Podim Scaleups -

< Boost your Business >

Creating opportunities for scaling businesses

Have you already outgrown the startups phase frames already? Podim has a spotlight on you, connecting you with highly motivated global and regional investors, corporations, and other established businesses that are looking to make deals with scaleups. Our scaleup track is tailored to later-stage companies that are rapidly scaling their business.

Whether you’re looking for customers, talent, or mentors, we will tailor our services to support your growth. Give yourself a boost and use our leverage. There are potential investors and business partners at Podim that are looking for the next round to invest, to buy your product, or to partner up with you.

Applications for startups and scaleups are now open!
But only until the 15th of March

< No-bullshit approach >

The conference, tailor-made for founders

We have tailored Podim to suit the needs of founders of mostly tech-driven companies aiming for rapid growth based on a scalable business model. Whether on the main stage or in workshop sessions, all speakers and other participants are keen to share with you their knowledge and valuable experiences based on successes and failures, using a straightforward, no-bullshit approach.

< Making Deals >

Get investors and new business partners

With more than 900 business meetings, Podim Deal Room has become the core offering for scaleups seeking a next investment round or wanting to find new customers in the region. With a limited number of participants, Podim may not be the largest gathering of venture capital in the world, but its ability to attract more than 100 highly motivated regional and global investors to invest in our region and to search for the most innovative projects makes it a powerful deal-making platform. There are also 200+ business C-level executives attending Podim, who are interested in cooperation with scaleups.

"It gives you a great opportunity and a great value to meet other people, to network …!"

Aleš Čadež, Kaldi IT, Slovenia

Looking for investment? Check the extensive list of investors attending Podim and looking for fresh investment opportunities.

< Experienced Mentors >

Valuable mentoring opportunities

Engaging speakers have become the trademark of Podim. They dedicate a few hours of their time to mentor (co-)founders attending the event. Choose between three different formats of mentoring support. Use One-on-one Quick-Fix Mentoring Sessions to dive into your company’s pain points, like product development, legal issues, and sales, or use Group Mentoring Sessions to figure out solutions together with your peer (co-)founders, who are experiencing the same challenges. If you are not really sure what exactly your problem is, join your peer (co-)founders at Topic Deep Dives with Mentors to discuss a predefined topic to better understand the field and challenges and to identify best solutions. Attending mentoring sessions is the first step towards fixing your challenges. The best part is that the mentors will stay by your side the next time you hit a bump on your journey.

< Peer to Peer Exchange >

Spend quality time with your peers

Who can feel your pain almost as well as you do? Your peers! At Podim, you will have plenty of time to spend with your fellow founders to exchange learning, mistakes, leads, ideas, and cooperation opportunities on product development, marketing, fundraising, HR, and more. You will realize your peers are having struggles similar to your own. The Founders’ Night and other mentoring and networking events that are part of Podim will offer you great opportunities to get valuable support from those who can really relate to your challenges and to exchange notes with competitors. At Founders’ Night you will have a chance to set up a meeting with potential business collaborators over a good drink in a relaxed atmosphere, supported by the Deal Room Matchmaking Tool.

< Networking with Passion >

Connect with startup ecosystems’ key players

Podim’s relaxed yet extremely productive atmosphere is ignited by entrepreneurial energy, enthusiasm and a positive mindset, so take this opportunity to mingle with other startup ecosystems’ key players. The diverse crowd of talent, policy makers, influencers, accelerators, and peer (co-)founders is eager to talk to you in a relaxed atmosphere. Share your story and collect new information, viewpoints, and interests. Use Podim to inspire participants and to share your optimism as well as to collect valuable feedback from others’ experiences. Join us at special networking events, dinners, and Podim famous party. Just go with the flow and let the Podim vibe take care of the rest.

< What participants say >

Experience the unexpected

"Yesterday I was really impressed by the power of connecting, of networking. There are so many people. Intelligent and creative, powerful people and in my speech this morning, they were so open about this issue of humanity and business."

Mela ChuBLCKSWN, Germany

"This is my first time on Podim, I'm gonna say that it's great, it exceeded my expectations so it was pretty great experience and I'm sorry that it's ending now, today and that it lasts only for two days."

Damir Seremet15d03, Bosnia and Herzegovina

< Access to Talents >

Looking for reinforcements?

If you are looking for new members to join your team, then Podim is the right place for you to be. The crowd of 1,000 tech-savvy changemakers at Podim can serve as the perfect recruiting pool for you to find your next employee.

< Media Exposure >

Media coverage & Podim Live TV

Prosperous startups & scaleups are one of the main reasons journalists representing the leading regional tech and business publications come to Podim, looking for promising stories and exciting product launches. If you have ever wanted a spotlight on your idea and your scaleup, come to Maribor prepared with your media pitch to tell your story and get broader media attention. Apply to pitch in front of our cameras, let Podim Live TV put the spotlight on your scaleup, and get visibility through Podim Channels.

< Opportunity >

How scaleups can hack Podim

You can use our Podim Marketplace, a special opportunity we have exclusively prepared for scaleups to make the most out of your Podim experience

The Scaleup Pass to Podim

At €95, the Scaleup Pass gives you access to the entire conference area, including all talks and networking formats, as well as exclusive access to 1:1 Quick-Fix Mentoring Sessions, Group Mentoring Sessions, Topic Meetup with Mentor, Podim Deal Room, Pitching Competition with Demo day and Podim Marketplace. Oh, and did we mention Founder’s Night and the famous Podim Party?

Have a look at all the startups and scaleups that have attended Podim in previous years!

Listen to what they say about Podim

< Podim startups & scaleups portfolio >

Diversity matters

To get a better impression on what kind of startups and scaleups Podim portfolio has to offer, what stages they are in, what industries they cover and what is the scale of funding they are seeking, we have put some numbers together for you.

< Structure by Industry >

< Structure by Stage >

< Structure by funding seeking >

MEET THE PODIM 2022 SPEAKERS

They are bringing to the table knowledge, fierceness, inspiration, valuable experiences and the most amazing stories of their success this May live in Maribor!