The Central European Ecosystem Summit was the startup event of the season in Budapest
Forty companies and fifty speakers from twelve countries gathered at the Central European Ecosystem Summit, held at the conference center of Budapest’s jewel, the Museum of Ethnography. The event aimed to establish a tradition, with the goals of increasing the visibility of the local startup scene and boosting the viability of the ecosystem, which can create significant economic development capacity despite the small size of individual players. This was to be achieved primarily through business development support for startups and showcasing venture capital investors.
The highly eventful program achieved the desired impact. László Korányi, chief advisor at the Ministry of Culture and Innovation, which hosted the event, stated that he welcomed the ideas presented and hoped they would soon be followed by actions. Imre Hild, head of the newly established venture capital fund at Óbuda University and a founding figure of the Hungarian startup ecosystem, also saw the collaboration at the event as a potential turning point.
Nóra Szeles, co-founder of TokePortal, a pioneer in Hungarian crowdfunding, highlighted the necessity of bottom-up organization and top-down regulation based on knowledge and strategy for building the ecosystem. Zoltán Ács, president of the Hungarian Fintech Association and managing director of MBH Fintechlab, spoke about the development of digital services beyond geographical constraints. Dorka Végvári-Gerencsér from MVM Smart Future Lab emphasized the responsibility of large corporations in knowledge sharing and innovation adaptation. Kamilla Strausz, co-founder of InnoMaker Partners, pointed out the importance of supporting the younger generation, referencing the numerous students from MOME and Corvinus present. This sentiment was also echoed by Milos Milicsevics, a lecturer at Corvinus.
Richárd Végh, CEO of the Budapest Stock Exchange, discussed the not-so-difficult path to the stock market, illustrating with examples like STRT and OXO Labs, which aim to make the local startup ecosystem internationally competitive by nurturing companies capable of successful exits.
During the series of keynote speeches, Q&A sessions, and panel discussions, Kitti Jakab, co-founder of Lunar Incubator, presented their research on the Hungarian startup ecosystem. Zoltán Várdy from The Launch Code explained what distinguishes successful founders from failures. This was followed by talks on the implementation of crowdfunding in Hungary by leaders from Tőkeportál and Brancs, Nóra Szeles and Gábor Kövesdi. Representatives from two innovative Hungarian universities, Lasma Ivaska (MOME) and Milos Milicsevics (CUB), shared insights from the Lithuanian and Polish ecosystems, respectively.
Péter Oszkó from OXO Technologies Holding Nyrt. led us through the company’s path to the stock market. Richárd Végh (Budapest Stock Exchange) explained the intricacies of exit strategies, particularly public stock offerings. Kálmán Nagy (Concorde MBP) detailed the exciting processes of mergers and acquisitions. Péter Fáykiss (Hungarian National Bank) provided an overview of the state regulatory strategies relevant to the fintech sector.
Prominent international experts also spoke at the conference. Jeff Lynn, founder of Seedrs, shared lessons from launching the largest British crowdfunding platform and its impact on the UK ecosystem. Samantha Evans (FCx) provided insider information about the British tech sector. Significant figures from the Israeli ecosystem, Tal Sharon (The Israeli FinTech Association) and Denes Ban from OurCrowd, one of the largest global investment platforms, also participated. Tunya Irkad from 500VC, a major regional venture capital investor, delivered a valuable presentation for startups in the region.
The engaging presentations were complemented by captivating panel discussions throughout the day. The introductory panel, led by Imre Hild (ÓUVC), explored the structure and development opportunities of the innovation ecosystem, featuring Zoltán Ács (MAFISZ MBH Fintechlab), István Fetter (CIB Bank), Dudu Gencel (Vienna Business Agency), Krisztián Kölkedi, and Kitti Timár (Startup Hungary). This was followed by a discussion with representatives from accelerators and incubators, including Laviniu Chis (Inno Accelerator), Gergő Gulyás (ÓUVC), Mark Kalin (ABC Accelerator), Dorottya Végvári-Gelencsér (MVM Smart Future Lab), Dr. Péter Mogyorósi (Creative Accelerator), and Baiba Rozenberga (MBH FintechLab), addressing their roles in the Central and Eastern European region. The conversation continued with the impact of universities and launchpad programs on young innovators, moderated by Imre Hild (ÓUVC) and featuring József Gyarmati (Future Founders), Craig V. Johnson (MOME Innovation Center), László Korányi (KIM HSUP MIT), Dr. Andrea Kozma (STRT), Milos Milicsevics (Corvinus), and Tamás Müller from Pozi.io.
In a discussion about the role of role models and successful entrepreneurs, Zoltán Györkő, founder of Balabit, Jared Schrieber, who introduced angel investment practices in Hungary, Péter Schuszter from Univerz Invest, and Szabolcs Szakacsits, who won the Investor of the Year title last year, shared their insights, moderated by László Czirják from Interactive VP. Complementing the financial presentations, Mary Alcantara from Interactive VP interviewed Gödrösy Balázs (GFS Consulting), Miklós Kovács (Antavo), Bence Langár (TFL Capital), Péter Oszkó (OXO Technologies Holding Nyrt.), and Dr. Gergely Szűcs (Cashline) about the operations and tactics of investors and family offices.
The conference concluded with a discussion of the lessons learned, led by Kamilla Strausz, who spoke with Péter Csillag (HunBAN), Barbara Verő (Future Proof Consulting), Tunya Irkad (500VC), and Imre Hild (OUVC) about the importance of mutual support in the ecosystem. Barbara Verő emphasized, and many agreed, that CEES was the event of the season, and attendees are already looking forward to the next edition!
A Startup Expo complemented the comprehensive program, where attendees could interact with companies like Composity, Dolphio Technologies, Smart babee, Melon, Univerz Invest, Meskete, DIGIFit, Nektária, Bookkeepie, Tap’n’Drink, and the Transplantation Foundation for Renewed Lives. They also had the opportunity to support a good cause through Sharity.
The event concluded with a dinner featuring music and dancing at the museum, followed by networking the next day during the Unicum tour at the Zwack Museum and the Füves Bar, courtesy of Zwack Unicum. György Vuray, co-founder of the popular “Entrepreneurship Wisely” blog and community, provided advice to interested participants.
The organizing team, including TokePortal.com, InnoMaker Partners, the Foundation for Future Innovations, Tech In The City, Startup Grind Budapest, Óbuda Uni Venture Capital, MBH Fintechlab, and the Hungarian Fintech Association, along with the apostles of innovation among the supporters such as MVM (main sponsor), Tuxera, Neo Property Services, and Dolphio Technologies, emphasized the importance of spreading best practices, learning from each other’s mistakes, sharing knowledge, and supporting each other, thus organizing the ecosystem.
