The Scaleup Fest

6 October 2022, Budapest

Highlights:

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# Best practices: how to scale and grow beyond CEE
# VCs and founders about the challenges of scaling
# Founders and investors of successful scaleups
# Americanizing a company
# Sales, marketing, HR challenges of scaling
# Tech exits

TheScaleupFest - 4 March 2020
Absolvo
HRFest

The ScaleupFest

6th October 2022, Budapest

The ScaleupFest is much more than just yet another startup event.
It is aimed to create a friendly place to learn, atmosphere and time for all stakeholders in the ecosystem to meet, share, get inspired, network and build their own story of scaling and growing beyond CEE – together.
It is a place for startups, scaleups, investors and corporates where talented businesses, technology and innovation, international experience, best practices and capital can find and impact each other. You will hear founders telling their growth stories and real-life experience, real international case studies, investors letting you know why one team succeeded and who they are looking for.
This year, The ScaleupFest delivers you even more opportunity to get to know about the full investment landscape of the region, meet relevant ecosystem players and exchange experience / best practice from the CEE region and Europe by cooperating with partner events around the date & time of The ScaleupFest; via our special offers you can get access to The AngelFest, the regional summit of angel investors and early stage startups (morning of 6th October) and to the Annual Investment Conference of HVCA (Hungarian Venture Capital and Private Equity Association) the next day, 7th of October.
The ScaleupFest is the 5th session of VCs in CEE event series.

Who is it for?

For startups, scaleups

  • building a business, aspiring to become a regional or even global key player
  • raising / planned to raise capital and eager to meet regional and international VC investors
  • striving for true, first-hand experience, learnings and insights
  • happy to meet fellow founders to exchange learnings on struggling issues, and find cooperation opportunities
  • with the intention to share their pitch decks with the investor guests and speakers and have the opportunity of networking with them

For VC / PE investors

  • looking for talented teams, exciting tech companies from the region to invest
  • looking for best practices, case studies from the international playground
  • interested in how and when to compete with VCs in CEE or from the US
  • interested in the full landscape of the regional VC/PE industry, wanted to get the most of their stay in Budapest

For corporates

  • interested in the vibrant startup, scaleup hot scene
  • learning about how talented teams disrupt the whole industry
  • looking for innovative startups, scaleups for partnering
  • looking for talented teams, exciting tech companies from the region to invest / buy

… and for other ecosystem players, interested in what is happening in the VC, startup, scaleup ecosystems in the region.

If you are a startup / scaleup, looking for an investor, you will have the opportunity to share your pitch deck with our investor guests. If any (or more) of them are interested, you will get an exclusive invitation to our investor networking program where you can connect and make an impact – in person, in an informal atmosphere.

This opportunity is available for startup / scaleup attendees only!

How to apply?

  1. Please indicate your intention during the registration and ticket purchase phase
  2. Once your ticket purchase is completed and your deck is ready to upload, visit back and click the button “pitch deck upload” below. Prepare your individual ticket purchase order ID (format is: TN/yyyyyy/2022/xxxxx), you need it to identify your ticket purchase. You can find it in your auto confirmation email got from the sender „The ScaleupFest 2022”. You can also find it if you log in your TicketNinja account and check your orders
  3. Complete the form to upload your deck
  4. Your pitch deck should be no longer than max. 5-15 slides. No one pagers are accepted!
  5. Please make sure your upload will be fully completed until 28 September 2022 (incl.) latest
  6. All pitch decks uploaded will be shared with the investor guests right after the upload deadline expired. Investors have the opportunity to screen all the decks and select those projects they are interested in. We can’t guarantee that all the investors will check all the pitch decks and select at least one of them, either. Thank you for your understanding!
  7. We will contact you in e-mail 1-2 days before the event if your pitch deck raised interest, and come up with your personal invitation to the invite-only investor networking program
  8. Please note: there will be no formal 1-on-1 meeting arrangements!


30+

speakers on stage

70+

investors to meet

100+

startups / scaleups

200+

attendees from 8+ countries

100%

first-hand experience

Date, time, venue

  • Date: Thursday, 6 October 2022
  • Time: 12.30 – 9.05 PM
  • Buffet lunch with The ScaleupFest and The AngelFest speakers and investors: 12.30 – 2.00 PM
  • Invite-only investor networking: 1.15 – 2.15 PM
  • Stage programs, official opening: from 2.30 PM
  • On-site registration: from 12.00 PM
  • Venue: BMC – Budapest Music Center
  • Address: H-1093 Budapest, Mátyás u. 8.
  • Official language: English

VCs we proudly hosted so far

 

Get an impression about the event

Opinions about The ScaleupFest

Interviews with guest speakers of The ScaleupFest in 2020, featuring Marcin Hejka – OTB Ventures, Julien Coustaury – Fil Rouge Capital, Colin Snead – Allpacka and Antal Karolyi – HunBan.

Get in the mood!

Feel the vibes, taste the friendly atmosphere you can meet at our events!

The ScaleupFest 2020

Are you interested in last event’s program, topics, speakers or video releases? Visit The ScaleupFest 2020!

Program and topics

12:30 – 14:00

Buffet Lunch

Informal business and networking lunch in the Lobby with The ScaleupFest and The AngelFest speakers and investors.

Limited access – open only for attendees with Buffet Lunch ticket options!

13:15 – 14:15

Invite-only investor networking

Private networking event-in-event for startups whose pitch deck raised interest among the investors, guest speakers of the event and other VC/PE investors based on individual invitation.

14:30 – 14:40

Greetings and Opening

  • Lénárd Horgos – partner – Absolvo, host of the event
  • Peter Kolesár – partner – CIVITTA Slovakia, co-founder of Challenger Accelerator, co-host of the event
  • Péter Csillag – president – Hungarian Business Angel Network (HunBan)

14:40 – 14:55

Current shape of regional VC market and funding climate out to 2023

– Total VC inflows and availability of venture capital in Europe / CEE
– How the startup fundraising climate changed since 2021 and what VCs currently look for
– Outlook for 2023

  • Andrea Lauren – investment partner – Rockaway Capital

14:55 – 15:20

IP issues in deals

The role of IP in tech deals, VC investments and exits. What do VCs / strategic investors / buyers check on IP rights before they invest? The most common gaps, critical issues and their consequences. What to cover / fix before a deal, are there any quick wins? Experience & learnings from all perspectives – legal, VC, PE and founder

Panel discussion with:

  • Jakub Krajčovič – investment manager – Sandberg Capital
  • Ádám Simon – associate – Bird & Bird Law Firm
  • István Lám – co-founder, CEO – Tresorit

Moderated by Pál Szabó – partner, Bird & Bird Law Firm

15:20 – 15:50

Case studies: Scaling globally from CEE/SEE region – lessons about market entry

Case study 1: Expanding a business from Rijeka to 15+ countries worldwide

Andrija “Andy” Colak has built his very “ordinary” business of selling french fries from Rijeka to a truly global business. This is not a software business – how to scale a business when you have tangible products? Challenges and learnings of his story.

Case study 2: The scaling / expansion story of the marketplace company Material Exchange

  • Andrija Čolak – founder, CEO – Surf ‘n’ Fries
  • Darren Glenister – co-founder, CEO – Material Exchange

Moderated by Csaba Kákosy – managing partner, Day One Capital

15:50 – 16:20

HR challenges at fast growing scaleups

Recruiting the best talents at different level of scaling. Building an international team, issue of remote / hybrid offices. Team / management / HR / recruitment – what VCs expect in later stage (Series A/B/C,..) funding rounds.

Renumeration / compensation alternatives, ESOP, motivation schemes, etc. as tools of competitive offering.

First-hand experience of:

  • István Csanády – founder, CEO – Shapr3D
  • András Tessényi – founder, CEO – Supercharge
  • Zsolt Weiszbart – partner – Day One Capital

Moderated by Gergely Tóth – founder of HR Fest

16:20 – 16:30

Disrupting an old-fashioned industry

Challenges of scaling when you have a hardware (container).

First-hand experience of:

  • Vidor Kis-Márton – co-owner, CEO – Continest Technologies

16:30 – 16:50

Speedinvest: What we learned from 400 investments about scaling and what we expect in the coming years

Challenges and opportunities of entering global markets with CEE roots. Why does one company succeed over an other? What makes a company truly global?

Lessons learned from ~400 VC investments and scaling stories.

  • Jon Butterfield – head of Platform & Growth – Speedinvest

16:50 – 17:20

Break, networking, snacks served

17:20 – 17:40

Americanizing a company

Expanding to the US from CEE – who is it for?

Entering the US market – new dimension of competition, sales & marketing challenges, do’s and don’ts.

What 500 Startups’ CEE portfolio companies experienced during US market development and fundraising.

  • Enis Hulli – general partner – 500 Emerging Europe

17:40 – 18:10

VC assessment demystified

In Series A and later rounds, metrics and “pure maths” are getting more and more importance / focus in investment decisions. What and how do VCs assess a scaleup, an investment opportunity?

Panel discussion with:

  • Karol Szubstarski – investment director – OTB Ventures
  • Márton Medveczky – investment director – Flashpoint Venture Capital
  • Nadia Lazarova – associate – Molten Ventures
  • Márk Pálfalvi – principal – PortfoLion

18:10 – 18:40

Scaling challenges from the CFO perspective

Fundraising, revenue and burn management, unit economics, efficiency.

  • János Mátyásfalvi – CFO – SEON
  • Márton Heves – CFO – Supercharge
  • Guillaume Fournier – partner – Credo Ventures

Moderated by Zoltán Györkő – co-founder, ex-CEO of BalaBit IT Security, member of HunBan

18:40 – 19:10

Tech exits

Startups / scaleups and their investors at one point in the future needs an exit. This can be a full exit to a strategic investor, or a PE can make a majority buyout (and then later an IPO).

Strategic buyers vs. private equity – when and which one can be the right fit for companies in tech segments?

Experienced tech-focused international investors and successfully exited tech companies share their experience and insights.

Panel discussion with:

  • Jiří Beneš – managing partner – Genesis Growth Equity Fund
  • Dušan Zábrodský – investment partner – Rockaway Capital
  • András Molnár – CEO – PortfoLion Capital Partners

Moderated by Lénárd Horgos – partner, Absolvo

19:10 – 19:35

Fake pitch – everything you can screw up

We will demonstrate a (fake) pitch to a circle of international VCs, full of typical mistakes on purpose.

VCs will give a prompt feedback, share their pros and cons upfront.

  • Dénes Csiszár – co-founder – Fanatic 5 Solutions, former GM of JayStack, board member of HunBan
  • Łukasz Trojan – senior associate – ff Venture Capital
  • Federico Rota Candiani – associate – 3VC
  • Péter Baloghtech angel investor, co-CEO of Baconsult

19:35 – 21:05

Networking

Speakers who confirmed so far

Enis Hulli

general partner
500 Emerging Europe

Jon Butterfield

head of Platform & Growth
Speedinvest

Andrea Lauren

investment partner
Rockaway Capital

Jiří Beneš

managing partner
Genesis Growth Equity Fund
president of CVCA

Jakub Krajčovič

investment manager
Sandberg Capital

Dušan Zábrodský

investment partner
Rockaway Capital

Łukasz Trojan

senior associate
ff Venture Capital

Nadia Lazarova

associate
Molten Ventures

Karol Szubstarski

investment director
OTB Ventures

Federico Rota Candiani

associate
3VC

Guillaume Fournier

partner
Credo Ventures

Darren Glenister – Material Exchange

Darren Glenister

co-founder, CEO
Material Exchange

Andrija Čolak

founder, CEO
Surf ‘n’ Fries

András Molnár - Portfolion

András Molnár

CEO
PortfoLion Capital Partners

Zsolt Weiszbart – Day One Capital

Zsolt Weiszbart

partner
Day One Capital

Márton Medveczky

investment director
Flashpoint Venture Capital

Mark Palfalvi - PortfoLIon

Márk Pálfalvi

principal
PortfoLion Capital Partners

Péter Balogh

tech angel investor
co-CEO of Baconsult

István Lám

co-founder, CEO
Tresorit

István Csanády

founder, CEO
Shapr3D

András Tessényi

founder, CEO
Supercharge

Vidor Kis-Márton

co-owner, CEO
Continest Technologies

János Mátyásfalvi

CFO
SEON

Márton Heves

CFO
Supercharge

Ádám Simon

associate
Bird & Bird Law Firm

Pál Szabó – Bird & Bird

Pál Szabó

partner, head of M&A / Corporate Practice Group
Bird & Bird Law Firm

Csaba Kákosy – Day One Capital

Csaba Kákosy

managing partner
Day One Capital

Peter Kolesár - Civitta

Peter Kolesár

partner of CIVITTA Slovakia
co-founder of Challenger Accelerator

Zoltán Györkő

co-founder and ex-CEO of Balabit IT Security
member of HunBan

Dénes Csiszár

co-founder of Fanatic 5
former GM of JayStack
board member of HunBan

Gergely Tóth – HR Fest

Gergely Tóth

founder
HR Fest

Meet the VCs – about the investors

OTB Ventures
Capital300

Ticket purchase

Ticket purchase platform is operated by TicketNinja, secure payment gateway is provided by OTP SimplePay.

Once you selected your ticket and added to your cart, you will be navigated to TicketNinja’s platform to create your registration and proceed with your payment. 

You need to make a simple registration (name, e-mail address password) into the TicketNinja system first and complete your billing information before you pay. Payment is possible by credit cards only.

Coupons provide discounts off the regular ticket options.

Once you selected your ticket and added to your cart, you will be navigated to TicketNinja’s platform to create your registration and proceed with your payment. 

You need to make a simple registration (name, e-mail address password) into the TicketNinja system first and complete your billing information before you pay. Payment is possible by credit cards only.

If you already have a TicketNinja account, you just simply need to check in to start the purchase process. Please check your billing details and update them if necessary!

Coupons provide discounts off the regular ticket options. Type your code in the “coupon code” area, check-in your coupon, your discounted ticket price will appear on the top area of the ticket.

Do you face any problem with code check-in or ticket purchase? Please e-mail to zs.szlavy@absolvo.hu, let’s fix it together!

Special offers for partner events

Our partner events, The AngelFest (in the morning of 6th October at the same venue) and HVCA Annual Investment Conference next day, 7th of October offers discount options on their regular ticket prices for the participants of TheScaleupFest:

  • The AngelFest provides you 50% off if you buy any of the buffet lunch ticket options for The ScaleupFest event. Please note: sale of buffet lunch ticket options ends on 3 October.
  • HVCA Annual Investment Conference offers you 30% off in case of purchasing any of the ticket options for The ScaleupFest until 3 October.

If you are interested in joining any or both of the events, please indicate your intention on the registration form! Codes entitling you to take our partners’ discounts incl. further information and instructions will be sent you in a private email once you closed the ticket purchase transaction for TheScaleupFest event.

Organized in partnership with:

HVCA-Hungarian Venture Capital and Private Equity Association

With the support of:

Any questions? Contact us!

Program, ticket purchase, coupon issues:

Ms. Zsuzsanna Szlávy

zs.szlavy@absolvo.hu

Pitch deck sharing:

Ms. Petra Kelemen

p.kelemen@absolvo.hu

Billing / finance related issues:

Ms. Gabriella Simon

g.simon@absolvo.hu

The AngelFest program, ticket purchase, coupon issues:

Ms. Eszter Kollár

info@hunban.eu

HVCA Investment Conference registration, ticket purchase:

Mr. Zsombor Bozsik

bozsik.zsombor@portfolio.hu

See you soon,

The Organizer team