Podim 2026 is not “coming soon.”
It’s already taking shape.
Today, we’re revealing the first speakers joining this year’s program — founders who scaled globally, investors behind unicorns, operators building real AI companies, and ecosystem leaders shaping Europe’s next chapter.
This is only the beginning.
But it already tells you one thing:
This year will be serious.
Builders who’ve done it — More than once
From 0 to $10M ARR
Kimeshan Naidoo, Co-Founder of Familiar & Unibuddy.
Scaled to 3M users. Hit $10M ARR. Built engineering teams from 0 to 50+. At Podim, Kimeshan will break down what it actually takes to build AI-native platforms and world-class software — without destroying your culture or your roadmap.
No theory. Just battle-tested execution.
Building, exiting, repeating
Maximilian Fleitmann, Founding Partner at Wizard Ventures, serial entrepreneur and angel investor.
Max scaled StudyHelp to 7-figure annual revenue and 1M+ monthly users, raised $5M+ as a founder, supported $100M+ in fundraising, and exited multiple ventures. Expect unfiltered lessons on fundraising, remote-first scaling, and building ventures designed to last.
Scaling Sofascore to the world
Ivan Bešlić, Co-founder & Chief Strategy Officer at Sofascore.
From a simple idea about sports emotion to a global sports stats platform with nearly 300 people across four continents.
Ivan will unpack what it takes to expand globally while staying product-obsessed — and why category leadership is always a long game.
B2B, Deep tech & real exits
Slavomir Hruška, COO & Co-Founder of Spacebrains, Techstars-backed.
Built and exited a B2B startup with 200+ customers in 34 countries. Raised €3M+. Coached 180+ CEOs for Shark Tank.
From venture capital to hardware-heavy industries — Slavomir knows what scalable B2B execution actually looks like.
Capital at Scale
Inside a $4B fintech machine that backed 31 unicorns
Yusuf Özdalga, Partner at QED Investors
$4B AUM. $2.4B invested. 250+ fintech companies. 31 unicorns.
Yusuf leads European investments across fintech, proptech, and e-commerce. At Podim, you’ll get a direct look at what tier-one global capital expects from European founders — and what it takes to build serious fintech.
From $0 to $100M series A in 10 months
Vedran Bajer, General Manager Adriatic at Wonderful.
Wonderful raised $100M Series A just 10 months after founding — building multilingual AI agents for enterprise workflows.
Former Microsoft Country Manager. Former Google leader.
Now driving AI transformation across Southeast Europe. This isn’t AI hype. This is AI at scale.
The connectors moving Europe
The European tech insider
Robin Wauters, co-driver of the EU-INC initiative, COO at European Startup Network, former founder & CEO of Tech.eu.
Robin has spent over a decade analyzing, building, and curating Europe’s startup and investment landscape.
If you care about where European tech is heading — and how policy, capital, and founders intersect — this is a conversation you don’t want to miss.
The Recursive – making CEE visible
Kristiana Kuneva, Chief Business Development Officer at The Recursive.
Kristiana connects startups, investors, and ecosystem leaders across Central and Eastern Europe — turning regional innovation into global relevance.
2.5 Days. 3 Stages. Highly curated.
You’ll meet them — and 50+ additional carefully selected speakers — in a focused 2.5-day experience designed for:
Founders.
Investors.
Operators.
Corporates.
Ecosystem builders.
This isn’t a random lineup.
It’s a curated room of builders and decision-makers.
And the momentum is already building:
– 30+ VC funds confirmed
– 500+ startup applications received
– One month left until the application deadline
If you’re looking for capital, sharp insight, strategic partnerships, or the next wave of bold startups challenging the status quo — Podim 2026 is where the real signals are.
More speakers coming soon.
🎟 Tickets are already live. Secure your seat before prices move.
See you in Maribor.
