Startups

PODIM 2027

PODIM is a leading startup and tech event for the Alps–Adriatic & CEE region, held in Maribor, Slovenia. The conference brings together 150+ curated startups, 50+ active VC funds, and over 1,000 attendees for networking, deep-dive presentations by successful founders, investor meetings, workshops, and pitch competitions. The event is designed to foster real…

Visit the official siteSponsorship open
31Speakers
46Sponsors
7On the bill · sessions
73Companies · in total
§I

Speakers

Programmed at PODIM, in alphabetical order.
Amir Salihefendic
Founder & CEO of Doist · Doist
Andreas Muehlberger
Strategic Partner Manager · Infineon Technologies, Austria
Dirk Geiger
Senior Director at Infineon Technologies · Infineon Technologies
Francois Mazoudier
Founder & CEO · Fundraising Bootcamp, UK
Grace Francisco
Chief at m2i · m2i & Philly Builds
Ivan Bešlić
Co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer of Sofascore · Sofascore
Jan Kobler
Managing Partner · South Central Ventures, Slovenia
Jure Mikuž
Managing General Partner · South Central Ventures, Slovenia
Karlo Kukec
Venture Associate · Vesna deep tech Venture Fund, Croatia
Krešo Gotovac
Partner & COO · Silicon Gardens
Krešo Gotovac
Partner & COO · Silicon Gardens
Maria Orlyk
Corporate/M&A Partner · CMS, Ukraine
Marko Kac
Senior Lead & Consultant · Venture Factory, Slovenia
Martin Mössler
Managing Director · Science Park Graz, Austria
Maximilian Fleitmann
Founding Partner at Wizard Ventures · Magier & Wizard Ventures
Max Muhle
Manager Bits & Pretzels Communities · Bits&Pretzels, Germany
Oleksandr Sytnyk
Associate · CMS, Ukraine
Olga Marekova
Founder & CEO · Flywize, Slovakia
Rafal Bator
Partner · Enterprise Investors, Poland
Reka Hidas
Pre-Seed & Seed Investor · Portfolion, Hungary
Robert Kordić
Senior Associate · CMS Slovenia, Slovenia
Rok Huber
Head of the Department for Special Development Incentives · Slovene Enterprise Fund, Slovenia
§II

Sponsors

The houses behind the program. Tiers as disclosed.
Bits & Pretzels
brella
Cassini
CDT PKS
CMS
DARE
Dewesoft
Ecosys4you
EEN
EPO SIPO
Equaleyes
eufficient
europes podcast
Exoscale
founders today
fundraising bootcamp
Future500 IEDC
Heineken
Infineon
Innovup
ITA
METS
MOM
Netokracija
nlaw
OTP banka
outfit7
pathfounders
Peakfocus
plugandplaytechcenter
Recursive
SASA Inkubator
SAVA
SCV
SEF
SID upravljanje
Silicon Gardens
SolveX
Spirit
Startup Slovenia
§III

Agenda

Selected from 7 sessions on the bill.
  • May 11, 14:00 - 14:30

    Build your Network like a Pro over the next two days.

    The right network opens every door, but getting there is hard. This hands-on session is for everyone who wants to level-up their networking game at Podim or any other event. You wi…

    STARTUP DEMO STUDIO
  • May 11, 14:30 - 15:00

    Connecting Space Innovation with Market Opportunities

    CASSINI Matchmaking connects startups, investors, corporates, and institutions working with space technologies and satellite data. The initiative helps innovative companies find pa…

    STARTUP DEMO STUDIO
  • May 11, 15:00 - 15:30

    Infineon Startup Challenge: Building the Future of Humanoid Robotics

    Infineon presents its Startup Challenge 2026 focused on humanoid robotics - where advanced power, sensing, and control technologies meet next-generation intelligent machines. Start…

    STARTUP DEMO STUDIO
  • May 11, 15:00 - 16:00

    Fund Strategy, Liquidity, and Exits - A Conversation Among Investors

    Welcome note by South Central Ventures - partner of the Investors Academy - setting the stage for a candid, peer-to-peer conversation among investors. South Central Ventures and En…

    INVESTORS ACADEMY
  • May 11, 15:30 - 16:00

    Defence & Dual‑Use Startups: Legal Readiness Before You Raise Capital

    In this Demo Studio, CMS experts and industry guests will focus on the real‑world legal and deal challenges that early‑stage defence and dual‑use companies encounter when preparing…

    STARTUP DEMO STUDIO
  • May 11, 15:30 - 16:00

    Pitching Competition Jury Briefing

    Reception of committee members and alignment of evaluation criteria. Session Limited to Pitching Competition Jury Only.

    PITCHING COMPETITION
  • May 11, 16:00 - 18:00

    Semifinals of the Podim Pitching Competition

    3-minute presentations and a Q&A session with 10 semifinalists of the Podim Pitching Competition 2026. Only semi-finalists, investors and Business Executives are allowed to take pa…

    PITCHING COMPETITION
Intermission
Part the Second · For the Buyer

What does it mean when 73 companies show up, and 1 bet on three roles at once?

73 companies. one are betting more than once.

The numbers below are derived from the speakers, sponsors, and exhibitors on this page, cross-referenced into one ledger. They are the only thing here that 10times.com cannot tell you.

Who's in the room
1All threespeak · spons · exh
45Sponsoringsponsor only
27Companies Speakingspeaker only

The Triple-Threat

Silicon Gardens

Speakers by seniority

74% of the speakers carry senior titles: C-suite, Founder, VP, or Director-level.

  • C-suite1032%
  • Founder / Owner929%
  • Director / Head of413%
  • Manager / Lead26%
  • Advisor / Investor13%
  • Other roles516%

Of 31 on the bill · classified by free-text title

Most-represented companies
  1. 01Silicon GardensSp2V
  2. 02Bits & PretzelsSp
  3. 03brellaSp
  4. 04CassiniSp
  5. 05CDT PKSSp
  6. 06CMSSp
  7. 07DARESp
  8. 08DewesoftSp
  9. 09Ecosys4youSp
  10. 10EENSp
  11. 11EPO SIPOSp
  12. 12EqualeyesSp
  13. 13eu.fficientSp
  14. 14europes podcastSp
Sponsors by tier
unspecified46
100% of 46
At peer events but not here

These companies sponsored two or more peer events recently, but aren't on this program. For an organizer, that's a list of warm prospects.

Related events · by shared sponsors