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Barbara VerőCo-founder & CEO of
Future Proof Consulting

Barbara has a quiet unusual profile as a business angel. She was grown up in a multinational environment as an HR professional (from 2001 till 2019). She used to be the HR Director of Nestlé. In 2016 she initiated az entrepreneurship program at the company, and this was the first time when she met startups – and it was love at first sight. Based on this experience she left the food giant and started her own company, called Future Proof Consulting. Together with her co-founder, Patrícia, they assess and develop start up leaders and teams. Her dream is to have an alternative ecosystem in Hungary, where real performance, private money is in focus. It was the main reason why she joined HUNBAN 3 years ago. Main motto as an investor: let’s invest into people potential, not in numbers.

Dénes CsiszárAcceleration Manager
at EIT Digital

Dénes is an early-stage startup enthusiast, with a mission to help launching more and more impactful organizations. He’s active in the ecosystem since 2008, arriving from the corporate technology and business development world. He co-founded several startups himself and raised capital in several rounds, after which he even ran a startup incubator for a while. He mentored, taught and coached over 150 early-stage startups so far, from validation to business planning, from market sizing to fundraising. Dénes is the project leader of the Entrepreneurship track within the full-time MBA program at the Corvinus University. He co-founded eSzínház, an online service which streams plays from Hungarian theaters, supporting them to survive during and after the pandemic.

Universities in Innovation,
Help or Hindrance?

9:10 - 9:40

Barnabás MálnayHead of Business Development at ELTE's Faculty of Informatics
& partner at the SmartWare.tech

Barnabás Málnay is head of business development at ELTE's Faculty of Informatics and partner at the pre-seed VC fund SmartWare.tech. Earlier, he was business developer at EIT Digital, partner at start-up advisory and investment formation White Summers Cofounder, managing director at the Hungarian Mobility and Multimedia Cluster, and business development director at AVEC, a startup accelerator launched by one of Hungary’s then largest VC groups, the DayOne-PortfoLion Group. He studied social and political theory at ELTE and CEU in Budapest, and at Stanford University, where he also worked as a teaching assistant and instructor in various teaching programs

Milos Milicsevics is a veteran member of Hungarian venture capital scene. Skilled in finance, accounting and IT, he has several years of experience in asset management, investment and tech sector and has been associated with several investment firms in the venture capital market. He was the first Doctor of Business Administration (PhD) of the Central European University, his MBA alma mater. He is a permanent member of the academic staff of Corvinus University of Budapest, where he teaches Equity and Debt Financing and Innovation Management.

Milos MilicsevicsInstitute of Entrepreneurship and
Innovation at Corvinus University of Budapest

Prof. Dr. Ildikó CsókaDirector-General for Strategy
of the University of Szeged

Prof. Dr. Ildikó Csóka is professor and head of the Institute of Pharmaceutical Technology and Regulatory Affairs at the Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Szeged. She has been working as a lecturer and a researcher in higher education at the University of Szeged since 1990.She also holds the position of Director-General for Strategy at the University of Szeged through which she leads the management of strategic investments, R&D and innovation, clinical research and related project management at the institutional level

Imre has 15 years of experience in the Hungarian and Central Eastern European startup ecosystem. After returning from the USA, where he was VP of Underwriting at Lehman Brothers CMBS, he founded two startups in the real estate life annuity sector, creating a new industry segment. He later joined a Jeremie fund as an Entrepreneur in Residence and founded one of Hungary’s first accelerators, iCatapult. Imre led the first CEE startup tour to the USA in 2013 and formed the CEEDTech consortium in 2015. Currently, he's the CEO of Óbuda Uni Venture Capital Zrt (OUVC), a €30 million venture fund focusing on medtech, DeepTech, robotics, and AI startups.

Imre HildCEO of
Óbuda Uni Venture Capital -
Venture Capital & Venture Studio

Crowdfunding: Strategies,
Environment, and Trends in 2024

10:10 - 10:40

Nóra SzelesCEO of
Tokeportal.com

Nóra is an award-winning economist, university lecturer at Moholy Nagy University Budapest, capital market professional, recognized for her contributions in launching new market segments of regulated markets and research in capital market competitiveness, and crowdfunding. Her research is marked by the Josseph de La Vega Award by the Federation of Stock Exchanges and by the Demjan Scholarship. As the co- Founder of Tokeportal.com, the first Budapest based equity crowdfunding platform, now regulated under ECSPR, in Hungary she contributed to the birth of another new capital market segment. Nora holds an MBA from Purdue University, USA, and currently engrossed in her PhD research, exploring crowdfunding as a transformative business model for entrepreneurs in the creative industry.

Kamilla is a communication expert, an entrepreneur, and a researcher. All the fields in her life are connected by the startups and the innovation ecosystem. She is the co-founder of InnoMaker Partners which helps innovative companies making their value proposition work: Through customer research, through strategy and effective communication of this value proposition. As a communication science PhD student she is studying the internal communication of startups in order to help them formulate their own successful internal communication strategies based on their specific needs. And last but not least as a communication expert she is also working as an event manager and hosting events and panels, just like this.

Kamilla StrauszCo-Founder & COO of
InnoMaker Partners

Farkas Bársony Dr.CEO of
Sharity Impact

Farkas is MBA, LL.M., finance lawyer, former Managing Director of GE Hungary (1999-2017), President of the American Chamber of Commerce (2016-2020) and CEE Partner of PwC (2018-2019). Now the CEO and co-founder of Sharity Impact, a purpose-driven company which links positive social or/and environment impact to business activities through its digital technology platform, in measurable and reportable ways.

Gábor is the dynamic mind behind Brancs - A közösségi piactér, often mentioned as Hungary's version of Kickstarter. As a seasoned entrepreneur with roots in the digital banking world, his journey is marked by innovation and drive. He masterfully negotiated the sale of his company to OTP, the biggest bank in Hungary in 2022. A visionary in crowdfunding, Gábor continues to inspire and pave the way for future entrepreneurs.

Gábor KövesdiFounder & CEO of
Brancs & Myfarm

Succes Stories of Last Years

11:10 - 11:40

Péter CsillagEl Presidente of HunBAN,
Co-founder & ex-CEO of Starschema

Peter is a technology business building and scaling veteran. For some years he had worked as a data technology expert at large multinational enterprises, then founded Starschema, the most successful Hungarian data technology service provider serving Fortune500 clients globally.Peter has a good overview of what founders need to grow a global tech business and has the attitude to help and mentor them to reach their potentials.
As a business angel, Peter primarily focuses on B2B technology startups, but he is fine to explore outstanding opportunities from other domains as well.

Miki is the co-founder of Diverzum, leads a platform connecting over 230,000 students with brands through exclusive discounts. After securing investment on Shark Tank, Diverzum has rapidly expanded, including recent collaborations with SPAR and Gránit Bank.

Miklós LászlóCo-Founder & CEO of
Diverzum

Zoltán VisyCo-Founder & CEO of
Redmenta

Zoli is the Co-Founder and CEO of Redmenta, an AI-powered platform that helps educators save time by creating content aligned with any educational standards.

Adam is an entrepreneur and business incubation expert who co-founded Giggle. In his current role as co-CEO, he is primarily responsible for business development activities where his team is on a mission to change the mechanics of the labor market and give people an opportunity to leverage their time flexibly. Prior to Giggle, Adam worked for EIT Health and EIT Manufacturing as a business creation specialist where he was responsible for organizing international start-up competitions and mentoring programs in 13 European countries. Adam holds a finance and international management degree, having studied at Corvinus University of Budapest, UCL (University College London), WLU (Wilfrid Laurier University), and the International Management Center in Krems, Austria.

Ádám SebestyénCo-founder of
Giggle

The Role of AI and Machine Learning
in Startup Innovation

12:10 - 12:40

Arianna ArienzoCEO of
VoiceMed

Arianna, the CEO of VoiceMed and a contract professor in digital health at Cattolica University, brings a wealth of business expertise to the table. Holding an M.Sc. in Business Administration from the University of Roma Tor Vergata, she boasts over 5 years of experience in multinational tech consulting, including stints at firms like Accenture and exposure to Silicon Valley. Raised in a family of pulmonologists, Arianna witnessed healthcare inefficiencies firsthand, igniting her passion for accessibility. Known for her flexibility and fervor, she excels in engaging with diverse healthcare stakeholders, earning recognition as one of Italy's top innovators in Forbes' Top 30 under 30 list. Arianna's insights on digital health and vocal biomarkers have also earned her a spot as a TEDx speaker, inspiring others with her visionary ideas.

Throughout his life, Péter Langmár has built his own companies instead of working for others, starting with Brickflow, a SaaS company that operated for four years and provided him with important foundations. After the closure of Brickflow, most of the team stayed together and founded the Lab.Coop group, from which successful ventures like Green Fox Academy and SmartWare.tech emerged. As a co-founder of Green Fox Academy, he established one of the region’s leading IT bootcamps in 2015. Through SmartWare.tech, he focused on seed investments in hardware startups, and recently, he earned an MBA from CEU. Today, as a founder at STRT Holding, he leads the investment activities and coordinates capital raising.

Péter LangmárChief Investment Officer of
STRT Holding Nyrt.

Claudio PiovesenaCo-Founder & CEO of
A-dapt

Claudio Piovesena is the Co-Founder and CEO of Adaptive Media Ltd, an Interactive AI company pioneering EmotionAI and ConversationAI across industries such as law, marketing, and training. Adaptive Media’s patented Adaptive-mediaTM format personalizes digital content based on real-time emotional responses, transforming user engagement. The company has earned over 20 awards, including Innovate UK grants and the Webby Award, with recognition at SXSW, CogX, and BETT for its technological and social impact.With over 20 years in media, Claudio has held senior roles at The Wall Street Journal and ELLE Magazines International, overseeing global business development and marketing. He is a Fellow of the RSA, an AI lecturer at IULM University in Milan, and advocates for sustainable, impactful business practices. Fluent in six languages, he blends cultural intelligence with AI expertise to drive industry innovation.

Hektor, the co-founder of ImprovAI Consulting has more than 25 years of field expertise of consulting and management in various industries, supporting companies to explore the potential of Artificial Intelligence on their adaptation journey. He's goal to assist decision makers to see clearly by cutting through the hype and myth around A.I. and to take the first steps on the long road of A.I. transformation.

Hektor VillaroelCo-Founder of
ImprovAI Consulting

Emerging markets and global expansion

14:30 - 15:00

Bence ZweckerCo-Founder & CEO of
Munch

Co-Founder & CEO of Munch, a food-rescuing startup, founded in 2020 by four university students Bence, Kirill Perepelica, Botond Zsoldos and Albert Wettstein. Since 2020, Munch has come a long way –it has become a leading company fighting against food waste in the CEE, with a presence in Hungary, Slovakia, Romania and the Czech Republic. Munch has partnered with several major retail chains, and customers of SPAR, INTERSPAR, and PENNY can save food using the app.

Founder and CEO of Recart who are pioneers in transforming email and SMS marketing. Under his leadership, Recart has become a key player in e-commerce marketing, helping brands turn basic communication channels into powerful revenue drivers.

Soma TothFounder & CEO of
Recart

Balázs ScheidlerCo-Founder & CEO of
Axoflow

Co-Founder & CEO of Axoflow, one of the hottest rising star startups from Hungary. Previously Balázs was the CTO and Co-Founder of Balabit, navigating the company through one of Hungary’s largest exits to One Identity. With his co-founders they started Axoflow to tackle large unmet needs in the observability and log management space amidst the surge in enterprise cloud adoption, microservice architectures, and talent scarcity.

Managing Director of Startup Hungary, an initiative backed by 40 post-exit and scale-up founders along with key players in the local ecosystem. Csongor brings 15 years of experience in supporting early-stage startups and building vibrant communities. He also scouts for investments with one of Europe’s leading venture capital funds, focusing on high-growth startups in the region.

Csongor BiasManaging Director of
Startup Hungary

ESG regulations,
how does it impact investment strategies?

16:00 - 16:30

Zsófia SzemerédyCo-Founder of
GreenEyes Production

Zsófia is a Co-Founder of GreenEyes Production. Zsófi’s love of film and unwavering dedication has been aiding her in her entire career. She’s a firm believer in always finding a solution, and this comes handy every day in this field. Previously, she worked both in the independent sphere and the more commercial side of the film industry. Most recently, she served as the International Manager at BAFTA albert, and as a development executive at BAFTA Rocliffe. She graduated from the prestigious NFTS MA course in 2019 and during her studies she gained experience at eOne, Picturehouse Entertainment, Curzon Artificial Eye, New Sparta, and Sundance London to name a few companies. Zsofi’s passion is storytelling, in every shape and form. To combine sustainability with film, is her absolute dream come true. Film for her holds magical powers, and that always comes with immense responsibility.

Beatrix, one of the Co-Founders of Impact Hub Budapest, she is the Managing Director as well. She the lead mentor and trainer in several incubations, acceleration programs since 2015. Her expertise is in education and training of business development, strategies, capacity building in the social ecosystem.
An experienced financial strategist and controller, as well she is a statutory auditor. She is experienced in financing management, in leading project based teams, launching companies, stating risk areas and overviewing the operation of various organizations.

Beatrix BedőCo-Founder, CFO, Mentor at
Impact Hub Budapest

József TörökInvestment Director of
Blue Planet Venture Capital

Jozsef has 14+ years of experience in venture capital. He has made over 100 investments and achieved 20+ successful exits in industries like manufacturing, IT, fashion, and sustainability companies. He's also one of the founder and former board member of HunBAN. Today, he invest into innovative greentech / cleantech startups through Blue Planet Venture Capital.

Co-Founder & Managing Partner of IMPACT Ventures Co. Ltd. The fund’s goal is to achieve measurable positive social and/or environmental impact alongside a financial return & leading impact investment in the CEE (Since 2018), Founder & managing partner of PBG FMC (First investor of Commsignia, Sector agnostic VC fund since 2014)Graduated as a historian, & studied political sciences & economics in the US. Afterwards he become a serial entrepreneur.Open, persistent & cooperative. A real entrepreneur, an experienced VC & a problem solver. Believes that anything can be solved through communication & cooperation. Disruptive mindset & turbulence are his superpowers. Cofounder of Hungarian Social & Environmental Impact Investors Association, & former president of HVCA.

Elemér EszterCo-Founder & Managing Partner
at Impact Ventures

Teaching entrepreneurial skills in early age,
Are entrepreneurs born or made?

17:00 - 17:30

Angéla FilóCEO of
Marketing Mentor

As an interim marketing leader and generative AI expert, Angéla mentor startups, decision-makers, and businesses in achieving their growth objectives. With nearly 20 years of experience on both the agency and client sides, she have gained expertise working with leading multinational companies such as Volkswagen, McDonald’s, Raiffeisen, Renault, Diego, and Tungsram. Throughout my career, she have earned numerous professional accolades and am a frequent speaker at conferences and universities.
As the CEO of Marketing Mentor, she empower clients to enhance their business and marketing efforts through customized, AI-driven solutions. She's approach goes beyond mere implementation, focusing on strategic planning and continuous follow-up to ensure the successful realization of ideas. By collaborating closely with clients and applying proven methodologies, she help drive business growth and operational efficiency, aligning with their long-term success.AI Solutions with Mentoring: Tailored strategies for maximum results.

Fanni Gyarmati, co-founder of Diverzum, was featured on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list after their company, Diverzum, successfully caught the interest of all investors on the show "Shark Tank Hungary" ("Cápák között"), where they ultimately accepted an offer from Petya Balogh. With Diverzum, Fanni and her team introduced innovative student discounts to the Hungarian market and built a platform aimed at Generation Z.

Fanni GyarmatiCo-Founder of
Diverzum

József GyarmatiStartup Expert at NIÜ,
Founder & MD of Future Founders

Jozsef works for the Hungarian Innovation Agency as a startup expert, focusing on fostering the local ecosystem and enhancing its international visibility. His extensive experience includes community management, business and social innovation.He is passionate about driving meaningful impact in the startup world. Believing that "creating something great isn't harder than creating something good," this philosophy guides his leadership in projects and teams, ensuring real value in every endeavor.

Kristóf Szabó and his team conceived and created the KönyvKlub after founding OM, a community that helps talented young people achieve their goals.
The concept includes summarized versions of hundreds of books on self-improvement, business and communication. Reaching more than 530.000 young people on social media, Kristóf’s ambition is to create a platform where even the busiest people can learn easily and quickly. The platform combines short and concise summaries with easy to implement exercises for maximum knowledge retention. Reading is fine, but implementing is the real deal.

Kristóf SzabóFounder of OM Education
& Creator of KönyvKlub

Date, time, venue

• Date: 25. of September 2024
• Time: 9 AM – 6 PM
• Lunch and networking: 1 – 2 PM
• Registration: from 8 AM
• Venue: Corvinus University of Budapest, Building E
Budapest, Fővám tér 8, 1093
• Official language: English

If you have any questions, please contact us!Emese Nyárádi [email protected]Péter Csillag [email protected]

See you soon!