The CzechInvest Agency, through its Support for Entrepreneurship project, is organising dozens of events aimed at supporting young people’s entrepreneurship throughout the Czech Republic this year. One of them is a panel discussion “Don’t be a robot and start your own business”. The subtitle “Where to look for and find help to start your own business” makes it clear that there will be tips to help those interested in getting a foothold in the market or turning an idea into a business plan.
Why is it better to be an entrepreneur than to be employed? Where can I find help to start a business? How to turn an idea into a business? Where to look for business support programs offered by the state or regions? What does Technology Incubation help startups with and how is it different from other programs? Find out the answers to these and other questions in a panel discussion where we will discuss the different types of assistance available to startup entrepreneurs. Sometimes you just need to have the right idea and grab the help offered by the right end. At the end of the discussion, we will also give room for questions from the audience.
Tereza Kubicová, head of the Technology Incubation project and founder of the Czech Space Week festival, will speak on behalf of the CzechInvest agency at the popular Colours of Ostrava festival, which also includes the Meltingpot international discussion forum. Pavel Csank, innovation manager and strategist, will provide his perspective. Daniel Kvak, founder of the health-tech startup Carebot, which is part of the AI Hub of our project, and Jiří Madeja, CEO of the startup UDX Research, which is part of the ESA BIC Czech Republic space incubator focused on the development of technologically progressive startups bringing space technologies back to Earth or developing new technologies for space, will complete the line-up of guests. The debate is moderated by actress Tereza Dočkalová.
“We want to introduce young people at events across the Czech Republic not only to the benefits of entrepreneurship, but also to offer opportunities and inspiration to develop their own ideas. That’s why we focus on areas such as innovation, technology and sustainability, which are one of the prerequisites for the future success of start-ups,” says Jan Michal, Director General of the CzechInvest agency. He adds: “Supporting young entrepreneurs is a good investment because it helps them get on their feet and brings innovation and new job opportunities to the regions.”
Important information: Venue: Festival Colours of Ostrava, Europe Stage Date and time: Saturday 20 July 2024, from 17:30. Questions for the panelists: Sli.do No booking is required to attend the debate. For more information: meltingpotforum.com | colours.cz
The Entrepreneurship Support project is aimed at high school and university students, young professionals and aspiring entrepreneurs who want to gain practical experience and expert advice from successful entrepreneurs and experts in various fields. CzechInvest also plans to cooperate with universities, research institutions and private companies to ensure the highest level of quality and relevance of the events provided.
Participants’ medallions
Tereza Kubicová
Head of the Technology Incubation project and founder of the Czech Space Week festival
She has been working at the CzechInvest agency since 2014, currently as Deputy for Technological Development. She intensively supports innovation and business development, especially through the Technology Incubation project, through which she tries to promote her strategy – simplification of bureaucratic processes and digitalization of services in state administration.
Apart from startups, her heart is also in the field of space technology. She is the founder of the ESA BIC Czech Republic programme, which supports companies in the space sector, and is also the founder of the Czech Space Week festival. As a die-hard vegetarian, she loves all animals on earth. At home she has a dog Woody, chinchillas and a lot of rescued animals.
Pavel Csank
Manager and strategist focused on innovation and innovation ecosystems
He is in daily contact with entrepreneurs, managers and researchers looking for new paths to business success and sustainability. As a consultant, he has been involved in the design and validation of many services, programs and other activities to support entrepreneurship and innovation in the Czech Republic and abroad. In 2017, he was at the birth of the Moravian-Silesian Innovation Centre Ostrava. Under his leadership, MSIC has worked its way up to become one of the most respected innovation centres in Central Europe and has become a model for the creation of similar organisations.
Pavel calls himself an architect of innovation ecosystems. After seven years at the helm of MSIC, he is changing his role. From manager to entrepreneur. His new role is to make the Czech Republic attractive to pioneers and innovators and to make it easier for it to transform itself as a society into a knowledge-based economy. Pavel likes to spend his free time moving, especially in the mountains, with and without skis.
Jiří Madeja
CEO & Co-founder at UDX Research
Jiří Madeja is co-founder, developer and now CEO of UDX since the end of 2020. With an original technical background from BUT, during his time at UDX he gained experience not only in product development from the technical side, but also in founding this innovative startup in general. Now he is trying to make UDX a world-renowned brand and make some people’s dreams of flying cars come true. He considers himself an inventor and technology enthusiast.
UDX develops the Airwolf hoverbike – a flying motorbike that combines beautiful design with sports bike performance thanks to small wings and tilt motors. Airwolf is designed for motorized recreation enthusiasts, but also for emergency services. In the future, it may change the way we all travel. Now UDX is seeking funding to develop a full-scale prototype.
Daniel Kvak
Founder and CEO of Carebot
Daniel Kvak is the founder and CEO of Carebot, a company focused on developing AI-based referral systems to help doctors be more accurate and faster. With his expertise in AI development, he is in charge of the entire technology side of the company. Daniel’s background is in electronic music production. Now his primary focus is on innovation in the healthcare industry.
Carebot is developing the third eye of the doctor – systems based on artificial intelligence. It is AI that helps doctors evaluate images in imaging scans faster, more accurately and more reliably. Carebot consists of a team of AI experts, dozens of doctors from all over Europe and healthcare specialists.
Tereza Dockalova
Actress and presenter, winner of two Thalia Awards
Czech theatre and film actress and presenter. Since 2014 she has been a member of the ensemble of Divadlo pod Palmovkou and winner of two Thalia Awards (2011 and 2017). She is also known as a commentator of the satirical programme Branky, bod, kokoti (which focused on gender equality and minority rights), or as a presenter of the series Protivný sprostý matky.
The audience may know Tereza from the films Brutal Heat, Lítá v tom, Teroristka or from the series Hojer, Oktopus, Boss and others. Tereza also writes audiobooks, which she regularly narrates.
This action is being implemented within the framework of the Entrepreneurship Support Project, which is part of the National Recovery Plan, Component 1.4. Digital Economy and Society, Innovative Start-ups and New Technologies, funded by the EU’s Recovery and Resilience Facility.
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