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Technologická Inkubace

Tech Happy Hours 2026 brought together the Czech and European technology ecosystems; MirageSet won #demoday, and the American company OHR won the international Pitch & Cheers competition

Czech Startup Week Demoday
27.10. 2026
line-arrow Tech Happy Hours 2026 brought together the Czech and European technology ecosystems; MirageSet won #demoday, and the American company OHR won the international Pitch & Cheers competition

The third annual Tech Happy Hours international technology event took place on October 20 at Prague’s OX Club as part of Czech Startup Week. Organized by the media company Startup Kitchen in collaboration with CzechInvest’s Technology Incubation project, the event brought together startup founders, investors, experts, mentors, and other representatives of the Czech and international startup ecosystems. The program featured discussions on international cooperation, company building, fintech, expansion, DefenseTech, and fundraising. It also included the international startup competition Pitch & Cheers, in which six startups presented their ideas.

Tech Happy Hours were created with the goal of bringing together different parts of the technology and startup ecosystem in one room on the same day. Instead of separate conferences for startups, investors, or corporations, they provide a space for people to meet who are looking for new investments, business partners, customers, talent, or opportunities to launch and grow technology companies.

“Tech Happy Hours are built primarily around people and the connections they make. We want to create an environment where, in a single day, company founders can meet with investors, corporations, universities, and people from the public sector. This year’s event once again demonstrated how important it is to combine an inspiring program with opportunities for face-to-face meetings. It is precisely during these meetings that collaborations often emerge, which later turn into new companies, investments, or international expansion,” says Nikola Naxerová, co-founder of the media company Startup Kitchen.

The conference kicked off with #demoday, organized by Technologické inkubace and ESA BIC Czech Republic

The Tech Happy Hours were preceded by a morning #demoday, a startup competition featuring two Czech incubation programs. More than fifty startups applied for this year’s edition, 45 of which advanced to the online semifinals. In the end, only the top twelve from the Space, EcoTech, Tech4Life, and creative industries sectors made it to the finals at the OX Club.

The startup Future Mirage won with its MirageSet project. Second place went to the Dolphin Printer project with Slicedog, and third place to Volteek Solutions. The jury also awarded a special prize to the startup Stellar Nuclear. The Tech Partner Awards went to Treetino Corp from Prusa Research and Dolphin Printer from VeQtor. Later that afternoon, the winning MirageSet project also represented #demoday in the international Pitch & Cheers competition.

“Winning first place in the competition confirms that MirageSet is on the right track. The jury understood our technology and recognized our in-house research as well as our ambition to establish a leader in generative AI for the media and creative industries in the Czech Republic. We’d like to thank Technologická inkubace for its support on our journey from development to a finished product,” says Michal Toporcer, founder of MirageSet.

“Every product that Y Soft sells is manufactured in Brno, so supporting founders who want to manufacture in Europe was an easy decision for us. #demoday 2026 showed us where startups are headed and what’s holding them back, and we’re using that insight to further develop our own services. We offer startups from ESA BIC Czech Republic and the Technology Incubation Program a complete journey—from development and small-batch production through assembly and testing to support with certification and global logistics,” adds Dan Murphy, Business Development Manager for at Y Soft Hardware, the competition’s main partner.

The event was also supported by: UOL, Prusa Research, BrandCloud, VeQtor, Zemek Legal, Google for Startups, Startup Kitchen, and the JIC Innovation Agency.

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From Founders’ Stories to FinTech and DefenceTech

This year’s program focused on topics shaping the current European technology entrepreneurship landscape. Participants discussed international collaboration, the experiences of technology company founders, company building and expansion, financial technologies, DefenseTech, and startup financing options.

Among others, the following performed on stage: Jan Řezáb and Božena Řezábová, Richard Valtr, Mats Kuuskemaa, Jana Sedláková, Kate Šimková, Barbora Wachtlová, Jaroslav Kravchenko, William Jalloul, Nemika Menevse, Mykyta Puz, Lola Onipko, Anna Růžičková and Quentin Dupraz. Other guests from the Czech and international technology communities also shared their experiences.

The program also featured a debate focused on supporting Czech companies. The panel discussion, titled “From Idea to Expansion,” was moderated by Kateřina Rundová, a representative of the Technology Incubation project, and also included: Rudolf Klepáček, CEO of the CzechBusiness agency, Markéta Přenosilová from the CzechInvest agency, angel investor Petr Sochora, and Tomáš Janovský, founder of the startup CircuParts. Together, they sought to answer the question of where support for startups in the Czech Republic should go from here.

The program was complemented by mentoring and networking sessions, which offered participants the opportunity to make new connections, consult on their projects, and discuss opportunities for collaboration with others in the ecosystem.

Pitch & Cheers: Six Startups, Three Minutes to Win Over the Jury

One of the highlights of this year’s program was the international startup competition Pitch & Cheers. Six startups took the stage, each given three minutes to present their project. Each pitch was followed by questions from the jury.

The competition featured Hungary’s Vouchy, represented by Thomas Vizvary; the Czech company SynWe, represented by Uliana Elina; the Ukrainian company RestogenAI with Artem Starikov, the winner of the Czech round of Creative Business Czechia, Naberius Tech with Lukas Herrmann, the American company OHR TECH with Maxwell Dreytser, and the winner of the morning #demoday, MirageSet, represented by Michal Toporcer. The overall winner of Pitch & Cheers 2026 was Maxwell Dreytser with the startup OHR TECH. The Audience Choice Award went to Uliana Elina with the startup SynWe.

The competition offered early-stage technology companies the opportunity to present their projects to a panel of experts and the audience and to gain the attention of people active in the startup and investment communities.

Connecting startups, investors, and ecosystem partners

Tech Happy Hours has long sought to break down the barriers between different segments of the technology ecosystem. In addition to startups themselves, it creates a space for venture capitalists and angel investors, established companies, innovative organizations, mentors, and other institutions that support the creation and growth of technology companies.

An important part of this year’s event were the partners, without whose support the event could not have taken place. These included CzechInvest and Technologická inkubace, the Central Bohemian Innovation Center (SIC), Raiffeisenbank Czech Republic, Vienna Business Agency, SEDLAKOVA LEGAL, Seed Starter ČS, CzechStartups.org, CERN Venture Connect, the Prague Innovation Institute, and StartupJobs.cz. The event also continues to receive support from the City of Prague.

Tech Happy Hours 2026 was part of Czech Startup Week and took place with the support of the City of Prague.

“Our goal isn’t to host yet another conference where people listen to a few panel discussions and then go home. We want participants to leave not only inspired, but also with concrete contacts, new opportunities, and a reason to stay connected to the startup ecosystem even after the event ends. We’d like to thank all the speakers, startups, mentors, judges, partners, and participants who helped make this year’s Tech Happy Hours a success,” adds Nikola Naxerová of Startup Kitchen.

The organizers would like to thank everyone who contributed to this year’s event and look forward to the next gathering of the Czech and international technology ecosystem. More information about the event and the organizers’ other activities is available at techhappyhours.com.

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