The first Online Technical Session brought together Hungarian incubators, emerging fund managers, and founders to exchange practical lessons on how early-stage finance can work better in Central Europe. Conversations centred on delegated investment models, co-investment practice, specialisation (e.g., MedTech), founder pipelines, and evidence from live portfolios.
What stood out
-
Delegated investment with skin in the game. Incubators co-invest (≥25%) alongside public funds, improving selection, mentoring, and follow-on. Evidence shared included 250+ ventures, solid private follow-on, and 16–20% partial/full exits across earlier calls (László Korányi).
-
Co-investment as the default. Teams syndicate across incubators, spreading risk and deepening diligence (SmartVerTech). Convertible loans fit pre-seed uncertainty; tax treatment could better match equity.
-
Specialise where it matters. A MedTech-focused call will target digital health, hospital process innovation, devices/diagnostics, and patient-centred solutions to address regional gaps.
-
Community and mindset. Luner Program tackles risk aversion through pre-incubation, small tickets (€50–100k) with required private co-funding, and studio-style support (weekly contact, hiring, fundraising, crisis management).
-
From local to scalable. Startup Campus paired capital with internationalisation—Cube Hungary closed €1.5m and partnered with Foxconn to manufacture smart solar benches.
Founder snapshots
-
TerraSky (OXO Labs): Drone + AI on raw imagery to detect solar farm faults; extendable to agri/wind while keeping focus.
-
EV Analytica (Luner): Unified EV charging with route, cost/time prediction, reservations, plug-and-charge, 250+ operator deals (~750k points), R&D with E.ON; seed €500k half-committed.
-
Virgil AI (SmartVerTech): Knowledge Graph turns internal know-how into personalised learning; pilots in banking, telecom, pharma; next raise £1–2m.
Takeaways
Co-investment and the right instruments (notably convertibles), targeted specialisation (MedTech), and community-driven incubation are raising venture quality and attracting private capital. Operational friction remains (admin, fee timing), but international partnerships and disciplined execution are accelerating what works.
What’s next
FI4INN will host additional Online Technical Sessions in Slovenia, Italy (Friuli-Venezia Giulia and Piemonte), Czechia, and Austria (Carinthia). Recordings and materials will be made available through the FI4INN Knowledge Centre.