2024 marks the third consecutive year in which Vestbee, the leading community-powered matchmaking platform and infrastructure for startups, VC funds, accelerators, and corporates, organizes the CEE VC Summit in Warsaw. On March 19-20, this invitation-only conference will once again bring together hundreds of the region's venture capital investors and managers, fostering discussions, exchanging ideas, and contributing to the development of new ones within the two days. In this reportage, we will showcase how the CEE VC Summit 2023 unfolded and provide insights into the upcoming event.
CEE VC Summit 2023: how it was
Last year, the summit gathered over 200 GPs and LPs from the region's most prominent European funds. 500 Emerging Europe, Impact Ventures, Molten Ventures, SMRK VC, OTB Ventures, Kaya VC, Flyer One Ventures, PFR Ventures, Credo Ventures, Warsaw Equity Group, Nation 1 VC, LAUNCHub Ventures, Market One Capital, Startup Wise Guys, Next Road Ventures, and many more were invited to join the event.
Insightful discussions
One of the main focuses of the conference was examining how Central and Eastern Europe's startup and VC scene is coping with the challenges of geopolitical changes and a global economic downturn.
The full-scale war that Russia launched in Ukraine in February 2022 significantly altered the venture capital landscape worldwide. Consequently, several panel discussions were dedicated to emerging trends and new market rules for both startups and funds. The topics covered included the state of the Ukrainian startup ecosystem, adaptability, navigating uncertain times, as well as general opportunities.
VC partners, managers and investors also explored topics such as fundraising, building relations with LPs, effective portfolio management and valuation, managing portfolio and board dynamics, and value creation. They shared with Vestbee interesting investment cases from their experiences and offered some thought-provoking advice. Ewa Chronowska, CEO at Vestbee and Partner at Next Road Ventures, told a story of one quick investment decision:
“Recently, we made an investment after one session in a café. If we find a founder who is data-driven, set up for success, tracks everything, and draws conclusions based on data and client feedback, with a previous successful track record and also with a significant market, sometimes it's just a no-brainer,” she stated.
Watch more in the video interview with Ewa Chronowska below:
When discussing the strategy to remain current with market information for investors and founders, Borys Musielak, Founding Partner at SMOK Ventures, shared how he organizes his informational space:
“I tweet a lot. I think Twitter is a great source of information. I use it instead of most media. If you follow the right people, which Central and Eastern European investors and founders don't usually do— they stick to Facebook and LinkedIn, which are more about friends, while Twitter is about the industry. So, you can be quickly recognized as a player in the venture capital industry by following the right people."
Listen to the interview with Borys Musielak below:
Networking opportunities & Afterparty
Vestbee and its team are dedicated to creating and maintaining robust connections among all players of the European venture capital and startup ecosystems. That is why networking is a cornerstone of the CEE VC Summit. In the dynamic venture capital landscape, staying informed is crucial, and networking facilitates the exchange of valuable insights, industry trends, and market intelligence. This collaborative information exchange not only enhances decision-making but also helps investors stay ahead of the curve.
The CEE VC Summit isn't just about business; it's also a great opportunity for venture capital investors and fund managers to connect in a friendly atmosphere. The afterparty provides the perfect informal setting to chat over a glass of wine and share insights from the event.
What to expect from CEE VC Summit 2024
CEE VC Summit 2024 is set to be even more vibrant. This time, we will delve into the current challenges and trends shaping the CEE venture capital and startup ecosystem, including the hype around AI, deeptech, and dual-use technologies. Another topic for discussion involves exploring the potential of the CEE region to nurture even more unicorns this year and beyond.
The list of speakers includes partners from top regional funds Creandum, Multiple Capital, Finch Capital, Molten, PFR Ventures, OTB, Uniqa Ventures, Cogito Capital, Startup Wise Guys, Kaya, Credo, Eleven, HV Capital, Truffle Capital, Augmentum Fintech, Elevator Ventures, 500 Global, Brightcap Ventures, Lead Ventures, Presto Ventures and many others.
This year, Vestbee has welcomed new esteemed partners
In addition to existing partners, such as PRF Ventures, Deel, and Next Road Ventures, we proudly announce the acquisition of new ones. Dealroom.co, a global provider of data and intelligence on startups and tech ecosystems, Creandum, a European early-stage VC firm that has backed some of Europe’s most successful tech companies, including Spotify, Klarna, and Bolt, together with OTB Ventures, Cogito Capital Partenrs, Uniqa Ventures, investment monitoring and reporting platform Fundequate, and law firm SSK&W are lending their support to CEE VC Summit 2024.
That only means more insightful information and great networking!
For detailed information about the agenda and participants, check out the
