In Prague, startups from all over the world competed for the favor of the jury and investors. However, the TECH HAPPY HOURS event also attracted a number of famous speakers and discussions. The event was held as part of the new Czech Startup Week initiative, which aims to unite key startup events in Prague, create an attractive platform for international startups and investors, and the creation of a new technology event that will put Prague on the startup map of Europe, following the example of the Finnish SLUSH. This event has become just that, with almost 400 Czech and European guests from startup enthusiasts, venture capitalists, leading corporations, not only technology universities, but also young people passionate about big business.
The winner of the international startup competition Pitch & Cheers at TECH HAPPY HOURS was the Taiwanese startup iCHASE, which provides state-of-the-art AIoT solutions for sustainable precision livestock farming. “I really appreciate the opportunity to be part of the Taiwanese delegation to the Czech Republic and to have the opportunity to present at TECH HAPPY HOURS. I really appreciate winning this competition because of the quality of the other projects, especially from the Czech Republic. I look forward to further cooperation between Taiwan and the Czech Republic,” summarises Aidan Chang, founder and CEO of Taiwan’s iCHASE. The jury was also impressed by the startup Kardi AI (winner of the Technology Incubation Project competition, details below), which was awarded a wild card and sent to compete in the regional round of the Startup World Cup organized as part of the Engaged Investment Conference, which was also partnered by CzechInvest.
” We decided to push the boundaries of our investment conference and engage partners to create the premier startup event of the year. The result is the creation of international Tech Happy Hours as part of Czech Startup Week, which included expert panels on entrepreneurship and technology, as well as presentations by startups from the Czech Republic and abroad. I believe that we have laid the foundation for a broad cooperation of the Czech startup environment, which we will now further develop,” describes Ivo Denemark, Director of the Division of Startups and Venture Investments at CzechInvest.
The most important guests who spoke at the conference in Prague were Linn Kretzschmar, Director of the newly established CERN Science and Technology Centre programme, who focused on technology transfer between the academic and private spheres and all the technologies that CERN can offer to startups. Next, internationally successful entrepreneur Jan Řežáb spoke, focusing on aspects that entrepreneurs, investors and the public sector should address and possibly improve. Martin Felcman from the Czech unicorn Productboard summarized how the company has turned into a global player in the six years it has been there, while Linda Voeras from the leading European DeepTech fund KARMA VC with Lukáš Hurych from the Czech Credo Ventures, Orem Haviv from Arieli Capital in Israel, as well as Martin Drdul from Tensor Ventures, focused on investing in startups from an investor’s perspective. An interesting presentation was also given by influencer and model Jitka Nováčková, who focuses on the topic of everyday sustainability and aims to show that it is possible to start living sustainably from one day to the next.
” The first TECH HAPPY HOURS exceeded our expectations, both in the composition of experts and speakers we managed to bring, as well as the number of visitors and the international composition of the startup competition. We believe we covered all the key topics that startups may encounter on their journey, ” says Tomas Cironis for the co-organizers of Startup Kitchen.
The day also included a #demoday of the Technology Incubation project from the CzechInvest agency, where guests from among investors, potential partners and others interested in innovation could see another competition of startups supported by this project, as well as hear the breadth of its activities. Sixteen startups from progressive fields such as artificial intelligence, ecotech, mobility and creative industries took part in the competition. The winner was KARDI AI, a startup that brings an affordable and reliable monitoring solution to heart patients using a chest strap and mobile app, which combined with AI analytics provides comprehensive data for accurate diagnosis and early detection of heart abnormalities.
” Participating in the pitch contest allowed us to present the project in front of experienced mentors, investors and other key players, which brought us valuable feedback. It allowed us to see the project through the eyes of potential partners, investors and customers and improve the product and strategy. As a startup that is part of CzechInvest’s Technology Incubation, we consider participation in their events to be crucial. These events not only allow us to showcase our progress, but also bring inspiration and a space to share experiences and collaborate with other members of this community, ” says Vlastimil Hrabal, Chief Operating Officer of KARDI AI in Olomouc.
Dronetag from our Mobility Innovation Hub is developing drone tracking devices. Read an interview with its founder about the expansion into the US market and future plans.
At the beginning of this year, a parliamentary subcommittee was established to focus on startups. The initial meeting was attended by politicians, entrepreneurs and representatives of ministries.
An interview with the director of Creative Hub about how the Creative Business Cup competition helps creative startups to get the attention of investors and succeed on the global market.
How to support the creation of spin-offs and connect research with practice in the Czech Republic? These and other questions were answered at the National Day of Spin-offs conference organised by the CzechInvest…
The third year of Technology Incubation brought a number of significant milestones. Let’s take a look at an overview of the most interesting key activities.
Creative startups can still submit applications to the national round of the Creative Business Cup competition, which is organised by CzechInvest and the Creative Hub of our project.