The value of the startup ecosystem in Central and Eastern Europe more than doubled between 2019 and 2023, reaching approximately €213 billion. The number of active venture capital funds is growing, along with the pool of local investors and talent. Still, the region continues to lack what matters most: large-scale growth capital and the ability to keep companies based locally.

These issues will be among the main topics at the seventh edition of the international Engaged Investments conference, organized primarily by the Czech investment fund DEPO Ventures. The professional conference, which brings together hundreds of leading investors, founders, and innovation business leaders from across Europe, will take place on October 21 and 22, 2026, at the National House in Vinohrady in Prague.

“The CEE region is no longer Europe’s startup periphery, which is good news. At the same time, it has not fully matured yet. We see a strong industrial base, high-quality academic research, a growing number of funds, and strong companies. But we are missing the middle layer: companies that can turn research into products and the capital to support them. If you look at the results of the European Defence Fund, only one startup from the Czech Republic is represented, while Estonia has brought in thirteen. That is a number that should make us think,” says Petr Šíma, partner at DEPO Ventures and founder of the Engaged conference in 2019.

Czech investors are looking toward CEE

Interest among Czech investors in the domestic market has fallen by 18.5% over the past three years, from 31% to 12.5%. Today, the main region where this capital is flowing is Central and Eastern Europe. At the same time, 57% of investors who do not yet invest in startups say they would start if they had better access to opportunities and information.

The Engaged Investments conference aims to build this missing bridge between capital and opportunities. It is an annual international gathering of investors and founders, where participants not only share experience, but also form real partnerships.

For this cooperation to have a real impact in today’s world, however, it must respond to the new geopolitical, economic, and technological reality. According to Šíma, venture capital in the region can no longer focus only on simple software applications. If Europe is to survive in the technological race with the United States and China, investment must flow into strategic areas. This year’s conference will therefore focus on three connected themes: European technological sovereignty, critical infrastructure, and the continued maturation of the Central European startup ecosystem.

Transatlantic capital, European funds, one room

Last year, Engaged welcomed around 500 leading investors and innovation business leaders from more than 20 countries. Organized by the Czech investment fund DEPO Ventures, the conference was founded in 2019 as a place for investors to share experience and build cross-border cooperation. Today, it is one of the most important events of its kind in Europe.

This year’s stage will feature leading investors and experts from both sides of the Atlantic. Marcel Müller-Marbach, regional representative of the European Investment Fund for the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Austria, will open the conference with a presentation comparing the performance of the U.S. and European venture capital markets.

Ben Kolada from ICON Corporate Finance in the United States will bring insight into current developments in the U.S. market. At the conference, he will focus on a topic that matters to many Central European founders: how to successfully build a company with exit value, including beyond the U.S. market. His presentation will include current insights directly from San Francisco, the heart of the global startup world, as well as his personal experience with the successful acquisition of the Brno-based company ROI Hunter by a U.S. buyer.

Martin Olczyk, who spent eight years leading and building accelerators for Techstars, one of the world’s largest and most respected startup accelerators, will provide a perspective on building startup ecosystems. More than 100 global startups went through programs under his leadership, giving him a unique experience in developing startup ecosystems across different countries. At the conference, he will share practical insights into how the Central European region can effectively support its next stage of growth.

The European investment perspective will be represented by Jakob Stein, partner at Creandum, one of Europe’s most successful funds, whose portfolio includes global companies such as Spotify, Bolt, Klarna, and Lovable. He will be joined by Christian Noske, partner at NGP Capital, which has $6 billion under management and invests in Series A and Series B companies in North America and Europe. Around 70% of its portfolio consists of deep tech companies.

The regional dimension of the conference, along with experience from the Balkans, will be brought by Vuk Lau, partner at the venture capital fund Silicon Gardens and president of the Slovenian Startup and Scaleup Association. Vuk is an entrepreneur with more than 25 years of experience in SaaS and has built and led several high-performing global teams throughout his career.

Supporting the startup ecosystem

The conference is also supported by a number of partners who share the belief that the Central European ecosystem needs stronger foundations. These include ICON, which brings cross-border transaction experience. Other partners include the Polish private equity fund Warsaw Equity Group, which focuses on technology and industrial companies in Central and Eastern Europe, and the Brno-based JIC, which invests in deep tech startups from the Czech Republic and Central Europe through its CZK 400 million fund, especially those commercializing research developed at universities. CzechInvest, through its technology incubation program, is also preparing startups to present directly at the conference.

Early-stage startups will have a dedicated section at the conference called the Engaged Startup Showcase. There, a jury will select the best companies from 50 startups from the region based on live pitches on stage. Startups can apply through the application form.

The main partner of the conference is the international law firm Bird & Bird, which has long specialized in legal support for technology companies and venture capital investments across Central and Eastern Europe.

DEPO Ventures invests in early-stage startups from the CEE region, with a focus on strategic technologies. Since 2019, DEPO has made more than 50 investments. Its notable portfolio companies include the global blockchain platform Tatum, the home heart-monitoring solution Kardi AI, the smart business financing platform Flowpay, the mobile guide SmartGuide, and the logistics platform Ringil.

Engaged Investments is a leading international conference for venture capital investors and founders of early-stage technology companies. It was launched in 2019 by DEPO Ventures and J&T Ventures, and over the past seven years, it has become a key platform for cross-border investment and cooperation in Central and Eastern Europe.

source: Hustá, Engaged Investments