly established VC fund in CEE, investing in technology companies to scale their businesses globally while keeping strong focus on technology advancement. The firm is co-founded and endorsed by Marcin Hejka, the ex VP of Intel Capital for 18 years (!). Enormous experience, priceless learnings and a clear intention to invest in CEE…
Credo Ventures is one of the most active early stage VC funds in CEE with 9+ years investment track record and 43 closed deals. The VC firm focuses mainly on IT, internet and health industries, supporting companies in their growth projects, incl. expansion beyond CEE and to the U.S. / global market. Among their most recent investments you can find e.g. Oradian, productboard and the CEE unicorn UIPath.
Hub:raum, the tech incubator of the leading European telco company Deutsche Telekom, has built a portfolio of 20+ investments and an ecosystem of about 200 startups. Hub:raum runs programs in key areas of AI, Smart Home, IoT and Big Data, offers seed investments and access to DT’s future technology and infrastructure.
Speedinvest is one of the most successful European VCs for tech startups with fantastic exit track record and also extensive global network, incl. a direct access to the Silicon Valley as well. The company hands-on collaborates with entrepreneurs, leveraging their entrepreneurial know-how, vast networks and years of operational experience which is vital to build a successful business.
bValue is an angel VC fund with a large network of angels & investors founded / co-founded global businesses worth in total EUR 1bn+. More than 2000 projects went through their incubator and angel networks which gives them a strong base of experience. They are currently focussing on Poland and Ukraine but actively looking for targets in CEE.
FinestLove VC / Corporatum are Finnish private funds with strong focus on technology startups able to enter Asia or global markets, managed by ex VP of Nokia Ventures Timo Teimonen, the „Mightly Eagle” of Angry Birds / Rovio, Peter Vesterbacka and Aaron Michelin who founded Enersense making IPO on Nasdaq First North.
500 Startups is one of the most active early stage VCs in the world with an HQ in the heart of the Silicon Valley, has invested into 2000+ companies in 60+ countries worldwide.
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