Podim 2025 | PODIM Conference | 11 May 2025 | Minidorm Rooms in Heart of City Center, Ulica 10. oktobra 3, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia

Welcome to our event, where innovation meets opportunity. A conference made for startups, investors, executives and all entrepreneurial enthusiasts.
This event is tailored for startups & scaleups, visionary investors, forward-thinking business executives, and all those with an appetite for groundbreaking ideas and networking.

Welcome to the event: Your gateway to innovation and growth
• Founded in 1980, Event has evolved into the leading and most influential startup and tech event in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), where innovation converges with business opportunities, capital infusion, knowledge exchange, and expertise. Year after year, it serves as a showcase of the region’s potential and connects it to a global network of stakeholders eager to collaborate.

Join us for an exceptional in-person experience. With a limited attendance of 1,000, including startups, scaleups, investors, and corporations, you can engage in meaningful discussions and connections without getting lost in the crowd. Beyond the event summit, our events like Bootcamp, Demo Days, Satellite, and networking events connect the ecosystem, offer extra touchpoints for Podim partners and highlight opportunities. Our catalogues help startups, scaleups, investors, corporates, and SMEs stand out and find the right business connections with ease through the Podim platform.

2024 Past Speakers

Jost Capito
Senior Consultant, NITROCROSS

Lorenzo Thione
Managing Director, Gaingels

Anna Boyarkina
Head of Product Excellence, Miro

Michael Stucky
Chief Investment Officer, Serpentine Ventures

Patrick Fitzgerald
Partner, Venture Investing, Mach49

Gabriele Poteliunaite
Principal, HEARTFELT_

Barbara Mehner
Managing Partner, XPRENEURS Incubator at UnternehmerTUM

Uroš Rosa
Co-Founder, PUROS Ltd.

Jure Mikuž
Managing Partner, South Central Ventures

Kristina Marinovic
COO, Duamentes

Ziyuan Zhu
Design · Emerging Tech · Sustainability, IDEO

Matjaž Han
Minister, Ministry of the Economy, Tourism and Sport

Iztok Seljak
President of the Management Board, HIDRIA, Managers' Association of Slovenia

Jack Thorogood
Founder & CEO, Native Teams

John Spindler
General Partner, Twin Path Ventures

Ervin Jagatic
Product Director, Infobip

Izet Zdralovic
Venture Partner Croatia, Silicon Gardens

Felix Martinez
Principal, Seedcamp

Katie Lockwood
Co-Founding Partner, Twin Path Ventures

Gregor Tegl
Co-Founder & CEO, Arkeon

Tatjana Zabasu Mikuž
South Central Ventures

Lucija Reić
Startup Ecosystem Lead, Infobip

Romeo Walter
Investor, Fly Ventures

Matevž Frangež
State Secretary, Ministry of the Economy, Tourism and Sport

Sarah Hemmer
Senior Manager Software Products, Infineon Technologies

Thibault D’hondt
Partner, 6 Degrees Capital

Ivan Stefanic
Program Manager in Food and Agri-tech, European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency

Nina Hoedlmayr
Head of Business Unit Phone & Meetings, Brevo

Michel Kovac
Investor, McWin Capital Partners

Rok Huber
Head of the Department for Special Development Incentives, Slovene Enterprise Fund

Maayan Hagar
Director, t-start POC hub at thub-Technion

Nina Dremelj
Managing Partner, Vesna VC and Startup and Scaleup Section at GZS

Agon Avdimetaj
Co-Founder & Lead Research and Development, Vianova AI

Aleš Pevc
Head of the Technology and Development Office, Ljubljana Technology Park

Ambrož Arko
Managing Partner, Novak Law

Anders Hardebring
CEO, Imagimob

Andreas Gams
Senior Business Creation Manager, EIT Manufacturing

Andreas Muehlberger
Strategic Partner Manager, Infineon Technologies

Anuj Adhiya
Expert-In-Residence for Growth, Techstars

Axel Ferrazzini
Managing Director, 4iP Council

Christina Schwab
Investment Director, DSM Venturing

Daniel Cronin
Co-Founder & Member of the Board, AustrianStartups

Dusan Omercevic
Ex-CEO, Cleanshelf

Enrico Deluchi
Ex-CEO, PoliHub - Innovation Park & Startup Accelerator

Francois Mazoudier
Founder & CEO, Fundraising Bootcamp

Gašper Vidovič
VP of Product, Databox

Gergő Gulyás
Head of Operations and Strategic Partnerships, iScale, OUVC - Venture Capital & Venture Studio

Gregor Rebolj
General Partner & Serial Entrepreneur, Silicon Gardens

Igor Milek
NCP for EIC, SPIRIT Slovenia

Ingvar Aberg
Associate Director, Catalysts, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Jacopo Faini
Programs Associate, B4i

Jakob Gajsek
CEO, LUI

Julien Coustaury
Managing Partner, Fil Rouge Capital

Kinga Hening
Technology Transfer Officer, UBB-TechTransfer at Babes-Bolyai University

Kristian Kabashi
Co-Founder & CXO, Numarics

Mary Alcantara
Partner, Interactive Venture Partners

Matej Rus
Co-Founder and CEO, Venture Factory & Start:up Slovenia

Mirna Marovic
Managing Director, VentureXchange

Muhamed Turkanović
Head of Operations and Associate Professor, DIH UM & University of Maribor

Nataša Ritonija
Director, Regional Development Agency for Podravje - Maribor

Peter Merc
Fintech & Crypto Lawyer, Managing Partner, Lemur Legal & Suricate Ventures

Sasha Komarevych
Acceleration Program Manager, Bocconi For Innovation

Sašo Djoković
Head of Startup Scouting, Podim & Startup Slovenia

Shaheer Hussam
Partner & Founder, Aetlan

Taryn Andersen
CEO & Co-Founder, Impulse4Women

Thomas Muchar
Managing Director, Elevator Ventures

Tilen Travnik
Co-Founder & CEO, Juicy Marbles

Urban Lapajne
Program Director, Podim & Venture Factory

Zoltan Kaprinay
Sparring Partner in Business & Founder, Ipsilon Group

Zoltan Vardy
Startup Mentor & Founder, The Launch Code