After one of its 2025 finalists went on to raise €2.7M, Tilia Impact Ventures' flagship summer program is back, but this year opening its doors to even more promising founders across the region.
CEE Summer of Impact, run by Tilia Impact Ventures, a CEE-focused impact VC fund with 20 investments across the region, is a free program for pre-seed and seed-stage impact startups with at least one year of operation. No fees, no equity taken.
This year it launches for a second time, widening its geographic reach to include Turkey and Greece, and broadening its thematic scope to match where the next generation of impact is being built — from climate, health, and education to energy, AI for good, and space.
As Andrew Gray, General Partner at Tilia Impact Ventures, put it: "In Year 1, we proved that CEE is home to world-class impact founders who just need the right visibility and support. This year, we've mobilized top VCs from all across Europe and world-class operators as mentors. We've partnered with the biggest household names in tech to provide credits to supercharge the building. And to top it off, the best founders will be on stage in Barcelona in October."
Get seen by 30+ Investors
More than 30 VC firms from across Europe take part in the program as mentors and startup reviewers, giving founders an opportunity to connect directly with potential investors.
Unlike traditional accelerators, the program does not wait until Demo Day to connect founders with investors. Once applications close, participating VCs review the startups and request introductions to those that fit their investment focus, allowing conversations to begin well before the mentoring phase starts.
The program begins with an open application period running from June 15 to July 28. Once applications close, participating investors review the startups and connect directly with those that match their investment focus. The top 20 selected startups then enter a mentoring phase, where they receive guidance from experienced investors and operators. In October, eight finalists take the stage in Barcelona in front of some of Europe's most active impact investors.
The first edition attracted more than 150 applications, with 20 startups selected for mentoring and eight reaching the final Demo Day. One of the finalists, Estonian-Dutch deep-tech startup Spiral Hydrogen, went on to raise €2.7 million in pre-seed funding through connections made during the program. The company, which is developing a new type of electrolyzer for green hydrogen production, is now building a pilot.
For impact founders across CEE, Turkey, and Greece, this is one of the few programs that offers direct investor access, charge and equity-free.
Applications close July 28 at summer.tilia.vc.
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