Partnership post: Engaged Investments 2026 Brings Europe's Venture Capital to Prague as the CEE Region Matures
This October, Prague becomes the meeting ground for European venture capital. Engaged Investments 2026, the international VC conference organized by Czech fund DEPO Ventures, returns to the National House in Vinohrady on 21 and 22 October 2026, gathering active investors and ambitious founders from across Central and Eastern Europe and the Baltics.
Now an established fixture on the European calendar, Engaged Investments works as an investment bridge for cross-border collaboration, connecting the capital and the companies that are reshaping the region. This year’s edition turns its focus to two themes that define where CEE is heading: the accelerating maturity of the regional ecosystem, and European resilience.
What’s on the agenda
Panel discussions and hands-on workshops will dig into cross-border cooperation, technology transfer, exit strategies, and the technology trends moving fastest right now, from AI infrastructure and fintech to space and defence technology. For a region whose startups increasingly sit at the intersection of security and innovation, it is an agenda built for the moment.
A first look at the speakers
The 2026 programme brings leading names from European and global venture capital to the stage. Among the first confirmed speakers:
Jakob Stein, partner at Creandum, one of Europe’s most successful funds, whose portfolio includes Spotify, Bolt, Klarna, and Lovable.
Martin Olczyk, an experienced angel investor with around 100 startups in his portfolio and former head of the global accelerator Techstars, where he built programmes in Berlin, Milan, and Amsterdam. He now focuses actively on Central and Eastern Europe.
Ben Kolada, Managing Director leading US technology investment banking for the British firm ICON Corporate Finance, and an expert in international M&A and technology exits.
Christian Noske, partner at the transatlantic fund NGP Capital (over USD 1.6 billion under management), specializing in deep tech, industrial technology, and AI.
Miloš Sochor, partner at JIC Ventures, representing the link between science, research, and business in the South Moravian technology ecosystem.
Jan Nalbert, investment director at Polish growth fund Warsaw Equity Group, whose portfolio is valued at more than EUR 170 million.
Building on a record year
Last year’s Engaged Investments drew around 500 attendees from more than 20 countries, confirming its standing as one of the most significant events of its kind in Europe. Central to that success was the showcase of 50 selected startups at various stages of development, including space projects and Ukrainian defence technologies, given the floor to pitch directly to investors.
How we cee it. as media partner
How we cee it. is proud to cover Engaged Investments 2026 as a media partner. The conference sits squarely on the fault line we report from every week: capital, technology, and security converging across Central and Eastern Europe.
Event details
Event: Engaged Investments 2026
Organizer: DEPO Ventures
Dates: 21 and 22 October 2026
Venue: National House (Národní dům), Vinohrady, Prague