Maribor spent three days operating as one of the main intersection points for founders, investors, operators, and ecosystem organizations navigating Europe’s startup economy.
This year’s edition of Podim gathered more than 1,100 participants from 34 countries, alongside 220 startups, over 60 venture capital funds and private investors managing more than €10 billion in assets, and 90+ speakers from 21 countries.
Across the event, conversations moved between fundraising, deep tech commercialization, operational scaling, AI infrastructure, international expansion, and the growing pressure on European ecosystems to create stronger pathways from early innovation to globally competitive companies.
The concentration of investors, operators, and ecosystem organizations in Maribor also reflected a broader reality across Europe’s technology landscape: founders from smaller markets are entering international conversations much earlier in their growth journeys. Access to capital, partnerships, and operational knowledge is becoming increasingly cross-border from day one, particularly across Central and Southeastern Europe.
That context shaped much of the activity surrounding Podim this year, from investor meetings and founder networking to partnerships with initiatives such as Scale-X (UNIDO), Future 500, and Germany’s Bits & Pretzels. The event increasingly functions as a meeting point between regional ecosystems, international investors, and founders preparing to scale beyond domestic markets.
With a 46-year history, Podim has gradually evolved into one of the most established startup and technology gatherings across the Alps-Adriatic and Western Balkans region. This year’s edition placed particular emphasis on Europe’s scaling gap and the structural conditions required for companies to move from technical innovation into international growth.
DATANA wins the Podim pitching competition
One of the central moments of this year’s edition was the final round of the Podim Pitching Competition, where five startups competed for the title of best startup at Podim 2026.
The competition was won by BioSistemika with DATANA, its synthetic DNA-based long-term data storage solution.
The company emerged from a selection pipeline that began with over 1,000 applicants before narrowing down to 220 selected startups, online demo sessions with international investors, semifinal rounds, and a final group featuring startups from Slovenia, Austria, and the Czech Republic.
DATANA focuses on long-term digital data preservation through synthetic DNA storage technology, positioning itself around durability, offline storage control, and resilience against cyber and physical compromise. The category itself reflects a broader trend becoming increasingly visible across Europe’s startup landscape, where more founders are building companies around scientific commercialization, industrial infrastructure, and deep-tech applications with long development cycles and significant research intensity.
The competition finalists reflected many of those same themes. Companies operating across AI, connectivity, infrastructure, and advanced technology categories made up this year’s final group, pointing toward the increasing technical complexity of startups emerging from the region.
For Slovenia specifically, the result also carried symbolic significance - this was the first time Slovenian startups were represented among the finalists in the competition’s history.
Speaking after the win, DATANA’s Anže Smerdelj described the recognition as an important validation moment for the company as it prepares for fundraising and commercialization efforts.
Investor density and Europe’s scaling challenge
Podim’s investor presence has become one of the defining characteristics of the event. More than 120 investors attended this year’s edition, including funds such as South Central Ventures, Enterprise Investors, Silicon Gardens, Vesna VC, and others active across the Central and Southeastern European startup landscape. Combined, participating investors represented more than €10 billion in assets under management.
The concentration of investors translated into activities throughout the event. More than 1,100 pre-arranged meetings took place inside the Podim Deal Room between startups, investors, corporations, and SMEs exploring investment opportunities, partnerships, and commercial collaborations.
The speaker lineup reflected many of the operational questions currently shaping Europe’s technology ecosystem. Participants included Amir Salihefendić, Ioan Iacob, and Vlatko Matijević, alongside investors, operators, and ecosystem leaders working across venture capital, AI, enterprise software, and deep tech.
Across many of the discussions happening throughout the three-day event, one theme was overarching: Europe continues producing technically ambitious founders and globally relevant innovation, while the path from early traction to international scale still depends heavily on access to investors, operational experience, commercial networks, and ecosystems capable of supporting companies beyond their domestic markets.
Events like Podim increasingly sit inside that process, bringing together many of the actors involved in shaping how startups from the region access international growth opportunities, capital, and strategic partnerships.
Member discussion