Spotlight 2024 how to web conference 2024

Spotlight 2024

Spotlight is the leading startup program and competition in Eastern Europe, organized by How to Web Conference.
*Applications for Spotlight are closed. Apply for Startup Tickets to join us 🚀

Apply for Startup Tickets

Investment Partners

Spotlight is How to Web Conference’s matchmaking program and competition for the most promising Eastern European startups.

Every year, more than 300 startups apply to join the leading startup program and competition in the region and compete for investment prizes and opportunities.

 

This year, Spotlight finalists can win a €350k investment prize syndicated by Underline Ventures, Startup Wise Guys, and Gapminder VC or decision-level meetings with top-level European funds.

 

Spotlight description

The Spotlight Experience

Matchmaking & Mentoring

Imagine connecting with experienced mentors, savvy business minds, and forward-thinking investors who know the ins and outs of Eastern Europe. These mentors are your secret weapon for gaining insights, avoiding pitfalls, and making strategic moves.

How to Web Conference 2024 Spotlight Matchmaking

Investor Meetings

We’re lifting the curtain on the world of investment. Discover what investors really want to hear, get tips on perfecting your pitch, and open doors to funding rounds that can catapult your startup forward.

Seasoned investors from leading European funds such as Credo Ventures, Creandum, Atomico, Early Bird, SeedCamp and many more are joining How to Web Conference.

How to Web Conference 2024 Spotlight Investor Meetings

Expo Area

Grab your spot in the Expo Area and show your stuff. This is your chance to present your product, gain exposure, and make connections with the right people who can help your startup soar.

What better way to get feedback on your product than from a tech-savvy audience?

How to Web Conference 2024 Spotlight Expo Area

Pitch on Stage

Bold entrepreneurs and their startups that change the world really glow in Spotlight. Seize the stage and get your company off the ground, as all eyes will be on you.

Step on stage and pitch for the grand investment prize. Leading European investment funds and investors join forces to award the most talented Eastern European founder. Spotlight’s investment prize can play an immense role in your startup journey 🏆

How to Web Conference 2024 Spotlight Pitching

The Spotlight main winner will access €350,000 in funding from Startup Wise Guys, Underline Ventures and Gapminder VC.

Applications for Spotlight 2024 are closed. Apply now for Startup Tickets to join us! 🚀

Apply for Startup Tickets

Criteria

Spotlight is dedicated to all early-stage startups in Eastern Europe that have the eagerness to take their business to the next level. If you meet the following criteria, apply for the most engaging startup competition:

✅ Stage of Business

You have an early-stage startup, less than 5 years old and with less than €700k fundraised.

✅ Stage of Product

You have launched the product and it gained some traction.

✅ Attending Startups

In order to be eligible for Spotlight, you must have a Startup Ticket for How to Web Conference 2024. You can do this either before your pre-application or after.

criteria spotlight 2024 how to web conference 2024

Steps

1

Apply

⌛ Jun 1 - September 1

Applications for Spotlight 2024 are open throughout the summer.

2

Announcing selected startups

⌛ September 16

Announcing the 40 selected startups to enter Spotlight

3

Semifinals

⌛ October 2

All 40 startups selected will pitch on the Startup Stage of the conference

4

Top 5 finals

⌛ October 2

Final pitch of top 5 startups on the main stage of the conference

5

Win the investment-prize

⌛ October 2

The grand winner is announced on the conference main stage

6

Matchmaking

⌛ October 3

Curated 1:1 meetings between 40 startups and mentors.

Jurors & Mentors

Els <br> Aerts

Els
Aerts

Co-Founder @ AGConsult

Els helps companies better understand their customers and generates improved online experiences for them, relying on User Research and solid data. Over time, Els has moderated over 3,500 Usability tests for companies such as AtlasCopco, Orange, Daikin, Yoast, and Bridgestone.

Andrew Michael

Andrew Michael

Host @ CHURN.FM

Andrew Michael is a SaaS leader with a deep focus on retention-led growth. With over 14 years of experience spanning marketing and product development, he has co-founded multiple venture-backed startups and played key roles in hyper-growth companies like Hotjar.

Borys </br> Musielak

Borys
Musielak

Founding Partner
Smok Ventures

Early-stage investor in CEE, previously engineer turned entrepreneur.

Cathy </br> White

Cathy
White

Founder & Director
CEW Communications

Startup & Venture Communications Specialist focused on PR, content creation, and social media.

Cristian <br> Munteanu

Cristian
Munteanu

Founder & Managing Partner
Early Game Ventures

VC with a background as a tech entrepreneur in Romania and the US (Seattle and Silicon Valley).

Csongor <br> Biás

Csongor
Biás

Managing Director @ Startup Hungary

Csongor Biás is the Managing Director of Startup Hungary, spearheading efforts to invigorate the local startup ecosystem. Before this role, he founded two coworking spaces and gained experience with venture capital firms and accelerators. He also contributed to launching Vacuumlab's operations in HU

Eva <br> Arh

Eva
Arh

Venture Capital Investor @ 3VC

Eva Arh is a venture capital investor. Prior to 3VC, she was a startup consultant in Austria’s biggest high-tech incubator INITS, supporting early-stage tech companies with business modelling, fundraising and business development. She has been also part of management teams at tech startups.

Felix <br> Martinez

Felix
Martinez

Principal @ Seedcamp

Principal at one of the global top-performing seed funds, expert in evaluating & supporting the best early-stage startups in Europe

Iulia <br> Porneala

Iulia
Porneala

Product Advisor @ MyGenie

Iulia is passionate about product management, solving problems and bringing people together. Customer-centric and entrepreneurial-minded product leader, she has a proven track of success in 0 to 1 setups. Iulia is driven by customer excellence and innovation, and high-quality results.

Ondrej </br> Bartos

Ondrej
Bartos

General Partner
Credo Ventures

Early stage investor, with investments in UiPath, PriceFX, Productboard and many more.

Jordan <br> Bocskov

Jordan
Bocskov

Partner @ Fiedler Capital

Entrepreneur turned investor, with a keen eye on evolving business in CEE.

Karol <br> Szubstarski

Karol
Szubstarski

Partner @ OTB Ventures

Venture investor with over a decade long experience in both, traditional and corporate VC firms. Always on the lookout for top founders that dare to distort reality with deep tech solutions.

Marius </br> Istrate

Marius
Istrate

Chairman of the Board
Techangels Romania

Investor, Growth Adviser, UiPath Alumnus, Venture Partner at 3VC

Michal </br> Bas

Michal
Bas

Principal @ Venture Friends

Responsible for navigating the fund's activity in the CEE region. Previously at TDJ Pitango Ventures and PFR Ventures.

Remus Radvan

Remus Radvan

Head of Venture Strategy @ Wayra UK

Remus helps high-growth ventures scale by investing capital and facilitating commercial and distribution opportunities with corporates. He is part of the teaching staff of the venture capital module at UCL, offering future entrepreneurs and VCs a hands-on and insightful experience about the venture

Rumen <br> Iliev

Rumen
Iliev

Partner
LAUNCHub Ventures

South East Europe seed stage investor, passionate about entrepreneurship, technology investments and social impact.

Elena </br> Vrabie

Elena
Vrabie

Country Lead @ The Recursive

Country Lead at The Recursive with over +10 years of experience as a storyteller based in Bucharest, Romania. She is forging connections among the regional pioneers, and propelling CEE into the global spotlight as the dynamic tech hub that it is.

Bojan <br> Stojkovski

Bojan
Stojkovski

Editor-in-Chief @ IT Logs

Bojan is a versatile reporter, currently exploring AI, defense tech and fintech, but always open to covering diverse and exciting topics in the Western Balkans countries. Currently Editor in Chief at IT Logs, his work has been featured in magazines, journals, and outlets such as Foreign Policy, WSJ.

Silviu Homoceanu

Silviu Homoceanu

CTO & Founder @ Deltia.ai

Silviu Homoceanu is the Founder and CTO of Deltia, where he leads the development of AI-driven solutions to optimize and digitize manual processes in industrial settings. With a Ph.D. in computer science, Silviu is an expert in machine learning and computer vision. His career includes leading the development of a robot taxi service at Volkswagen and founding a startup in the security industry.

Moritz Daan

Moritz Daan

Partner & Founder @ Phiture, Soundcloud

Moritz Daan is the Founder & Partner at Phiture, a leading mobile growth consultancy. With over a decade of experience, Moritz specializes in app store optimization (ASO) and mobile growth strategies. He's the co-author of "Advanced App Store Optimization" and a recognized thought leader in the industry.

Alain Abou-Atmeh

Alain Abou-Atmeh

Growth Marketing Strategist @ Growth Tribe

Growth Marketing Strategist and Public Speaker at Growth Tribe, with more than 10 years of experience in the digital marketing arena. His career journey started with social media marketing and gradually expanded to include email marketing, customer support, performance marketing, and SEO

Arielle Kilroy

Arielle Kilroy

CEO @ Dado

Arielle is a co-founder and CEO at Dado, an Employee Experience Management startup. Previous to founding Dado, Arielle has been a Webby Honoree Product Leader at a variety of different orgs from Epic Records to Sierra Club to Small Improvements. She's a conference speaker and mentor as well as a trainer at Practical Product.

Srdjan Kovacevic

Srdjan Kovacevic

CEO & Co-Founder @ Orqa

Srdjan is a visionary leader with a unique blend of financial and technological expertise. He is the Co-Founder and CEO of Orqa, the world's #1 First Person View (FPV) video headset company, and they are at the forefront of pioneering Remote Reality.

Tilo Bonow

Tilo Bonow

CEO & Founder @ PIABO Communications

The Founder and CEO of Berlin-based PIABO, the leading communication agency for the European digital industry, representing companies such as Stripe, GitHub, Google, Shopify, Figma and Sequoia.

Ekaterina <br> Gamsriegler

Ekaterina
Gamsriegler

Head of Marketing, Product Growth @ Mimo

Ekaterina is a product growth and marketing enthusiast with more than a decade of experience of growing B2C products. She performs marketing that actually drives revenue by leveraging product-led and marketing-led growth strategies.

Alexandra <br> Anghel

Alexandra
Anghel

Director AI Engineering @ Algolia

Alexandra is a dedicated entrepreneur who co-founded 3 businesses. She manages technical teams building AI products.

Botty <br> Dimanov

Botty
Dimanov

CEO & Founder @ Tenyks

Botty Dimanov is the CEO and Co-Founder of Tenyks, a groundbreaking startup initiated at the University of Cambridge. With a PhD in Explainable AI, Botty has pioneered technology that transforms how machine learning engineers interact with AI, making their work more efficient and less stressful. Under his leadership, Tenyks has developed a platform that significantly improves data quality, accelerates development cycles, and enhances AI model performance, all while aiming to make AI safer and more accessible.

Denis <br> Čahuk

Denis
Čahuk

Technical Trainer, TDD, DDD & Software Architecture, Growth Mindset Coach @ Coach Denis

Denis is a hands-on software architect with over 13 years of experience in backend engineering and team leadership in ad-tech, e-commerce pre-seed and series-A start-ups.

Giorgio <br> Pontillo

Giorgio
Pontillo

Global VP of Revenue, Executive Member @ Pavilion

Giorgio is a proven revenue leader with a track record of exceeding sales and business objectives. He excels in building client relationships and driving new business globally.

Oana <br> Mangiurea

Oana
Mangiurea

Lead Product Designer @ Trace Space

UX Design Leader & Strategist with over 13 years of experience crafting trustworthy, accessible, and user-friendly solutions across diverse industries: Enterprise SaaS, Open-Source Developer Tools, Fintech & Legaltech.

Sarah <br> Drinkwater

Sarah
Drinkwater

General Partner @ Common Magic

Sarah is a solo general partner at Common Magic, investing in products with community at their core (think; Figma, Github, Hugging Face).

Tom <br> McGinn

Tom
McGinn

General Counsel @ Northzone

Tom is the General Counsel of Northzone, a multi-stage venture fund with offices in London, Stockholm, NYC, Amsterdam and Berlin, that invests from seed to growth across Europe and the US.

Vladi <br> Iancu

Vladi
Iancu

Head of Implementation @ Omniconvert

Vladi is a fractional CTO with product responsibilities. Passionate about software development, his expertise covers the entire software delivery lifecycle: architecture and product management.

Sander <br> Hoogendoorn

Sander
Hoogendoorn

CTO @ iBOOD.com

Sander helps organizations and teams to innovate and to move their ways of working, practices, architecture, code, and tests forward. Currently, as chief technology officer at e-commerce iBood.com, and architecture coach at MendriX.

Costin ​Busuioc

Costin ​Busuioc

Product Manager @ Snyk

Costin Busioc is an experienced Product Manager at Snyk, where he is instrumental in developing security products tailored to developers. His expertise spans across multiple facets of developer-centric technologies, focusing on enhancing user experience while promoting secure development practices.

Oana Acostachioaiei

Oana Acostachioaiei

Lead Product Marketing Manager @ Bitdefender

Oana Acostachioaiei is a marketing communications expert with over 15 years of experience in FMCG and IT sectors, specializing in brand building, product marketing, and media strategy.

Sorin Sfetcu

Sorin Sfetcu

Industry Manager @ Google

Experienced digital marketing professional with a strong background in performance marketing, analytics, and education, having trained over 3,000 individuals. Extensive experience across B2C and B2B sectors, including telecom, banking, and e-commerce, with proficiency in Adobe and Google tech stacks

Bogdan Lucaciu

Bogdan Lucaciu

CTO
Adore me

Expert in organisation design, team performance and engagement, open source, building disruptive products

Arnout <br> Hellemans

Arnout
Hellemans

SEO, PPC & Analytics Consultant @ OnlineMarkethink

Arnout is a freelance SEO, PPC and analytics consultant dedicated to getting the most value out of the possibilities the online world has to offer!

Aleodor Tabarcea

Aleodor Tabarcea

Engineering Manager Developer Experience @ Snyk

Aleodor leads efforts to enhance developer workflows and improve the overall product experience. Snyk, a developer security platform, focuses on empowering development teams to find, prioritize, and fix security vulnerabilities in real-time, covering areas like code, dependencies, containers, and cloud infrastructure.

Georgi Mitov

Georgi Mitov

Managing Partner @ Bright Cap

Georgi Mitov is a co-founding Managing Partner at BrightCap Ventures, an early-stage fund based in Sofia. With over 20 years of experience in software, entrepreneurship, aviation, and venture capital, Georgi has a proven track record in investing, co-founding, and advising startups. Georgi is passionate about product ideas that can transform our lives and enjoys helping such startups grow.

Vojta <br> Rocek

Vojta
Rocek

Partner @ Presto Ventures

Vojta is an exited founder of Stories.bi, where he transformed his long-standing expertise in business intelligence, data analytics, and applied AI into a B2B enterprise SaaS company – one that Gartner recognized as one of the most innovative players in the augmented analytics space.

Adam Csuhai

Adam Csuhai

Principal @ Lead Ventures

Ádám Csuhai is a Principal at Lead Ventures, where he brings over five years of M&A experience, specializing in advising on successful capital market deals. With a strong background in corporate finance, Ádám has played a pivotal role in selling private companies in Hungary and continues to leverage his expertise to drive growth in the investment landscape.

Elise <br> Sass

Elise
Sass

CEO & Co-Founder @ Salto X

CEO and Co-Founder of Estonian startup Salto X, empowering EU startups with employee liquidity.

Adriana Iordan

Adriana Iordan

VP of Product and Marketing @ SeedBlink

Adriana Iordan is the Chief Product & Marketing Officer at SeedBlink, where she combines her passion for building great products with a knack for growing companies internationally. With deep expertise in eCommerce, payments, and SaaS, Adriana leads teams with a hands-on, collaborative approach, always focused on delivering measurable results.

Dan Mihai Dinu

Dan Mihai Dinu

Engineering Manager @ Bolt

Dan Mihai Dinu is an Engineering Manager at Bolt, where he leads the engineering efforts behind Bolt Food, focusing on scaling the platform’s operations across Eastern Europe. With extensive experience in hyper-growth startups and a passion for building teams from the ground up, Dan is dedicated to fostering talent and driving product innovation.

Nikola <br> Velkovski

Nikola
Velkovski

CEO & Founder @ HeyReach

Nikola Velkovski is the CEO and Co-Founder of HeyReach, the leading agency-first LinkedIn Outreach Tool. Nikola has a deep passion for scaling outreach strategies, empowering agencies to maximize their LinkedIn engagement with HeyReach's innovative multi-account outreach capabilities.

Dusan Zabrodsky

Dusan Zabrodsky

Investment Partner @ Rockaway Capital

Dušan has been with Rockaway since 2014, focusing on Mall Group, Heureka, and various startups. His deep expertise in scaling startups and transforming large portfolio companies drives his investment strategy. Prior to Rockaway, Dušan consulted for international startups on market expansion and hel

Ivan Brezak Brkan

Ivan Brezak Brkan

Director of Developer Content @ Infobip

Director of Developer Content at Infobip, Ivan is also the Founder and Editor of Netokracija, the ‘Techcrunch of the Balkans’, acquired by the Croatian unicorn Infobip in 2022.

Bogdan Batog

Bogdan Batog

Software Engineer @ 

Bogdan Batog co-founded Sailo.com and was the first engineering hire at Stellar Health, where he played a pivotal role from prototype to Series B and beyond. Bogdan is known for his contribution to a key dividend distribution algorithm dubbed the “billion-dollar algorithm” by Paradigm Research.

Valentin Filip

Valentin Filip

VP Product Investments @ Fortech Investments

Enthusiastic leader and critical thinker, Valentin is always focused on taking the next step towards business understanding and development.

Roger Blott

Roger Blott

Founding Partner @ Fil Rouge Capital

Roger Blott is the Founding Partner at Fil Rouge Capital, where he leverages his extensive 30-year career in telecommunications, technology, and investment to support early-stage businesses. With a global leadership background, he has managed and grown companies across the US, Europe, Africa, and Asia, contributing to more than $2 billion in transactions.

Elina </br> Halatcheva

Elina
Halatcheva

Managing Partner
BrightCap Ventures

Strong experience in finance, VC and PE in fintech, femtech, real estate. Co-founder of a B2B procurement start-up.

Tarik Dutkuner

Tarik Dutkuner

Associate @ 500 Emerging Europe

Tarık Dutkuner is a Venture Capitalist at 500 Emerging Europe, where he focuses on investing in and supporting early-stage startups across Eastern Europe and Turkey. With a keen eye for identifying high-potential companies, Tarık leverages his expertise to help founders scale their businesses and drive innovation in the region.

Thomas McSorley

Thomas McSorley

General Counsel @ NATO - Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA)

Thomas McSorley serves as General Counsel for NATO's Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA), where he focuses on legal aspects of cutting-edge technology and national security. With a strong background in law, including previous roles at SpaceX and Rebellion Defense, Tom has deep expertise in information security, export controls, and international trade law.

Siim Teller

Siim Teller

Managing Partner @ Lemonade Stand

Siim Teller is an experienced startup investor and advisor, having spent over 20 years helping build companies, including Skype. His expertise lies in driving growth, marketing, and sales, with a recent focus on the B2B sector.

Phil <br> Hornby

Phil
Hornby

Product Expert, Founder and Director @ for product people

Phil is a product leader with a strong technology and business background. He is a strong believer in working cross-functionally, where Product takes ownership and creates a bridge between all parts of the business, supporting, empowering and providing direction for all.

Jessica Bartos

Jessica Bartos

Principal @ Salesforce Ventures

Jess Bartos is a Principal at Salesforce Ventures, where she focuses on investments in EMEA, specializing in areas like AI/ML, developer tools, and B2B fintech. With a background in investment banking and a passion for supporting the next generation of technology companies, Jess brings a wealth of expertise in both finance and tech to her role.

Dmitri Liberman

Dmitri Liberman

COO @ Port

Dmitri is the COO at Port, driving mobility transformation through e-hubs. With over 10 years of leadership at Uber, Bolt, and Delivery Hero, he's scaled businesses and led strategic growth. Dmitri also invests in emerging tech, focusing on innovation in the U.S., Israel, and Europe.

Alumni

raul popa

RAUL POPA

CEO and Data Scientist @ TYPINGDNA

“Startup Spotlight was a great opportunity to interact with other entrepreneurs and with seasoned professionals who could provide guidance for growing our company. We have incorporated many of the things we learned through the HTW experience into our business and believe that it brought us an extraordinary launching opportunity.”

Sandra Idjoski

Co-Founder @ Collabwriting

“The whole experience was amazing, especially as it was our first time attending How to Web. We didn’t know what to expect, but by far the most valuable were all the networking opportunities. The whole team was incredibly diligent and dedicated, everything was set up so that we as startups could get the most value from the event and connect with the right people.”

lisa popovici

Lisa Popovici

Co-founder @ Cartloop

“ Winning Spotlight brought us an extra validation that the product is working and people believe in our vision and roadmap. We are really grateful for the opportunity to make amazing connections and gain valuable feedback which came at the right time and boosted the growth of Cartloop over the following months.”

spotlight how to web conference 2024

See you at How to Web Conference 2024!

Applications for Spotlight are closed. Apply for Startup Tickets to be part of the most electrifying event 🚀

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