• Podim welcomes all the techheads in Maribor this April
• The dates are May 13-15th, and the venues are Maribox and Narodni Dom
• The conference will once again include speeches and panel discussions, alongside a proprietary startup pitching competition and networking

This May, Podim will once again welcome all local and international founders and investors in Maribor. All the tech people: startup founders, their potential employees and customers, and – of course – investors of all kinds – are welcome at Podim’s 2024 edition. Over 70 well-known industry speakers will talk about all the ongoing and emerging trends in the local and global startup ecosystems.

On May 13th, Maribor’s Maribox Film Theater will kick off Podim 2024 with the first part of the event’s pitching competition (register here) and commence with insightful panel discussions, meaningful and exciting networking, and – of course – more pitches the following two days, taking place across two one-minute-distance events in the downtown: Maribox and Narodni Dom.

Speakers and Topics

As every event worth mentioning, Podim brings together top-tier speakers and audiences from all over the Balkans and way beyond. From STEM students and founders-to-be to accomplished entrepreneurs and investors will all enjoy this unique opportunity for networking and catching up with the most actual trends. The three days will include valuable contributions from:

• Matjaž Han, Minister of the Economy, Tourism and Sport of Slovenia
• Rok Huber, Head of the Department for Special Development Incentives at Slovene Enterprise Fund
• Ervin Jagatic, Product Director at Infobip
• Thomas Muchar, Managing Director at Elevator Ventures
• Gabriele Poteliunaite, Principal at HEARTFELT_
• Ivan Stefanic, Program Manager in Food and Agri-tech at European Innovation Council 
• Lorenzo Thione, Managing Director at Gaingels
• Zoltan Vardy, Founder and Startup Mentor at The Launch Code
• and more. Check out the full list of speakers here.

The speeches and discussions will run in three tracks: Frontier Technologies (all about AI, Defense Tech and cybersecurity, energy and Climate Tech, Space Tech), Startups Foundations (founder stories and startup hard skills), and New Rules/Navigating the New Normal (empowering diversity and changing mindsets, new metrics of success for business, economic development in different regions and the Baltic landscape). They will cover an array of topical themes, including:

• Crafting teams and success stories
• Cross-industry applications of AI
• Digital transformation across sectors
• Fintech evolution in 2024
• The unprecedented importance of product-led growth today
• Slovenia’s place in Europe’s startup ecosystem
• The University Innovation Ecosystem in CEE
• Upcoming FoodTech revolution of sustainability
• Ups and downs of moving HQ to the US/UK
• The complete agenda is available here.

In a Nutshell

• Where: Maribox and Narodni Dom, Maribor, Slovenia
• When: May 13-15th 2024
• Tickets cost EUR 145 – 590 and are available here
• More information: at the event’s website