Emerging Founders Budapest: The Emergence of CEE

📅 Emerging Founders Budapest: CEE as the Launchpad
Date: Friday, 6 February 2026
Location: Puzl Coworking, Budapest
Language: English
Organising Partner: MBH Fintechlab

🚀 CEE as the Launchpad: Connecting Polish & Hungarian Ecosystems

It's an Emergence. The CEE startup ecosystem is rising to prominence, but to truly scale, we need cross-border alliances. We are bringing the Emerging Founders energy to Budapest for a special edition focused on connecting the Polish and Hungarian startup scenes.

Expect a raw, honest conversation about what it takes to launch globally from CEE and wheather the CEE make sense as an expansion ground. 

Followed by a high-energy "Pitch Battle" where a contingence of Polish and Hungarian startups go head-to-head. No fluff, just real feedback, genuine connections, and a curated crowd of founders, VCs, and operators.

16:30 - 17:00
☕ Arrival & Registration
Grab a drink, settle in, and start the conversations early.

17:00 - 17:30
🎤 Opening & Keynotes
Setting the stage for the evening.
Welcome from Emerging Founders & Partners.

17:30 - 18:15
💬 Panel Discussion: CEE as the Launchpad
A deep dive into the ecosystem's rise. We're bringing together Polish and Hungarian VCs, scaleup founders, and corporate partners to discuss how we turn local potential into global dominance.

Moderator: TBD
Panelists: Top investors and founders from the region (TBD).

18:15 - 18:30
🕊️ Break
Short transition break.

18:30 - 19:30
⚔️ Pitch Battle!
Polish and Hungarian startups pitching battle in front of a jury consisting of CEE VCs and corporates.
Fast. Furious. Value-packed. Selected startups will pitch in a rapid-fire format.
→ 3-min pitch
→ 2-min Q&A

19:30 - 21:00+
🍷 Open Networking
Pizza, drinks, and the kind of 1:1 conversations that actually lead to deals and partnerships.

Pitch application: https://forms.gle/bA37C6fe8p26yDLe7