If you’ve ever wondered what actually happens after Podim, the leading startup conference in the Alps-Adriatic Region — after the pitching, after the 1:1 investor meetings, after the networking — here’s a story worth bookmarking.
Different startups. Different industries. Different journeys.
One shared takeaway: Podim is where important chapters for startups start.
Podim has a knack for creating the right connections at the right time.
- Hedepy – Winner of the 2023 Podim Pitching Competition, Hedepy raised €3.9M in 2023 and is acquiring HearMe, one of Poland’s largest corporate wellbeing providers. With 50,000 clients, a presence in 9 markets, and 650,000 therapy sessions delivered, Hedepy is now the largest online mental health platform in Central and Eastern Europe.
- Hypefy – Winner of the 2024 Podim Pitching Competition, they secured their fourth investor of a $1.75M seed round at Podim and unlocked doors to global opportunities, setting the stage for their next chapter.
- Prepia – This Serbian edtech startup met Silicon Gardens and Inovo.vc at Podim 2025, and just two weeks later closed a €1.5M seed round — a record-fast turnaround. The platform has now surpassed 500K users.
- InsiderCX – Croatian startup that met their investors at Podim 2023, got a 500k investment months later and has just now secured a €1.5M seed round, allowing them to scale their AI-powered patient experience platform.
- Kinderpedia – Finalist of the 2024 Podim Pitching Competition raised €2.2M as part of a €3.5M round led by Simpact Ventures, supporting international expansion and enhanced AI-powered features for 2,000+ schools across 40+ countries.
- Ding.jobs – the innovative HR tech startup – pitched a stranger at 2 AM during Podim. That stranger made a crucial introduction, which later led to investment, helping them expand business operations in foreign markets.
- ZenOwn – Finalist of the 2021 Podim Pitching Competition raised €1.4 million the following year in a seed round led by SICTIC investors and other prominent European VCs and business angels.
- CloudCart – Winner of the 2022 Podim Pitching Competition, the startup now supports over 1,500 merchants and has more than €300 million in cumulative sales. Deloitte Technology Fast 50 Central Europe ranking and Best Startup Employer in Bulgaria.
- Dwelt – Winner of the 2021 Podim Pitching Competition, the Bosnian startup scaled to a team of 50+ people, expanded into multiple markets, and earned the Deloitte Entrepreneurial Excellence Award. The company’s growth culminated in a major stake acquisition by ASEE.
- Jentis – cofounder Klaus Muller met investors from Pragmatech at Podim 2021, which led to a joint €3M investment after the event, ultimately raising a total of €11M Series A in 2023.
Why Podim is so valuable for startups
Let’s be clear: Podim is not magic.
(Though the number of post-event success stories is getting slightly suspicious.)
What Podim is, is a highly focused startup conference and ecosystem where early-stage companies get exactly what they need — not months later, but right then and there.
Founders consistently highlight these key benefits:
- 1:1 meetings in the Deal Room — curated matchmaking ensuring you sit down with the right investors, the right corporates, and the right mentors.
- Pitching competition — reach a wide, mixed audience and pitch
- Marketplace exposure — showcase your product at the heart of the conference, driving visibility and traction.
- High-impact program — Builders Stage, main stage talks and panels designed to give you the knowledge and strategies to grow smarter and faster.
- A network that keeps working after the event — connections continue to deliver value long after the conference
If you’re a startup founder reading this…
You don’t need another generic “accelerate your growth” pitch.
You need traction, investor connections, real conversations, and a platform that accelerates your startup’s growth.
That’s Podim.
Startup applications are now open, and if Hedepy, Hypefy, Prepia, InsiderCX or Jentis are any indication…your next big break might start in Maribor too.
👉 Apply now and see what Podim can do for your startup. Because the best time to build something is before you desperately need it.
