• Innovation Centre INOVIA and Moravian-Silesian Innovation Center team up once again for CEE Startup Voucher 2025
• The initiative empowers early-stage startups with radical innovation for rapid growth and market penetration
• 20 selected startups gain exposure, compete for cash, tailored services, and investor pitches
• Apply before September 14th, semi-finals are on October 15th, and finals are onNovember 11th

CEE Startup Network members Innovation Centre INOVIA and Moravian-Silesian Innovation Center team up for the 2025 edition of CEE Startup Voucher. This initiative empowers innovative intentions of startups and small and medium-sized businesses in their initial phase, but promising a radical innovation with the potential for rapid growth of the company and robust market penetration.

The CEE Startup Voucher was established in 2021 with the aim to solidify the position of local startups on the European tech scene and to draw more attention from international corporations, investors, and organizations to CEE’s startup ecosystems. Tech enthusiasts from the are joining forces to prove that innovative ideas with the potential to change the world can and do emerge even in seemingly remote and unlikely locations.

The winners of CEE Startup Voucher 2024 were:

• 1st place: Spicy Cells—a Czech startup that utilizes biotechnology to cultivate saffron directly from its cells, aiming to provide a sustainable, scalable, and cost-effective supply for various industries.
• 2nd place: Paperbox Health—an Italian startup with an innovative approach for the early identification of specific learning disorders (DSA) through a game-like experience called DINO.
• 3rd place: YoungLink—a Czech startup developing an app for helping schools and parents understand classroom relationship dynamics among children and address issues like bullying.

Eligibility and Roadmap

The CEE Startup Voucher 2025 will offer a unique opportunity for 20 carefully selected startups to showcase their innovative ideas to VCs and business angels. Early-stage CEE startups across all verticals are encouraged to apply.

Participants will compete for cash prizes of EUR 20K+, along with tailored services designed to scale their businesses. A key highlight is the chance to pitch directly to thought-leading investors. The program welcomes any business project, plan, or idea that is not yet implemented, from companies under 5 years old. While all early-stage startups are eligible, the initiative specifically targets the earliest-stage startups, with those in Pre-Seed or Seed stages receiving less prioritization during selection.

• The Open Call starts on June 26th with a Kickoff Webinar featuring a keynote address from Michaela Viskupičová of Impact Ventures, a success story from Spicy Cells—last year’s winner, and a live Q&A session about the application process and program benefits.
• The startups are to apply here until September 14th. The submission includes filling out the application form, uploading team video, improving pitch deck in accordance with recommendations, and attending the mentioned dedicated webinar. The startups are encouraged to look through CEE Startup Voucher’s Terms and Conditions before applying.
• The jury will take their time and choose the Top 20 applicants that will move further. These 20 semi-finalists will compete for the opportunity to move on to the Finals in Žilina, Slovakia, in November.
• The Semi-Finals will take place online on October 15th. The participating startups will each get 30 minutes for their presentations: 3 minutes for the pitch, 20 minutes for discussion and Q&A, and 7 minutes for feedback.
• 8-10 finalists will be announced on October 20th. They will be provided with further instructions concerning the Finals that will take place on November 11th in Žilina, Slovakia. The exact location and other details are yet to be provided.
• The winner receives a cash prize of EUR 25K, and the second and third places get EUR 15K and 10K respectively. Other startups are eligible for aftercare curation and tailored services.

As a bonus feature, CEE Startup Network will hold an additional event on September 5th: Funding Horizons in Ostrava, Czech Republic (hybrid) where founders can learn about the current funding opportunities.

More Details

• For more information, please see the CEE Startup Voucher’s page and follow CEE Startup Network’s LinkedIn.
• Apply here before September 14th.
• Make sure to get familiar with CEE Startup Voucher 2025’s Terms and Conditions before you apply.