Cristian Dascalu is the European Innovation Council Ambassador for Eastern Europe, where he serves as an Investment Jury member for deep-tech startups and scaleups with breakthrough technologies across Europe.
He has also acted as a NATO DIANA evaluator and a Google mentor in multiple AI accelerator programs, bringing his expertise to the forefront of Europe’s innovation landscape.
With over 41 portfolio companies, Cristian is a seasoned investor and accelerator of startups in Romania and Eastern Europe. As an entrepreneur, he founded or co-founded several key initiatives shaping the regional ecosystem, including GapMinder VC, Techcelerator, and ROTSA – the Romanian Tech Startups Association. Earlier, he launched TEDxCluj (2010) and ClujHUB (2012), now the second-largest startup hub in Romania, both of which became cornerstones of the local innovation community.
Cristian holds a Master’s degree in Economics, specializing in Management & Marketing, and combines strong investment readiness expertise with deep experience in go-to-market strategies, business development, and ecosystem building. A creative strategist and passionate community builder, he continues to play a pivotal role in advancing digital innovation and supporting founders across the region.
Other featured speakers
Felix Martinez
Principal @ Seedcamp
Felix Martinez sources and supports early-stage startups at Seedcamp, Europe's leading seed-stage venture capital fund that has invested in over 490 companies including unicorns like UiPath, Wise, Revolut, wefox, Pleo, Sorare, Grover, viz.ai, and Synthesia.
Akis Bratsos
Partner @ Lakestar
Akis Bratsos is a Partner at Lakestar, one of Europe’s leading venture capital firms, where he focuses on investment opportunities in automation, infrastructure software, and healthcare.
Karol Szubstarski
Partner @ OTB Ventures
Karol Szubstarski specializes in Series A funding for breakthrough deep tech companies at OTB Ventures, a leading pan-European fund managing over €300 million in assets across SpaceTech, Enterprise Automation & AI, FinTech Infrastructure, and Cybersecurity sectors.
Radu Georgescu
Founding Partner @ Gecad Ventures
Radu Georgescu is a renowned Romanian serial entrepreneur and investor with over 30 years of experience founding and scaling companies in software, internet, and e-commerce sectors.