From more than 890 applications, the Podim Scouting and Startup Team has selected 188 promising companies to be featured in the Startup Catalogue. These startups will gain full access to the Podim Online Demo Day, Pitching Competition, Marketplace, and the Podim Deal Room matchmaking platform.
Below is an in-depth analysis of the 2025 Podim startup batch, providing valuable insights into who you’ll be meeting at the conference.
The full list of selected startups, along with product descriptions, will be available in the Podim Digital Catalogue, which will be published on April 23 and accessible to all Podim 2025 Conference ticket holders.
Where do Podim startups come from?
Representation of the companies reflects the geographical focus of the conference. The top 5 most represented countries are Slovenia with 44 startups (22 %), Croatia with 41 startups (22 %), 20 startups from Austria (20 %), 13 from Italy (7 %) and 12 from Serbia (6 %). All together, startups in the catalogue are coming from 24 different countries, in which the Alps-Adriatic and West Balkan Region accounted for 80 % of the countries in the batch.
Development stages
As an early-stage conference, 175 out of 188 (93%) of the companies are in the early stages of development. With 13 later-stage startups in the catalogue and all the amazing scaleups you will meet on the Builders Stage, there is also plenty of potential for investors and companies interested in later-stage companies.
The early stage of development is also reflected in the traction parameter, where 55 startups (29 %) have no revenues, 61 startups (32 %) have revenues of up to EUR 75 000 and, at the other end, 17 startups (9 %) have revenues of more than EUR 1 million.
The distribution is similar when it comes to funding received. 55 of the startups (29%) have not received any funding. 39 (21%) have raised up to EUR 75,000, 40 (21%) between EUR 75,000 and EUR 300,000, 31 (16%) between EUR 300,000 and EUR 1 million, and 23 (12%) have raised more than EUR 1 million.
Key industries, customer focus and technologies
Startups have categorized themselves into 10 pre-defined industry categories. 80% of the startups are spread over five categories:
- Business, Productivity & IT: 75 (40 %)
- Health & Wellbeing: 33 (18 %)
- Agriculture, Food & Life Science: 17 (9 %)
- Education & Parenting: 14 (7 %)
- Materials, Manufacturing & Construction: 12 (6 %)
The remaining 20% are divided between Lifestyle, Entertainment & Sports (9 startups); Mobility, Transport & Logistics (8); Finance, Insurance & Real Estate (8 startups); Travel, Tourism, Events & Food Service (6 startups); Energy, Natural Resources & Environmental Management (6 startups).
The majority of the startups, 108 to be exact (57%), are working in the B2B business, 58 (31%) of them in B2B and B2C, only 16 (9%) in B2C, 4 in B2G and 2 of them did not specify the exact customer focus.
When asked to identify the 3 technologies they use in their solutions, the top 5 were:
- Artificial Intelligence (AI), mentioned by 107 startups
- Software as a Service (SaaS), mentioned by 55 startups
- Machine Learning (ML), mentioned by 29 startups
- Bid Data, mentioned by 20 startups
- Mobile Application, mentioned by 20 startups.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) stands out as the most dominant technology by far. Over one-third of the startups (about 33%) listed AI as their primary technology, making it the #1 primary tech by a wide margin. In fact, more than half of all startups (around 55%) mention AI in at least one of their three key tech fields.
Software as a Service (SaaS) is the second most common technology overall, but interestingly, it’s usually not the primary focus. Only about 9% of startups chose SaaS as their primary tech, yet 29% of startups feature SaaS somewhere in their three key technologies. This suggests that many teams view SaaS as an enabling platform or business model rather than their defining innovation. In practice, a typical case might be a startup whose primary tech is AI or Big Data, while “SaaS” is listed as a secondary tech to indicate they deliver their solution via a cloud software platform.
Machine Learning (ML), closely related to AI, also appears frequently as a key technology, but like SaaS, it’s more often a secondary capability. Only ~4% listed Machine Learning as the first tech, yet about 15% of startups include ML in some capacity. This pattern likely reflects that many AI-driven startups separately emphasize machine learning techniques (for example, a startup might list Primary: AI, Secondary: Machine Learning to highlight that they specifically utilize ML algorithms). Essentially, AI/ML together form the backbone for a large portion of startups at Podim, whether as the headline feature or as part of the tech stack.
Other notable technologies in the mix include Big Data, IoT, and Automation. Big Data is cited as a primary tech by only a few startups (~2.7%), but overall, about 10-11% of startups mention Big Data in one of their three slots. It often shows up as a supporting technology, indicating that data analytics and large-scale data processing are common components of solutions (even if not the main selling point). Internet of Things (IoT) devices/tech appear in around 5% of startups as a primary focus and in a handful more as secondary, so while IoT is present, it’s not as pervasive as one might have expected a few years ago. Automation is another theme that pops up frequently, though usually in secondary/tertiary positions (roughly 11% of startups mention some form of process automation or workflow automation in their tech stack). This implies many startups are incorporating automation features to streamline tasks, even if it’s not their primary innovation.
We also see some industry-specific or niche technologies making the list. For instance, Biotechnology is listed as a key tech by a subset of startups (around 5% overall, mostly as the primary tech for those in life sciences). These tend to be the Agri/Food/Life Science sector startups that naturally emphasize biotech. Logistics & SCM (Supply Chain Management) tech appears for startups focusing on transport and logistics solutions. Augmented Reality (AR) shows up a few times (only 1 startup made AR their primary tech, but a couple of others list it secondarily). Notably, Virtual Reality (VR) is nearly absent as a stated tech this year, suggesting AR is currently more in play than VR among Podim startups.
Startups are not just seeking investments, but also business collaboration
When asked about the funding the startups are looking for to reach the next development goal, here is the distribution of their ask:
But funding is not the only thing startups are looking for at the Podim conference. When asked what area of their business they need help with, the most common answer is business development, followed by fundraising, finance and legal help.
For SMEs and corporates, this is a great opportunity to connect with startups beyond funding. Startups are looking for support in business development, fundraising, finance and legal help: areas where established companies can offer expertise, build partnerships and gain access to fresh ideas.
How to meet this year’s startups
- Review the Startup Catalogue: Gain insights into all participating startups.
- Attend the Online Demo Day on May 6, 2025: Witness short pitches from all startups.
- Schedule 1:1 Meetings: Use the Podim App to connect with startups, investors, and mentors.
- Participate in the Pitching Competition: Attend the semi-finals and grand final in Maribor on May 12 and 13.
- Engage at the Event: Network during sessions, the Deal Room, and informal gatherings like the Podim Party.
For more information about startups or recommendations, feel free to reach out to our Startup Scout, who has the best insights for you.
Sašo Djoković, Podim Startup Scout
