The Alps-Adriatic and CEE region continues to produce globally relevant tech champions.
From consumer brands with 20+ million devices sold and apps serving 30+ million users worldwide, to enterprise SaaS platforms powering operators like DHL, Poste Italiane, and PostNord — this region builds companies that scale globally.
At Podim Conference, the Builders Stage powered by Silicon Gardens brings these founders and operators back to the spotlight.
This is not theory.
This is real scale. Real traction. Real global impact.
And you can be in the room with them.
What gets unpacked on stage
You’ll hear tactical, experience-backed insights like:
- How to scale from 0 to 3M users without your product, team, or ops imploding
- What it really takes to raise $100M+ and turn AI into enterprise revenue
- How to close ultra-niche enterprise clients when your TAM looks “too small”
- Frameworks to dramatically cut B2B sales cycles
- How to turn partnerships and brand alliances into real contracts (yes, even Netflix-level deals)
- How to scale to 30M+ users without VC money — and keep control
- What it takes to build and sell 20+ million hardware devices globally
This isn’t startup theatre.
It’s execution at scale.
Forget generic growth advice
No recycled LinkedIn threads.
No vague “10x mindset” slides.
The Builders Stage is built for founders and operators who have:
- Scaled from 0 → millions of users
- Raised $100M+
- Closed enterprise giants
- Bootstrapped global products
- Built, exited, failed — and built again
If you’re serious about building, this is where you take notes.
Meet the builders
These are the founders and operators shaping global markets right now:
Mily Technologies powers last-mile analytics for DHL eCommerce, Poste Italiane, GLS and PostNord, boosting efficiency by up to 10%.
David Blaževski helped take the platform from early stage to commercial traction across Europe’s largest logistics players.
Familiar is an AI-native CRM redefining how hotels turn guest data into direct revenue, already partnering with leading hospitality brands.
Kimeshan Naidoo, serial founder and Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree, scaled Unibuddy to 3M users and $10M ARR.
Synthpop is a Cambridge-based AI company building agentic AI solutions for healthcare, backed by $23M in funding.
Hajdi Cenan previously built and exited airt to Synthpop AI and now represents Croatia on the Board of the European Startup Network.
InsiderCX processed 1.5M+ patient interactions and saved clinics over €4.3M through AI-driven healthcare insights.
Nikola Komes secured a €1.5M seed round and is expanding patient-centric healthcare platforms across Europe.
Wonderful is a fast-scaling enterprise AI agent platform that raised $134M and reached a $700M valuation, expanding across 10+ countries.
Vedran Bajer, former Microsoft Country Manager and Google executive, now leads regional AI transformation for multinational enterprises.
Todoist is used by 30+ million people globally and was built as a fully remote company long before it became mainstream.
Amir Salihefendic bootstrapped Doist into one of the world’s most trusted productivity platforms.
Wizard Ventures builds and scales revenue-generating digital startups from idea to market success.
Maximilian Fleitmann scaled StudyHelp to 1M+ monthly users, raised $5M+, backed 25+ startups, and exited multiple ventures.
Spacebrains is a Techstars-backed engineering talent platform helping hardware-driven companies build elite teams.
Slavomir Hruška built and exited a B2B company serving 200+ clients in 34 countries and raised €3M+.
Productive is a global SaaS platform unifying operations and finance for agencies worldwide.
Tomislav Car is a serial founder and investor behind multiple tech companies employing 600+ people.
Crunchr is a Series A-backed enterprise people analytics platform recognized by Gartner and Forbes.
Faris Sehovic drives global enterprise sales growth after contributing to Orgnostic’s acquisition by Culture Amp.
Hypefy raised €1.7M in seed funding and delivered 1,300+ campaigns for 80+ brands across 13 markets.
Stjepan Zelić, winner of the 2024 Podim Pitching Competition, is scaling AI-powered influencer marketing globally.
Sofascore serves 25+ million monthly users across 20+ sports and 5,000+ leagues worldwide.
Ivan Bešlić helped grow the company into a 300+ person global sports data leader.
FOREO has sold 20+ million devices, serves 28+ million customers, operates in 180+ countries, and holds 378 patents.
Mario Gomez leads global commercial strategy for one of Europe’s most successful beauty-tech brands.
And this is just the beginning.
These 13 featured builders are only part of the lineup — 7 more high-caliber founders and operators will join the Builders Stage before Podim, completing a hand-picked group of 20 regional leaders actively shaping global tech markets.
More scale. More traction. More real-world execution.
Hosted by leaders who know what works
The B2C track will be hosted by Tena Žganec, Project Manager at ICENT and Nuqleus, working at the intersection of tech transfer and startup incubation.
The B2B track will be led by Petra Wagner, B2B sales strategist, creator of the SalesBooster™ Framework, and former IBM & Microsoft enterprise sales leader with 20+ years of experience closing complex deals.
Who should join?
The Builders Stage is designed for:
- Startup founders building for scale
- Scale-up operators managing international growth
- Corporate innovation teams seeking proven execution models
- Investors scouting the next wave of global tech champions
If you’re building seriously in 2026, this is your room.
Join us in Maribor | May 11–13
Seats fill up. Rooms get full.
And the most valuable conversations happen in person.
If you want to be in the room where regional tech champions share how they actually built global companies —
This is your ticket.
👉 Secure your Podim ticket now
👉 Join the Builders Stage
👉 Be part of the next wave of global tech success stories
