Is CEE Deep Tech Being Held Back by Its Own Institutions?
The Nuqleus Liftoff conference in Zagreb (June 30‑July 1, 2026) will showcase over 80 deep‑tech startups and attract 30 leading European venture capitalists. Organisers introduced a “Phase Zero” pre‑incubation stage to compensate for the lack of functional Technology Transfer Offices in Central and Eastern Europe. High‑level EU investors—including the EIC, EIF and EIB—will attend, underscoring the region’s push for technological sovereignty. The event also coincides with the launch of Vesna Capital, Croatia’s first deep‑tech VC fund backed by the EIF and HBOR.
Podim 2026: Inside Europe’s Emerging Growth Networks
Podim 2026 turned Maribor into a hub for Europe’s startup ecosystem, drawing more than 1,100 participants from 34 countries, 220 startups and over 60 venture capital funds that collectively manage roughly $10.8 billion. The three‑day event featured 1,100+ pre‑arranged meetings, deep‑tech...
Big Pi Ventures Leads $30 Million Series B Into Construction Robotics Firm
Greek‑backed Big Pi Ventures led a $30 million Series B round into Australian robotics firm August Robotics, which builds autonomous floor‑marking and drilling robots for hyperscale construction sites. The round, joined by Blackbird, Skip Capital, Tanarra, Future Family Office and new investor...
Doist’s Amir Salihefendic, at Podim 2026: 50M Users, Bootstrapped
Doist founder Amir Salihefendic announced at the Podim 2026 conference that his product‑led company has amassed 50 million users while remaining fully bootstrapped. He credited disciplined growth, a high‑trust remote culture, and a refusal to take external capital for preserving control...
Inside Pluria’s New Investment Round. From Hybrid Work to Work Infrastructure
Pluria, a workplace‑infrastructure platform, closed a €1.7 M ($2 M) round led by Sparking Capital, bringing its total funding above $6 M. The company now supports more than 1,000 coworking locations in 150 cities across Latin America and Europe, moving beyond simple space...
Hungary’s Tech Startups Look Abroad as Domestic Headwinds Persist
Hungary’s tech ecosystem is turning outward despite a sluggish 2025 economy and delayed EU funds, adopting a "born‑global" mindset. Startups such as ABZ Innovation ($7.7 M), Axoflow ($7.4 M) and SEON ($80 M) secured sizable rounds led by international investors, underscoring confidence in...
Google Cloud Day Returns to Sofia for a Third Year, With AI Agents and Sovereignty in Focus
Google Cloud Day returned to Sofia on May 20 for its third consecutive edition, centering on generative AI, cloud infrastructure, and applied AI use cases. The event featured three parallel tracks—Vision, Deep Technical, and Applied AI—where Google leaders and regional partners...
CEE Startup & Tech Weekly: Estonian Skeleton Technologies Secures €33M Ahead of US IPO
Estonian energy‑storage specialist Skeleton Technologies announced a €33 million first‑close of a larger funding round, bringing its total venture capital to €392 million (≈ $421 million) as it prepares for a U.S. IPO slated for 2027. The round follows a wave of sizable European...
Disrupting ‘Boring’ Industries: How Deyan Dimitrov Turned Dirty Socks Into Profit
Laundryheap, founded by Bulgarian entrepreneur Deyan Dimitrov, has turned the fragmented laundry market into a tech‑enabled service operating in 28 cities across 16 countries. After two years of bootstrapping, the company raised roughly $21 million (£17 m) and €20 million (about $22 million) in...
The CEE Startup Superpower: Cultural Weakness Becomes Competitive Edge
At the Startup Moldova Summit 2026, cultural expert Jaïr Halevi warned Central and Eastern European founders that neglecting company culture is a strategic blind spot. He likened culture to a tennis serve—founders control it while external market forces remain unpredictable....
BrainDonors’ Andrey Petrov on AI Outbound and B2B Growth in CEE
BrainDonors, a Bulgarian agency founded in 2020, has pivoted to pure B2B growth and become one of HubSpot’s largest partners in Central‑Eastern Europe. The firm’s AI‑driven outbound and inbound strategies—centered on signal‑based outreach and AEO/GEO content optimization—are delivering outsized results....
Don’t Fight Stagnation. Hustle Culture Is Not a Path to High Performance
The article challenges the prevailing hustle culture by likening it to the Red Queen Hypothesis, where workers must sprint merely to stay in place. HR veteran Erika Schroth and performance psychologist Stanislava Savova argue that continuous speed undermines true high...
With 90% of European AI Users on US Platforms, Vienna’s Eustella Wants to Fight Back
European AI adoption is booming, with 133 million active users—almost twice the U.S. count—but more than 90% rely on U.S. platforms like ChatGPT. Vienna‑based startup eustella is launching a mobile‑first AI‑agent app that runs open‑weight models on European servers, promising data...
Innovision Awards By Planet Schwarz Accepts Applications By 10th of May
The Innovision Awards 2026, organized by Schwarz Digits Bulgaria, opens applications until 10 May 2026 with a ceremony slated for 28 May 2026 in Sofia. The competition spans eight categories—including technology, cybersecurity, sustainability, healthcare, education, startups, human capital, and student innovation—and targets solutions that...
CEE Startup & Tech Weekly: Polish and Bulgarian Startups on the Move
Central and Eastern European startups are accelerating global expansion and attracting sizable capital. Bulgarian drone logistics firm Dronamics secured its first Japanese backer and opened a Japan subsidiary, while Polish AI‑music platform GRAI closed a $9 million seed round. Other notable...