The Grand Finale
One open call. One shot at the stage. At the CEE Startup Voucher Grand Finale, the top early-stage founders from across CEE pitch live for up to €20,000 — non-dilutive. No equity. No catch. Just the big names finally looking your way.
Countdown to the Grand Finale
12.11.2026 · Žilina
What is the Grand Finale?
The Grand Finale is where the CEE Startup Voucher programme comes together. Our top finalists will take the stage to pitch their ideas to investors and industry experts, compete for funding, and meet people from across the CEE startup community.
But there's more to the day than pitching. Attendees can get inspired by interesting keynotes, join practical workshops, learn something new, and connect with people from across the startup world.
Where it happens
A striking early-20th-century synagogue in the heart of Žilina, designed by renowned architect Peter Behrens and reborn as a cultural and event space beneath its landmark concrete dome.
Nová Synagóga · J. M. Hurbana 220/11, 010 01 Žilina, Slovakia
Meet the judges
Founder | MedTech Makers Lab | Venture Builder | Investor in MedTech, DeepTech & Life Sciences | Limited Partner VC
Accelerating Clean Tech in Slovenia & CEE | EU projects & Innovation policy | STEP Slovenia NCP
Speakers
Founder | MedTech Makers Lab | Venture Builder | Investor in MedTech, DeepTech & Life Sciences | Limited Partner VC
Startup & Investment Ecosystem | Capital Access | International Growth | Strategic Partnerships | CzechInvest | CFA | CFA Europe Steering Committee
Gallup®-Certified Strengths Coach | Certified Mentor Microsoft | Femme Palette TOP Rated Mentor | INMEE Podcast
Exited founder @Roivenue, Angel Investor, M&A and Fundraising advisor, Founder @Czech Tech Startup Club
Pavel Karatkevich
Sr. Account Manager @AWS Startups
Jakub Stehlík
DevOps Engineer @Labyrinth Labs
Michal Janovčík
Innovation Manager and Business Consultant @INOVIA
Who's pitching
Three tracks, one stage — meet the founders pitching in Žilina.
CEE Startup Voucher10
ADMEVIO
A digital twin of the patient that helps doctors get every drug dose right, starting with ICU antibiotics.
AI Glass
An AI glass cockpit for general aviation: voice control, live ATC transcription and in-cockpit weather.
Korymbos Photonics
Terahertz ellipsometry that sees inside semiconductor wafers without touching them, right on the production line.
LectureGuru
AI training videos that keep themselves up to date whenever the underlying policy or product changes.
EPIK Care
A licensable postbiotic platform that turns hygiene products like diapers from passive absorption into active care.
Celestia Energy
Laser-based wireless power that keeps drones flying without landing to recharge.
ScionTech
An ion beam built into the electron microscope that prepares samples for EBSD analysis without breaking vacuum.
BM25 Labs
An edge-AI troubleshooter for production lines that keeps maintenance know-how in the factory.
Aericomm
A single circuit board that replaces hand-wired control cabinets in air-handling units: smaller, cheaper and IoT-ready.
Textiloop
AI that turns a product description into a production-ready cut file for textiles, leather and footwear.
EnviBooster3
AlgaX Evolution
Microalgae systems that turn CO₂ into a resource, from indoor air biofilters to industrial plants.
cyrcID
Digital product passports that keep fashion brands EU-compliant and connected to their products after the sale.
Quantum4Simulations
Quantum-powered generative design that finds the lightest part that still holds the load, in days instead of months.
Health6
GaloChrom
Next-generation HPLC columns for purifying the newest drug classes: oligonucleotides, peptides and chiral drugs.
ADMEVIO
A digital twin of the patient that helps doctors get every drug dose right, starting with ICU antibiotics.
eMental
Makes the mental-health support institutions already pay for actually get used, with a friction-free path and trained peers.
Patriora
A clinical assistant that turns a spoken consultation into a family tree, a diagnostic analysis and a finished record.
Menothera
Underwear that predicts a menopausal hot flush and starts cooling before she feels it.
FlareEase
A minute-a-day symptom log that turns months of a rheumatic patient's life into a summary their doctor reads in a minute.
The day's agenda
Main Stage
Café Stage
Registration & lunch snack
Opening
Keynote Speech - Christian Kumar - Beyond Grants: Battle-Tested Strategies from Bench to Boardroom
Grants can fund innovation, but they do not create customer demand, regulatory readiness or a sustainable venture. The keynote explains how to work backwards from adoption and release capital against clear, evidence-based milestones. It also exposes common mistakes—from chasing grants without customers to entering multiple markets before the fundamentals are proven.
SensomediX - CEE Startup Voucher 2025 winner
AWS - Pavel Karatkevich - Rocket-fuel for Startups
Labyrinth Labs - Jakub Stehlík - Don't let your infra surprise you
Guided matchmaking with food & drinks
We're using Eventee to help you connect & plan meetings
EnviBooster TOP 3 pitching
Keynote Speech - Zuzana Michalíková - Growth Is More Than Fundraising: Lessons from 90 Startups
EEN (Enterprise Europe Network) - Michal Janovčík
Europe’s largest support network helping small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) expand internationally, innovate, and access funding.
Guided matchmaking with food & drinks
We're using Eventee to help you connect & plan meetings
TOP 10 CEE Startup Voucher pitches
Guided matchmaking with food & drinks
We're using Eventee to help you connect & plan meetings
Winners announcement
Closing remarks, speech & group photo
Afterparty with food & drinks
Dr. Mikulas Hurta (NIL Textile): Grants as a Boost for Innovation: A Practical Workshop from a Founder’s Perspective
Includes up to 2 hours of 1:1 consulting time with Mikulas after the workshop, for participants who want help with their own grant needs.
HealthTech TOP 6 pitching
Tina Žák (INMEE®) You built the company. But are you in the right role to grow it?
Tina will guide founders through a practical framework for identifying where their natural talents create the most value — and where they might be working against themselves. You’ll leave with a clearer picture of your own founder profile and how it reads to investors, co-founders, and your team.
Pavel Šíma (Czech Tech Startup Club): Fundraising
Fundraising is one of the most important disciplines a founder can master. This practical workshop will show you how to approach investors, build leverage, run a competitive fundraising process, and negotiate the best possible terms — from the first meeting and pitch deck to valuation and term sheets. You’ll also get an inside look at a €13M Series B raise and learn which mistakes and deal terms to watch out for along the way.
- 12:00 – 13:00Main Stage
Registration & lunch snack
- 13:00 – 13:15Main Stage
Opening
- 13:15 – 13:45Main Stage
Keynote Speech - Christian Kumar - Beyond Grants: Battle-Tested Strategies from Bench to Boardroom
Grants can fund innovation, but they do not create customer demand, regulatory readiness or a sustainable venture. The keynote explains how to work backwards from adoption and release capital against clear, evidence-based milestones. It also exposes common mistakes—from chasing grants without customers to entering multiple markets before the fundamentals are proven.
- 13:15 – 14:00Café Stage
Dr. Mikulas Hurta (NIL Textile): Grants as a Boost for Innovation: A Practical Workshop from a Founder’s Perspective
Includes up to 2 hours of 1:1 consulting time with Mikulas after the workshop, for participants who want help with their own grant needs.
- 13:45 – 14:00Main Stage
SensomediX - CEE Startup Voucher 2025 winner
- 14:00 – 14:10Main Stage
AWS - Pavel Karatkevich - Rocket-fuel for Startups
- 14:10 – 14:20Main Stage
Labyrinth Labs - Jakub Stehlík - Don't let your infra surprise you
- 14:20 – 15:00Main Stage
Guided matchmaking with food & drinks
We're using Eventee to help you connect & plan meetings
- 15:00 – 15:20Main Stage
EnviBooster TOP 3 pitching
- 15:00 – 15:40Café Stage
HealthTech TOP 6 pitching
- 15:20 – 16:00Main Stage
Keynote Speech - Zuzana Michalíková - Growth Is More Than Fundraising: Lessons from 90 Startups
- 16:00 – 16:05Main Stage
EEN (Enterprise Europe Network) - Michal Janovčík
Europe’s largest support network helping small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) expand internationally, innovate, and access funding.
- 16:00 – 16:50Café Stage
Tina Žák (INMEE®) You built the company. But are you in the right role to grow it?
Tina will guide founders through a practical framework for identifying where their natural talents create the most value — and where they might be working against themselves. You’ll leave with a clearer picture of your own founder profile and how it reads to investors, co-founders, and your team.
- 16:05 – 17:00Main Stage
Guided matchmaking with food & drinks
We're using Eventee to help you connect & plan meetings
- 17:00 – 18:10Main Stage
TOP 10 CEE Startup Voucher pitches
- 18:10 – 19:00Main Stage
Guided matchmaking with food & drinks
We're using Eventee to help you connect & plan meetings
- 18:10 – 19:00Café Stage
Pavel Šíma (Czech Tech Startup Club): Fundraising
Fundraising is one of the most important disciplines a founder can master. This practical workshop will show you how to approach investors, build leverage, run a competitive fundraising process, and negotiate the best possible terms — from the first meeting and pitch deck to valuation and term sheets. You’ll also get an inside look at a €13M Series B raise and learn which mistakes and deal terms to watch out for along the way.
- 19:00 – 19:45Main Stage
Winners announcement
- 19:45 – 20:00Main Stage
Closing remarks, speech & group photo
- 20:00 – 23:59Main Stage
Afterparty with food & drinks
Get your seat
Registration is open — pick the pass that fits you.
This year, the Grand Finale stands on its own. Thanks to our partners, we covered the event without public funding, which is why your ticket is free. Same value, same ambition, more open doors.
Startup Entry
For founders, ideamakers, and startup team members or students with a startup idea. Includes everything in the Regular Pass.
- Full conference access
- Startup pitches & competition
- Keynotes & expert sessions
- Hands-on workshops
- Founder & investor networking
- Coffee breaks included
- Afterparty access
covered by our partners
Regular Pass
For mentors and experts, business, university, and public sector attendees, and IT & tech enthusiasts.
- Full conference access
- Startup pitches & competition
- Keynotes & expert sessions
- Hands-on workshops
- Founder & investor networking
- Coffee breaks included
- Afterparty access
covered by our partners
Investor & Executive Pass
For investors, corporate representatives, and founders who want to maximize business contacts in minimal time — with premium service.
- Full conference access
- Startup pitches & competition
- Keynotes & expert sessions
- Hands-on workshops
- VIP Lounge access
- Smart Matchmaking
- Curated 1:1 meetings
- Premium catering & drinks
- Afterparty access
- Digital participant directory
excl. VAT
Registration closes 08.11.2026 · 23:59
Investors in the room
Questions about the Grand Finale?
Reach out and we'll point you in the right direction — whether you're a partner, a press contact, or just curious.
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