Investors and Business Executives, the moment we’ve all been waiting for is finally here! Many of you have been asking, “So what kind of startups are coming to Podim this year?” and we finally have the answer to that!
This year a record-breaking number of startups convinced and impressed our jury with their great potential, willingness to help develop the region of their startup ecosystem, hunger for in-person networking, and a wish to meet you in the Podim Deal Room 1:1. Fun fact—in the last few years, an average of the 900 meetings between startups, investors and business executives took place. Quite a lot for two days, don’t you think? Our Podim committee said that the applications were undoubtedly better than ever, full of entrepreneurial desire to make the world a better place and hopes to improve the regional business spirit.
By the end of the selection process, 200+ startups will get a chance to pitch their hearts out on May 4th & 5th (don’t forget to put the online Demo Days dates in your calendar asap).
Excited to break down some stats and facts? Let’s do it!
Regional Focus
Podim’s mission is to empower regional startups and enable them with more opportunities while encouraging businesses from all over the world to partner up with this region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Our main focus lies with the startups from Alps-Adriatic bioregion, Central Eastern European region and the Balkan area. There are also quite a few that are coming from even further away since we always like to support founders with roots from focused areas who based their startups outside the region! Even though our focused regions are known as a dark horse of the European business scene, they’re steadily growing and catching up with the best players of the game. Podim 2022 is a perfect opportunity for you to discover this perfect mix of startups coming from countries like Slovenia, Poland, Czech Republic, Serbia, Romania and Croatia alongside some bigger players like Austria, Germany, and Italy. Making our ecosystem even more diverse, you’ll be able to meet our own regional founders living in countries like the United Kingdom, Singapore, the United States of America, and Israel. The potential to find the next rising star of the startup world at Podim is an exquisite one!
Key Industries and Key Technologies
There’s no place like an entrepreneur’s mind! And since we all feel that the world changed overnight, some adapting was necessary even in business. Cruising through the key industries of Podim’s startups is going to give you a better perspective on the potential of this year’s lineup, their products and solutions.
Here are the top 5 Podim industries
- Business, Productivity & IT
- Health & Wellbeing
- Lifestyle, Entertainment & Sports
- Mobility, Transport & Logistics
- Finance, Insurance & Real Estate
Since we can all agree that key industries would be nothing without new technologies and innovative business models, this year’s startups are successfully implementing a wide range of different technologies into their products and solutions, especially in the areas listed below. Key technologies are becoming increasingly vital and advanced, meaning the importance of their innovation is getting bigger than some industries themselves.
Here are the top 10 Podim implemented technologies:
- AI
- Web/mobile tools
- Machine Learning
- Marketplace services
- E-commerce tools
- Big Data
- API provider
- IoT
- Cloud computing
- Blockchain
Startup Stages Breakdown
If you’re an investor looking for early-stage startups, we have good news! Almost 55 % of attending startups are, in fact, in the early stage. 15 % of the startups are at the seed stage, while 30 % of the scale-ups are more than ready to meet with investors, eager to fund more ambitiously.
Corpos and SMEs, this will also be your chance to meet with more mature startups, and oh boy, what a chance it is! You see, there are three important aspects of your networking with startups. One, you get first-hand experience of the latest newest technologies being used in real-life products and solutions. Two, possibilities of making business with someone eager to share their idea with you. And before your competition, may we add. Three, Podim is also a great place for advanced startups that are ready for higher rounds of investing or/and strategic partnerships with global companies. Hope, you’re ready to do business with them, too!
Last but not least—Podim partners will also present their portfolio startups with the same ambition. The average lifespan of this year’s startup is a little less than three years, meaning you’ll get a chance to meet new, fresh and trendy entrepreneurs with big ideas.
Funding and Other Business Cravings
Now let’s talk about funding! Only a few startups are looking for funding up to €75,000. The rest of them are quite evenly split—some are looking for up to €300k, some for up to €1 Mio, while the most ambitious group is looking for more than €1 Mio.
Some startups are not looking for funding, but the most important thing is that the whole 200+ of them are looking for connections and knowledge with hopes of networking with the best minds the region has to offer.
The Road to Podim 2022
This year’s Podim is without a doubt a place of a diverse selection of startups from the most ambitious region in Europe, covering a wide range of industries with eager entrepreneurs, waiting to meet their next investor and business partner.
If you want to know more about PODIM 2022 startups and other attendees (your fellow investors, corporations and SMEs), our digital catalogues, coming on the 22th of April, have your back!
How to gain access to the digital catalogues? It’s simple—by finding your perfect Podim ticket match!
P.s. Not convinced yet? Check out the video below and see how easy it is to find your next rising startup star in our digital catalogue 👇: