The fast-track to global capital – what Spotlight 2026 means for CEE startups
Finding yourself in the right room for seed or pre-seed funding, securing face time with operators who have scaled global tech, and expanding beyond your home market usually means months of flights, cold emails and fragmented coffee meetings across Western tech hubs. Eastern Europe has by all means the capability, potential and drive to stand… Read more »
The six meta themes building How to Web Conference’s 2026 agenda
Speed alone no longer guarantees a win in modern tech. From navigating AI-driven “product slop” to building high-leverage micro-teams, these six core pillars define the real-world dilemmas driving the How to Web Conference 2026 agenda. The initial dust has settled around the AI gold rush, leaving the tech industry at a fascinating crossroads. We are… Read more »
BrightCap Ventures Found Their All-in-one Event For CEE, And They Keep Coming Back
ABOUT BRIGHTCAP VENTURES BrightCap Ventures backs global founders built on local engineering talent across Central and Eastern Europe. Their second fund operates under the European Investment Fund’s Bulgarian and Romanian mandate, together with restriction-free private capital (40% of the fund), which means the regional ecosystem isn’t just relevant to them. It’s core to their strategy…. Read more »
Venture in Eastern Europe Report 2025 (H1 Edition)
Executive Summary Eastern Europe’s H1 venture capital landscape is dominated by follow-on rounds, with less early-stage activity, even if the first half of 2025 did not match the scale of winner rounds seen a year earlier. Instead, this period reflects a more measured phase, where momentum is carried by a wider mix of solid performers… Read more »
The Road to Spotlight: 20 Startups That Made It into the Semifinals
Hundreds of startups applied between May and September. Twenty made it through the selection process. You’re about to meet the founders who built these early stage tech solutions and earned their spot in Eastern Europe’s premier startup competition. What is Spotlight? Spotlight is the leading How to Web Conference’s matchmaking program and competition for the… Read more »
The Leap of Tech #10: When Gelato Meets Data Intelligence and the Founder Wears Both Hats
The 10th edition of the Leap of Tech wasn’t your usual tech meetup. It had flavor, literally and metaphorically. Set inside the cozy Anagram Brewery, the meet-up felt more like a fireside conversation than a panel. And for the first time, the spotlight was on a woman serial entrepreneur: Adnana Popa, the driving force behind… Read more »
Three Investors Share Their Vision for the Next Decade
As we stand at the threshold of unprecedented technological transformation, venture capitalists are positioning themselves to identify the next wave of breakthrough companies. We spoke with three prominent investors, Karol Lasota, Raya Yunakova, and Julius de Gruyter, to understand their perspectives on where the biggest opportunities lie, what founders they’re backing, and how valuations are… Read more »
The Smart Money Move: Radovan Nesrsta on Why Venture Debt Is Reshaping CEE Startup Financing
When Radovan Nesrsta launched Orbit Capital six years ago, venture debt was virtually unheard of in Central and Eastern Europe. Local banks were focused on hard collateral, equity was expensive, and young scaleups had few financing alternatives. Today, Orbit Capital has grown into the region’s pioneering venture debt provider, backing ambitious founders with non-dilutive growth… Read more »
Early Signals: Venture in Eastern Europe Report 2025 (H1 Edition) Revealed at How to Web Conference
If you’ve been following the global startup landscape, you’ve probably noticed a shift. Increasingly, some of the world’s most ambitious and successful tech companies trace their roots back to Eastern Europe. What once felt like a region of “outsiders” looking in is now a rising powerhouse of global innovation. Think of UiPath, born in Romania… Read more »
Over 550 startups will access growth and funding opportunities at How to Web Conference 2025
Early-stage startups can benefit from significant opportunities for growth, investment, and visibility at the most important event dedicated to startups and technology in the region. Bucharest, August 20, 2025 – How to Web Conference, the most important startup and technology event in Eastern Europe, will host multiple programs and formats for over 550 startups at… Read more »
What VC Trends and Early-Stage Funding Really Mean for Eastern European Startups
You might be building the next breakthrough in AI, deep tech, or climate solutions. You could be tackling problems that matter to millions while bootstrapping in Bucharest, scaling in Sofia, or pivoting in Prague. But here’s what every founder needs to know: the rules of fundraising have fundamentally changed, and those who adapt will thrive… Read more »
Rewriting the Rules: Rando Rannus on Secondary Markets and the New Era of Startup Liquidity
The European startup ecosystem is maturing rapidly, but with longer paths to exit comes a critical challenge: liquidity. While founders, early employees, and angel investors wait years for traditional exits, a new breed of investor is stepping in to bridge the gap. Rando Rannus, General Partner at Siena Secondary Fund, has built his career around… Read more »