The debate was attended by representatives of six political parties: deputy chairman of ANO Karel Havlíček, Transport Minister Martin Kupka (ODS), Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Štěpán Hofman (STAN), Government Commissioner for Artificial Intelligence Jan Kavalírek (TOP 09), leader of the Pirates in the South Moravian Region Michal Švagerka and leader of the People’s Party in Vysočina Benjamin Činčila. The invitation was extended to all political parties that had over 4.5 % in the polls at the time of the address.
The main topics of discussion were the creation of the Startup Act, insufficient staff capacity to implement economic strategies, incentives for investors, strengthening venture capital through pension funds and the 28th regime, which could help Czech companies to do business more easily across the EU.
The discussion also included questions about access to subsidy programmes or the possibility for startups to bid for public contracts. Other topics raised by the politicians included strengthening the network of regional innovation centres, with the South Moravian Innovation Centre serving as a model, employing foreign workers or changing the rules of labour relations so that startups can recruit skilled labour more flexibly. Representatives of the political parties appreciated the joint approach in the latest revision of the rules for employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs).
According to a voter survey prepared by the startup Lakmoos AI specifically for this debate, 80% of respondents believe that startups, innovation and technology companies can contribute to a better future for the Czech Republic – to greater competitiveness, job creation and economic modernization. Three quarters of people (77%) would like this area to be a priority at government level. According to Lakmoos, two-thirds of voters associate one of the political parties – most often the ANO movement (29%) and STAN (13%) – with supporting startups, innovation and technology companies.
The analytical platform ROLU, which monitors the dynamics of the startup market, has summarized that investments in Czech startups amounted to CZK 14.6 billion last year. Compared to 2023, this was an increase of more than 200%. In contrast, the number of new investments has fallen – 82 last year, which is 17% less than in 2023. AI investments are a significant trend. In 2024, one in three dollars in investments in U.S. startups went to AI firms, according to ROLU. In the Czech Republic, it was one in five invested in the same period.
“The numbers from successful startup countries speak clearly, supporting this environment pays off for everyone. It is a clear plus for the economy, society and the business environment. The Czech Republic has huge potential in this area, which makes sense to use. However, we need a number of systemic and legislative changes to achieve this. That is why it is important that politicians in the pre-election debate have clearly signed up to these changes and confirmed that support for start-ups will be one of the priorities of the next government. This is a key message because there is still a lot of work to be done,” says Martin Jiránek, chairman of the Czech Startup Association.
“Europe needs a true 28th regime – a single, digital legal framework that allows startups to grow across the EU without unnecessary red tape. But MEP René Repasi’s proposal has failed. Instead of real simplification, it perpetuates fragmentation, neglects the voice of the founders and focuses on the problems of the past, not the future. That’s why we are glad to be able to talk to Czech politicians about these issues in time – while the shape of European legislation is still being negotiated.” emphasizes Barbora Werdmölder, Director of Czech Founders.
“Startups are not just a fad, they are the key to the future of our economy. If we want innovative companies with global potential to emerge and stay in the Czech Republic, we need their systemic support. No ad hoc subsidies, but a clear legislative framework, available capital and a strategic approach by the state, just like we are trying to work with startups in the Technology Incubation project. This debate has shown that the interest is there. Now we need to translate it into concrete action as effectively as possible.” says Tereza Kubicová, deputy for technological development from the CzechInvest agency.
“Startups today face clear barriers, from employment law to taxes to access to capital. It’s fine to say that we will support them, but we need to identify concrete steps to improve the environment in which they operate. This debate has shown that we have been able to meet politicians on this – and that’s a promising start,” concludes Tomáš Cironis, director of Startup Kitchen.
Karel Havlíček, Deputy Chairman of ANO: “We should focus on establishing startups. Let’s motivate people to invest in them and motivate young people, and not only them, to work in them. How to start the former? We need to look at where they are doing it better. Not just the much-mentioned Spain, the Netherlands and the UK do it well too. Let’s make a proper law here that gives the company a relatively free regime in terms of bureaucracy and levies for the first one to three years to get it off the ground.”
Martin Kupka, Minister of Transport for ODS: “What can we do to ensure that more startups are born in the Czech Republic and that we can compare ourselves with the best countries? Get the capital market moving to invest in what is happening. We are starting the next parliamentary term not only with ESOPs, but also with newly set deductions for science, research and innovation. This is one of the important things because it will mean more support for this area as well.”
Štěpán Hofman, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade for STAN: “ We have started preparing a startup law for the startup environment at the MIT. First of all, we need to define what a startup is, because we do not have it defined in the Czech legal system. We need to focus on reducing administrative barriers and bureaucracy, which is too overwhelming even for most normal companies. At the same time, we need to focus on human capital and financial capital in general, because getting venture investment into a startup is not an easy thing in the Czech environment.”
Jan Kavalírek, Government Commissioner for Artificial Intelligence for TOP 09: “ I sincerely believe that we can make the Czech Republic a technologically advanced country not only in the CEE region, but in the entire European Union in general, and in my case with an emphasis on artificial intelligence. In the Czech Republic, we have many good prerequisites on which we can build.”
Michal Švagerka, leader of the Pirates in the South Moravian Region: ‘Weurgently need an economic transformation. Instead of an assembly plant, the Czech Republic clearly needs to go the way of the brain factory. We must build a modern economy with high added value, otherwise we will remain a sub-supplier dwarf, as we are today.”
Benjamin Činčil, leader of the People’s Party in the Highlands: “ESOPs are just the first swallow. I think that now we have to start with other steps, such as the startup law. The important thing we need to discuss is how employees, and hence tradesmen, will work within the framework of startups. Last but not least is pension funds, because there is a lot of money in them that needs to start investing in a riskier environment.”
Czech Startup Association represents the interests of the startup ecosystem – startups, venture capital funds, angel investors, incubators, accelerators and innovation centres – in dialogue with the government and Parliament. It is currently working on the preparation of the Startup Law, a comprehensive set of concrete legislative and systemic measures to improve the startup ecosystem. The Association already has over 80 registered members and is in talks with dozens more to join. The association is headed by chairman Martin Jiránek.
Czech Founders is a non-profit organization that since 2019 unites a community of more than 1,000 Czech female founders of startups with global ambitions. It connects tech entrepreneurs through meetups, networking events and educational programs, and participates in a number of initiatives that develop entrepreneurship. For example, the Czech Founders team delivers a community Slack for #Forum founders; it regularly hosts a Founders’ Breakfast where startups can be inspired by the stories of others. Czech Founders has long been mapping the Czech startup ecosystem through open data and research. In the field of education, Czech Founders is piloting Lyžák Jinak together with partners Be Next One and Teachers from Mars. It also represents Czech startups in negotiations with the state administration and political representation, both at the European Commission, international events and in the media.
Startup Kitchen is a Central European media platform focusing on technology and venture capital news. With educational activities aimed at budding entrepreneurs, it aims to educate and cultivate the Czech and Central European entrepreneurial environment. Startup Kitchen’s flagship activities include the Tech-Newsroom, educational podcasts and videocasts, networking events, mentoring, educational academies, the MARC Impact Academy in collaboration with ERSTE, the long-term networking series TRUESDAYS and the autumn international event Tech Happy Hours, which is part of the official Czech Startup Week.
CzechInvest Agency fulfils a key role in the field of business and investment support in its comprehensive form. The unique combination of regional, central and international operations ensures the integrity of services and the ability to link global trends with regional conditions in the Czech Republic. One of the main objectives of CzechInvest is to transform the Czech Republic into an innovation leader in Europe. CzechInvest is a state funded organisation subordinated to the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic. It was established in 1992.
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