TL;DR: Startups in Czech Republic News, October 2026: How Frugal Founders Build Unicorns
Startups in Czech Republic news, October, 2026 shows you that a billion-dollar company does not need billion-euro funding. In 2024, the Czech Republic attracted only about €0.4 billion in venture capital, roughly €37 per resident. Yet it still produced Avast's $8.6 billion exit and two unicorns.
• Proof in the numbers: Productboard is valued at $1.725 billion, and Emplifi passed $1 billion. Mews has raised over $517 million, and AI document tool Rossum over $108 million.
• The Czech startup playbook: Founders bootstrap longer, charge from the first customer, and sell globally from day one. They raise later, on better terms. Mews began when a hotelier built the software his own hotel needed.
• Who funds Czech founders: Nation 1 VC writes €100K, €1.5M checks, and J&T Ventures writes €500K, €2.5M. Credo Ventures and Rockaway Capital back bigger rounds. Government-funded CzechAccelerator sends small cohorts abroad for 3 months.
• What comes next: Author Violetta Bonenkamp, founder of CADChain and Fe/male Switch, expects growth in four areas. These are practical AI, deeptech like Stratosyst, women-led companies, and exited founders reinvesting in new startups.
If you build hard science, compare your options with these deep tech incubators, which include StartupYard in Prague. You can also track the trend in the September Czech startup roundup.
Your next step is simple. Pick one problem you lived through in your industry, test a paid version with no-code tools this week, and see how far the Czech playbook can take your business.
Check out other fresh startup news and trends that you might like:
Startups in Ukraine News | October, 2026 (STARTUP EDITION)
Startups in Czech Republic news for October 2026 tell a story most founders outside Central Europe keep missing: a country of roughly 10.9 million people has quietly produced multiple unicorns, an $8.6 billion cybersecurity exit, and a hospitality software company that has raised more than $517 million, all while attracting only about €0.4 billion in venture capital in 2024. I am Violetta Bonenkamp, also known as Mean CEO. I run CADChain and Fe/male Switch in parallel, and I have spent over 20 years working across European markets. In this October roundup, I break down what the Czech numbers mean for you as a founder, freelancer, or business owner, which companies and investors to watch, and how to use the Czech playbook even if you never set foot in Prague.
My bias, stated up front: I love ecosystems that do MORE with LESS. The Czech scene is the clearest European example of founders building global software products on frugal budgets. Let’s break it down.
What are the headline numbers for Czech startups in October 2026?
Before any analysis, here is the snapshot. These figures come from sources such as Dealroom, Atomico’s State of European Tech 2024, Eurostat, the Czech Statistical Office, Failory, StartupBlink, and the official government portal CzechStartups.gov.cz.
- Venture capital invested in 2024: approximately €0.4 billion, according to the EUACC Czech Republic startup funding overview.
- IT workforce: roughly 250,000 people (Czech Statistical Office).
- R&D spend: 1.8% of GDP (Eurostat).
- Biggest exit: Avast, the cybersecurity company, acquired for $8.6 billion.
- Most valuable Czech startup unicorn: Productboard, valued at $1.725 billion.
- Funding leader: Mews, hospitality tech, with over $517 million raised.
- AI standout: Rossum, document automation, with over $108 million raised.
- Startup count tracked by StartupBlink: 567 ranked startups listed on its Prague-centred ranking page.
- Global Innovation Index: Czech Republic ranked 24th in 2021.
The shocking stat for me: €0.4 billion spread across a population of about 10.9 million equals roughly €37 of venture money per resident per year. That is a modest figure by Western European standards, and yet the country keeps producing companies with billion-dollar valuations. Capital is clearly NOT the only ingredient that matters.
Why do people call the Czech Republic “Central Europe’s quiet overachiever”?
EUACC uses that exact label, and I agree with it. Czech startups tend to be frugal with capital, led by engineers, and obsessed with product. Founders typically bootstrap longer before raising venture capital than their Western European peers, and many become profitable on modest funding. The legacy of Avast and JetBrains, the developer tools company behind products used by programmers worldwide, created a local culture of building GLOBAL software from day one.
Here is why this matters to you. Most startup advice on the internet comes from Silicon Valley, where raising money early is treated as proof of progress. The Czech model flips that logic: revenue and product quality come first, and investors come later, usually on better terms. When I scaled CADChain from about 4 people to around 25 full-time employees between 2021 and 2022, in the middle of a pandemic, the lesson was the same. Every euro you do not raise is a euro of equity you keep.
“Czech founders typically bootstrap further before raising VC than their Western European peers, and many reach profitability on modest funding.” That line from the EUACC profile should be printed on the wall of every early-stage founder who thinks a pitch deck (the slide presentation you show investors) is the first step of building a company.
Which Czech startups are making headlines in October 2026?
Below is my curated list of the companies that define the Czech startup scene this autumn. I pulled data from the Failory list of top Czech Republic startups to watch in 2026, the official CzechStartups.gov.cz startup profiles, and the StartupBlink ranking of top startups in Prague. For each, I add what founders can copy.
1. Mews: hospitality software built by a hotelier
Mews leads the country with over $517 million in funding. Its founder, Richard Valtr, studied philosophy at UCL in London, worked in film, and then managed hotel development projects in Prague, ending with the Emblem Hotel. He needed software to handle reservations and check-ins at that hotel, could not find a good tool, and built one. The system was first tested at Hotel Emblem, then rolled out to other Czech hotels. Today, according to the Czech Founders community profile of Richard Valtr, Mews operates in 85 countries and employs over 1,000 people.
Founder lesson: The best startup ideas often come from people who suffered the problem themselves inside an industry. Valtr was his own first customer. If you have spent years in a traditional sector, your frustration is a business asset.
2. Rossum: AI document automation
Rossum uses machine learning to read and process business documents such as invoices, cutting manual data entry. It has raised over $108 million. Rossum sits in a category I watch closely: practical AI that removes boring work instead of promising science fiction. This kind of AI sells because the buyer can count the hours saved.
3. Productboard: the most valuable Czech unicorn
Productboard is a product management platform that helps teams decide what to build next. More than 5,400 companies, including Microsoft, Zoom, Disney, Zendesk, and UiPath, use it. It is valued at $1.725 billion and backed by Dragoneer Investment Group and Tiger Global Management, plus Czech funds Credo Ventures and Rockaway Capital. Its team of more than 400 works from Prague, Brno, San Francisco, Vancouver, and London.
4. Emplifi: the unicorn born from a merger
Emplifi launched as a brand in 2021 after Socialbakers, a social media marketing platform founded in the Czech Republic in 2008, merged with Astute Solutions, a US customer engagement business. More than 7,000 brands, including Ford Motor Company and McDonald’s, use it. In 2022, Emplifi announced a growth equity investment from Sixth Street at a valuation of over $1 billion. It still keeps offices and a large share of employees in the Czech Republic.
Founder lesson: Mergers are an underrated path to scale for European startups. Socialbakers combined with a US partner to gain market access across the Atlantic. Many founders treat M&A (mergers and acquisitions) as an exit only. It can also be a growth move.
5. Supernova.io: design systems connected to code
Prague-based Supernova.io, founded in 2018, connects design tools directly to code so design and engineering data stay in sync. It has raised $25.8 million through a Series A, with investors including Y Combinator, EQT Ventures, Wing Venture Capital, Credo Ventures, and KAYA. That investor mix shows a pattern: Czech startups increasingly combine local seed money with top-tier US and Nordic funds.
6. Rohlik: online grocery
EUACC lists Rohlik among the globally successful Czech companies. Online grocery is a hard business with thin margins and heavy logistics, so Rohlik’s presence on that list proves Czech founders can win outside pure software too.
7. Packeta (Zásilkovna): logistics for e-commerce
Simona Kijonková founded Zásilkovna in 2010 as a franchise logistics and technology project. It is now part of the Packeta holding, made up of 14 companies operating in 6 countries and delivering to 34 countries. In 2020, Packeta launched Z-BOXes, automated pick-up boxes, and installations exceeded 3,000 across the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary. A woman-led logistics giant built from Central Europe: this is the kind of role model I talk about with players inside Fe/male Switch.
8. Stratosyst and Sotio: deeptech and biotech with deep pockets
StartupBlink lists Stratosyst, which develops High Altitude Pseudo-Satellites (HAPS, aircraft that fly at about 20 km altitude for weeks to months for Earth observation and telecom), with $219.7 million in funding. Sotio, a biotech company, shows $316.9 million. As a deeptech founder myself, I find these numbers encouraging. They prove that Czech capital will back hardware and science, which take longer and cost more than SaaS (software as a service).
9. The Brno and Ostrava cluster: Kiwi, Whalebone, Tatum, Bulios, Shopsys
Prague gets the headlines, but StartupBlink ranks Kiwi (travel), Whalebone (hardware and IoT security), and Tatum Blockchain (fintech) as the top three in Brno. In Ostrava, Bulios (social media for investors) and Shopsys (e-commerce) lead. Brno also hosts Productboard offices. If you are a foreign founder looking for lower costs and strong technical universities, look beyond the capital.
10. Twigsee: edtech with an exit
Vanda Seidelová built Twigsee to digitize over 1,500 kindergartens, then exited. She now represents the Czech Republic in the European Commission’s European Female Founders Forum (EFFF) and acquired Soutěž & Podnikej, the largest Czech high school entrepreneurship project. As someone who builds game-based startup education, I see her path as proof that edtech founders can exit AND reinvest in the next generation.
Who funds startups in the Czech Republic?
Venture capital (VC) in the Czech Republic is concentrated in a handful of firms with regional focus on Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). The InvestorHunt guide to the top VC firms in the Czech Republic gives a solid overview. Here are the names founders should know:
- Credo Ventures: the most cited Czech early-stage fund, backer of Productboard and Supernova.io.
- Rockaway Capital: founded in 2013, focused on CEE and DACH (Germany, Austria, Switzerland), with emphasis on digitizing traditional industries. Its team claims an annual IRR (internal rate of return) of 46% and €41.6 million in returned capital. Portfolio includes Lingvist, BCB Group, DODO, and Campiri.
- J&T Ventures: founded in 2014, writes tickets from €500K to €2.5M at seed and early stage in fintech, proptech, IoT, and industrial tech. Investments include Daytrip and Neuron Soundware.
- Nation 1 VC: a €35M fund founded in 2019, investing €100K to €1.5M at pre-seed and seed, with its own accelerator.
- Rockaway Ventures: appears among top investors of Brno startups in the Failory data.
What is CzechAccelerator and who should apply?
CzechAccelerator is a government-funded programme that sends Czech startups to Silicon Valley, New York, London, and Singapore for 3-month immersive stays. It covers travel, accommodation, workspace, and mentoring. Cohorts are small, 10 to 15 companies per destination, and selection is competitive. The CzechStartups.gov.cz official portal for Czech startups is the starting point for government support.
My take: I have gone through many programmes, from Yes!Delft and Brightlands to Y Combinator Startup School and Microsoft for Startups. The best ones put you in rooms with real buyers. A paid trip to Silicon Valley is useless if you come back with selfies and no pilot customers. Go with a target list of 30 meetings before you board the plane.
What does the October 2026 job market say about Czech startups?
Job boards are an honest signal of where money flows. The October 2026 listings for startup jobs in the Czech Republic show fresh openings at companies such as SentinelOne (cloud security support engineers in Prague), Ataccama (customer success, hybrid in Prague), Y Soft, and even Jimmy Technologies, which is hiring a Senior Quantum Engineer remotely from Prague. The Wellfound directory of tech startups in Prague also lists international companies such as LILT, Altinity, Similarweb, and ComplyAdvantage with a Prague presence.
What I read from this:
- Security and data remain hiring hot spots, continuing the Avast legacy.
- Customer success roles mean Czech companies are selling to global clients and need to keep them.
- Quantum engineering postings in Prague signal that deeptech ambitions are moving from labs into startups.
- Foreign companies keep opening Prague offices to tap the 250,000-strong IT workforce, which raises salary pressure for local startups.
Is €0.4 billion in Czech venture capital a weakness or a hidden strength?
Here comes the provocative part. Most commentators see low VC volume as a problem to fix. I see it as a FILTER. When money is scarce, founders cannot hide weak products behind marketing budgets. They have to sell, collect revenue, and build software customers actually pay for.
Look at the outcomes. Avast sold for $8.6 billion. Productboard reached $1.725 billion. Emplifi crossed $1 billion. Mews raised over half a billion dollars. These companies grew in an ecosystem that, even today, attracts a fraction of the capital flowing into London, Paris, or Berlin. The scarcity forced discipline, and discipline compounds.
The downside is real too. Low capital volume means fewer Series B and C rounds closed locally, so the best Czech companies often raise later rounds from US funds and move parts of their leadership abroad. Productboard’s San Francisco office and Emplifi’s US merger partner illustrate this. Founders should plan for that move from day one instead of being surprised by it.
“Treat your startup like a strategic game. The goal is to collect information, assets, and relationships faster than competitors, and to avoid running out of lives.” That is the principle behind gamepreneurship, the method I built into Fe/male Switch. Czech founders play this game instinctively: they protect their runway like a player protects health points.
How can you apply the Czech startup playbook to your own business?
You do not need to relocate to Prague to borrow these habits. Here is a step-by-step guide I would give any founder, freelancer, or small business owner this month.
- Start from a problem you lived. Write down three frustrations from your past jobs, the way Richard Valtr did with hotel software. Pick the one where people already spend money on bad workarounds.
- Default to no-code until you hit a hard wall. I built Fe/male Switch, a full startup game and incubator, with no-code tools. Test your first version with Airtable, Bubble, or similar tools before hiring developers.
- Charge from the first customer. Czech founders bootstrap longer. Set a price on your first pilot, even a small one. Paid pilots reveal real demand; free pilots reveal politeness.
- Build for global buyers on day one. Avast, JetBrains, and Productboard never treated the domestic market as the end goal. Write your website, docs, and contracts in English from the start.
- Protect your intellectual property early. At CADChain, I see engineers lose designs because nobody tracked who shared what. Register trademarks, document code ownership, and keep proof of authorship inside your tools so protection happens automatically.
- Map your investor ladder before you need it. Know which funds write €100K checks (Nation 1 VC), which write €500K to €2.5M (J&T Ventures), and which lead later rounds (Credo, Rockaway, then international funds).
- Apply to government programmes with a sales agenda. Use CzechAccelerator or your national equivalent to book customer meetings, with a clear list of target accounts.
- Look at second cities. Brno and Ostrava offer lower costs and strong talent. Your equivalent might be a university town near your capital.
- Use AI as your first mini-team. Let AI agents handle research, first drafts, and process scaffolding, while you keep judgment, negotiation, and storytelling.
- Track every experiment. Run small, cheap tests with a clear hypothesis and log the result. Hustle means structured experimentation, measured weekly.
What are the most common mistakes founders make when entering the Czech startup scene?
I have watched foreign founders and local first-timers repeat the same errors across Central Europe. Avoid these:
- Pitching hype to pragmatic investors. Czech VCs come from an engineering culture. Show traction, unit economics, and technical depth. Buzzwords will hurt you.
- Raising too early. Selling 20% of your company for a pre-revenue idea goes against how the most successful Czech companies grew.
- Ignoring the talent competition. SentinelOne, Novartis, and other multinationals hire in Prague. If you budget salaries from five years ago, you will lose candidates.
- Staying domestic too long. A market of about 10.9 million people is too small for most software businesses. Plan your first export market in year one.
- Treating IP as a legal afterthought. Engineers and designers should never have to become lawyers, but someone on your team must set up protection from day one.
- Skipping Brno and Ostrava. Some of the best founders and engineers live outside Prague.
- Using accelerators as vacations. A three-month programme without a customer pipeline is expensive tourism, even when the government pays.
- Underestimating women founders as a deal flow source. Simona Kijonková built Packeta into a 34-country delivery network. Vanda Seidelová exited Twigsee. Investors who overlook women-led companies leave money on the table.
What does Violetta Bonenkamp predict for Czech startups after October 2026?
These are my personal forecasts, based on the data above and my experience building companies in Europe. Treat them as informed opinions.
Practical AI will beat flashy AI
Rossum’s success points to the next wave: AI that automates documents, compliance, and back-office tasks. Czech engineers are excellent at this unglamorous work. I expect more funding for AI tools that replace manual processes with measurable time savings, and fewer chatbot wrappers.
Deeptech will claim a bigger slice
Stratosyst, Sotio, and quantum engineering job postings show money moving toward hard science. With R&D spend at 1.8% of GDP, the base exists. The bottleneck will be patient capital and IP management. Deeptech founders who build protection into their workflows from the beginning will be easier to fund.
Women founders need infrastructure, and Czech examples prove it
I say this often: “Women do not need more inspiration; they need infrastructure.” The Czech Republic already has strong women-led success stories. What it needs next are more low-risk sandboxes where women practice pitching, negotiation, and failure before burning real capital. That is exactly why I built Fe/male Switch as a game-based incubator.
Second-generation founders will fund the third generation
Exited founders such as Vanda Seidelová already reinvest as angels and programme owners. Avast, JetBrains, and Socialbakers alumni carry experience and capital into new companies. This recycling loop is how small ecosystems compound, and it will matter more than any single government programme.
Frequently asked questions about startups in the Czech Republic
How much venture capital do Czech startups raise?
Approximately €0.4 billion in 2024, according to EUACC, citing Dealroom and Atomico data.
Which Czech startups are unicorns?
Productboard ($1.725 billion valuation) and Emplifi (over $1 billion valuation after the 2022 Sixth Street investment) are listed as unicorns by CzechStartups.gov.cz. Mews has raised over $517 million.
Where are most Czech startups located?
Prague is the main hub, followed by Brno (Kiwi, Whalebone, Tatum Blockchain) and Ostrava (Bulios, Shopsys).
Which sectors lead the Czech startup scene?
Enterprise software, artificial intelligence, travel technology, cybersecurity, e-commerce logistics, and a growing deeptech and biotech segment.
Who are the main VC firms in the Czech Republic?
Credo Ventures, Rockaway Capital, J&T Ventures, and Nation 1 VC are among the most active, with a focus on Central and Eastern Europe.
What should founders do next with this October 2026 Czech startup news?
The Czech startup scene proves something many founders refuse to believe: you can build world-class companies without world-record funding. Frugal capital, engineering depth, global ambition from day one, and patience before fundraising produced Avast, JetBrains, Productboard, Emplifi, Mews, and Rossum. These habits travel well, wherever you are based.
Next steps for you this week:
- Pick ONE frustration from your industry experience and test a paid solution with no-code tools.
- Write down your investor ladder, from first €100K to Series A, using the Czech funds above as a template.
- Set up basic IP hygiene: trademarks, authorship records, and clear code ownership.
- Choose your first export market and translate your offer into English if you have not already.
- Follow the Czech companies in this article and study how they grew, especially Mews and Packeta.
I will keep tracking Startups in Czech Republic news every month from my seat as a European parallel entrepreneur. My advice stays the same: play the startup game with discipline, protect your runway, and build infrastructure instead of waiting for inspiration. The Czech founders figured that out years ago, and the rest of Europe is still catching up.
People Also Ask:
What is a startup in the Czech Republic?
A startup in the Czech Republic is a young company built around a new product, service, or business model with plans for fast growth, often beyond the domestic market. Most Czech startups work in software, fintech, e-commerce, travel tech, and AI. Founders get help from programs such as CzechStartups.gov.cz, run by the state agency CzechInvest, along with incubators, accelerators, and private investors.
What are the different startups?
Common types of startups include small business startups, lifestyle startups built around a founder's passion, high-growth startups that seek venture capital to expand quickly, buyable startups designed for acquisition by larger firms, social startups focused on solving community or environmental problems, and corporate startups launched inside big companies to test new ideas.
What is the top 1% salary in the Czech Republic?
Estimates vary by source and year, but people in the top 1% of earners in the Czech Republic typically make well over CZK 150,000 gross per month. For comparison, the average gross monthly wage sits at roughly CZK 45,000 to 50,000. Top earners usually hold senior management, IT, finance, legal, or medical roles, and many live in Prague.
What is the Czech Republic well known for?
The Czech Republic is famous for its beer, especially Pilsner lager, and for Prague's historic sites such as Prague Castle, Charles Bridge, and the Astronomical Clock. The country is also known for Bohemian crystal and glass, spa towns like Karlovy Vary, the car maker Škoda, ice hockey, and its many medieval castles.
What time do Czech people eat dinner?
Most Czech people eat dinner between 6 pm and 7 pm. Lunch is traditionally the largest meal of the day and is usually served around noon, so dinner tends to be lighter, often bread, cold cuts, cheese, or leftovers from lunch.
Which are the biggest startups from the Czech Republic?
Some of the best-known companies to come out of the Czech startup scene include Avast (cybersecurity), Kiwi.com (travel booking), Productboard (product management software), Rohlik (online groceries), Mews (hotel management software), Rossum (document processing with AI), and Apify (web scraping and automation). Several of these reached unicorn status, meaning a valuation above one billion dollars.
How do you start a startup in the Czech Republic?
Most founders register a limited liability company, known as an s.r.o., which needs a minimum share capital of just CZK 1. The process involves drafting a memorandum of association with a notary, getting a trade licence, entering the company in the Commercial Register, and registering for taxes. Foreign founders may also need a visa or residence permit, and CzechInvest runs programs to guide newcomers through these steps.
Where do Czech startups get funding?
Czech startups raise money from local and regional venture capital firms such as Credo Ventures, Reflex Capital, Rockaway Ventures, and Kaya VC, as well as from angel investors and international funds. Public sources include grants and loans from CzechInvest, the National Development Bank, and EU programs. Many founders also join accelerators that invest in exchange for equity.
What incubators and accelerators exist in the Czech Republic?
The Czech Republic has a wide network of incubators and accelerators. Well-known names include StartupYard in Prague, JIC in Brno, and Technologická inkubace, a program backed by CzechInvest. University-linked hubs at Czech Technical University and Charles University help student founders, while programs like CzechAccelerator send startups abroad to test foreign markets.
Is Prague a good city for startups?
Prague is one of the most popular startup cities in Central and Eastern Europe. It offers a skilled tech workforce, lower costs than Western European capitals, good transport links, and an active community of meetups, coworking spaces, and investors. Brno and Ostrava are also growing hubs, with strong universities and lower living costs.
FAQ on the Czech Startup Ecosystem in 2026
How dense is the Czech startup ecosystem compared with the rest of Eastern Europe?
The Czech Republic hosts roughly 900 startups, about 7% of Eastern Europe's total, or around 9 startups per 100,000 people. That density gives founders a manageable peer network and easier investor introductions. Compare your city's startup density before choosing a base. Read the June 2026 Czech startup density report.
What support exists for Czech space and aerospace startups?
ESA BIC Prague and Brno gives space-related projects up to two years of incubation, €50,000 in support, and business and technical guidance. Founders in drones, satellite data or telecom should apply early, ideally with a pilot customer, because ESA backing strengthens later deeptech fundraising. Explore Czech space startup incubation news.
Which Prague accelerator best suits deep tech founders?
StartupYard in Prague runs a 3-month deep tech programme that combines mentorship with corporate partnerships. It suits hardware, AI and industrial founders who need enterprise pilots more than consumer exposure. Compare it with global options such as SOSV or Alchemist before giving up equity. Compare the top deep tech incubators.
How does Czech Founders VC differ from a typical venture fund?
Czech Founders VC was co-founded by Vít Horký after his Brand Embassy exit. It pairs capital with mentorship from successful Czech entrepreneurs and rests on community building, entrepreneurship education and public policy. Founders who want operator advice on scaling globally should pitch founder-led funds first. See how Czech founders scale startup ecosystems.
How does Czech startup funding compare with Romania and Poland?
Neighbouring markets show why capital efficiency matters. In 2025, Romanian investment volume fell 20% and deal count dropped 49%, with a 28% follow-on rate against Poland's 137%. Czech founders should secure revenue before Series A and line up international follow-on investors early. Read the Romania startup funding analysis.
Can Czech startups combine EU grants with venture capital?
Yes. Failory lists a Brno company founded in 2015 that raised $34.6M from investors including Octopus Ventures, Rockaway Ventures and EASME, the former EU agency for SMEs. Stack non-dilutive EU funding, such as EIC instruments, with equity rounds to extend your runway. Follow the European Startup Playbook.
Which Prague software company shows the opportunity in language technology?
Memsource, now operating as Phrase, built translation management software in Prague and sells it to global enterprises and translation companies worldwide. It proves niche B2B tools can scale internationally by converting free users to paid editions. Look for overlooked workflows in localization, compliance or data where global buyers already pay. Browse the top Prague startups on StartupBlink.
What scientific heritage supports Czech deeptech founders?
The Czech Republic has a long research tradition. Otto Wichterle invented soft contact lenses, and Jan Janský classified the four human blood types. That tradition helps explain today's strong science talent. Deeptech founders should partner with Czech universities and Academy of Sciences institutes for lab access and hiring pipelines. Discover Czech innovation history and top VC firms.
Where can founders find emerging Czech startups to watch in 2026?
Beyond unicorn lists, EU-Startups curates 10 promising Prague and Brno startups shaping Czechia's 2026 innovation landscape, spanning AI and biotech. Use lists like this to spot partners, acquisition targets or competitors. Then verify each company's traction through hiring signals, LinkedIn activity and funding announcements. See promising Czech startups for 2026.
How did Packeta expand beyond deliveries for online stores?
Packeta launched Between Us, a service for shipments between individuals, which turned its pick-up network into a consumer product. It shows how logistics infrastructure built for online shops can open new revenue lines. Check whether your existing assets could serve an adjacent customer segment before building something new. Read the official Packeta startup profile.
