Technology Incubation and ESA BIC Czech Republic Announce #demoday 2026: Show Investors Your Potential
12.08. 2026
The showcase of innovative young Czech companies is back! Together with ESA BIC Czech Republic, we are opening registration for this year’s—the third—edition of the prestigious Technological Incubation #demoday 2026 competition . If you have completed or are currently participating in the incubation program of our project or ESA BIC Czech Republic, and are looking for an opportunity to showcase your startup to Czech and international investors, then this call is intended specifically for you.
Once again, we are seeking innovators across the progressive sectors of technology incubation and the ESA BIC Czech Republic project to present their projects to a panel of experts and visitors from the worlds of business, investment, and corporations. The finalists will be selected from the TOP 11 and will receive valuable prizes; the first-place winner will advance to the Pitch & Cheers competition at the Tech Happy Hours 2026 festival. The entire event is part of the Czech Startup Week concept, which brings together the most significant Czech startup events during one week in October.
Take a look at the winners from previous years
The winners of previous years— Kardi AI and Scicake, with their Fonafix solution—presented technologies with the potential to push the boundaries in the healthcare sector and demonstrated how diverse projects can shine on the #demoday stage.
Scicake
The startup Scicake won the #demoday 2025 competition with its Fonafix solution, which digitizes the diagnosis of speech disorders. The system helps speech-language pathologists automate part of the examination and the processing of results, saving them time and giving them more time to work with patients. The technology was developed based on long-term research in the field of dysarthria and utilizes modern technologies, including artificial intelligence.
More: Case study, interview on hn.cz
Cardi AI
Kardi AI has developed a portable device (a chest strap connected to an app) for long-term heart rhythm monitoring using artificial intelligence. The technology detects heart rhythm abnormalities that might be missed during a standard short-term examination, thereby helping doctors make faster and more accurate diagnoses. The startup won the first edition of our #demoday 2024 competition.
More: Case study, interview on E15.cz
Only startups from the Technology Incubation project and the ESA BIC Czech Republic incubator (including alumni) may apply for the competition. To ensure equal opportunity, however, winning startups (1st–3rd place) from the 2024 and 2025 cohorts are not eligible to enter the competition.
Mark October 20, 2026, on your calendars. The #demoday finals will take place in the morning at the OX Club in Prague and will be followed immediately by the Tech Happy Hours startup festival. The #demoday winner will advance directly to the evening Pitch & Cheers competition, where they’ll have the opportunity to present their project to investors and industry experts.
The path to the finals begins with an online preliminary selection. Startups that express interest and 7. September 2026 Once they register, they will participate in an online meeting with the evaluation committee. The evaluation will consist of a three-minute investor pitch in English, followed by two minutes of follow-up questions; evaluation criteria include market potential and competitive advantage, presentation skills, and overall readiness for investment.
The same criteria and presentation format also apply to the final evening. The top 10 startups from the online qualifiers will advance, and they will be joined by one wild card selected by the committee. Thus, the 11 best projects will present to a panel of experts at the live finals on October 20, 2026 .
PRIZE OVERVIEW FOR THE WINNERS OF THE “
” 1st place:
● Cash prize of 50,000 CZK from Y SOFT HARDWARE.
● Qualification for the Pitch & Cheers competition at the Tech Happy Hours 2026 festival.
● Mentoring from BrandCloud.
2nd place:
Cash prize of 30,000 CZK from UOL Accounting.
1st–3rd place :
● Exclusive support from Google for Startups (credits Google Cloud worth $25,000 to $350,000, an annual Google Workspace Business Plus subscription, a $600/month credit for the Google Maps Platform, technical consultations, and a Skills Boost package worth $500).
● Services from BrandCloud.
Jury Prize:
Exclusive interview on the website startupkitchen.community and tickets to the #StartupGrilling event from the Startup Kitchen.
COMPETITION PARTNERS
We thank all partners and supporters of the #demoday 2026 competition for providing valuable prizes and supporting emerging startups.
● Y SOFT HARDWARE
● UOL Accounting
● BrandCloud
● Google for Startups / Google Cloud
● Startup Kitchen
How do I sign up?
If you’re interested in participating in the competition, contact your incubation manager or use the link in the email invitation or the project Slack channel. Don’t miss this chance to attract investors, build valuable connections, gain media attention, and win attractive prizes.
#demoday and Czech Startup Week 2024 & 2025
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