CEE Challenge2026Closed:
Get in front of 100+ deep-tech investors in Warsaw.
Top 75 startups: free VIP ticket + 1:1 investor meetings.
Top 3: up to €5,000 cash + a ticket to Hello Tomorrow 2027.
Applications Closed – Selection in Progress
What can you win?The challenge
01
The Prize Pool
Rising Stars
1st Place
€5,000
cash + a ticket to Hello Tomorrow Global Summit 2027
2nd Place
€3,000
cash + a ticket to Hello Tomorrow Global Summit 2027
3rd Place
€1,000
cash + a ticket to Hello Tomorrow Global Summit 2027
Exclusive Access
TOP 75+
startups get a free Startup VIP ticket to the Deep Tech Summit
02
Partnerships & clients
Meet corporates, CXOs, and industry leaders looking for deep tech solutions they can pilot or buy.
03
Visibility that matters
Present your startup to investors, partners, media, and the CEE deep tech ecosystem.
04
Regional access
Connect with startups, accelerators, research institutions, and innovation networks across CEE and Europe.
Investment partner
New Wave VC is a pre-seed and seed venture fund for deep tech in Central and Eastern Europe, and the general investment partner of the Deep Tech CEE Challenge.
Applying to the Challenge puts your company in New Wave VC's pipeline. Most companies the fund looks at first surface through the Challenge, often before they have a deck or a round.
nwvc.eu ↗- Stage
Pre-seed and seed. Initial cheques of €0.5M to €2M, with reserves for follow-on.
- Region
- Poland
- Czech Republic
- Slovakia
- Hungary
- Romania
- Bulgaria
- Estonia
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Focus
- Robotics & industrial automation
- Advanced materials
- Bioengineering
- Deep industrial software
- Applied AI for science & industry
- Selected dual-use
Path to the pitching sessions

01
Deep Tech CEE Rising Stars 2026
Apply if your startup or project sits between TRL 3/4 and 8/9. Selected teams gain visibility across Central and Eastern Europe, meet key players in the ecosystem, and get support to grow.
See the prize pool ↑02
UK Funding Track
Partnered with Capital Kinetics London
Accelerate your entry into the UK market with a premium track:
Investor-Readiness Program
A 4–6 week intensive bootcamp covering financial models and pitch refinement.
UK Demo Day
Pitch directly to curated British angels, VCs, and strategic partners.
Who is the challenge for?
The seven criteria every startup in the 2026 round had to meet.
Deep tech innovators
A startup or pioneering project rooted in R&D or high-tech engineering, operating on the market for up to six years.
Early-stage trailblazers
Pre-seed to late seed, at the start of commercialisation, typically TRL 3/4 to 8/9.
Game changers
A project based on a new technology, scientific breakthrough, or sophisticated engineering process that can solve a real problem.
Impact creators
Address an unmet industrial, societal, or environmental need, or create a new market.
Team players
A dedicated team of at least two people.
Fresh and independent
A standalone company, not a subsidiary or company spin-out.
High-risk, high-reward
Significant scientific or engineering risk, working toward product-market fit.
Open to startups from 22 countries
- Poland
- Czech Republic
- Slovakia
- Hungary
- Lithuania
- Latvia
- Estonia
- Belarus
- Ukraine
- Slovenia
- Croatia
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Serbia
- Montenegro
- Kosovo
- North Macedonia
- Moldova
- Albania
- Bulgaria
- Romania
- Greece
- Austria
Success stories
Telecommunications

Microamp Solutions
Telecommunications
Microamp Solutions delivers portable 5G mmWave systems for ultra-fast, low-latency private networks that can be deployed in hours instead of weeks. Their 4 Gbps-capable networks support real-time AI analytics and industrial automation for commercial and defence users. Partnerships with AMD and Supermicro support adoption in Europe and APAC.
Microamp Solutions
Transportation

Nevomo
Transportation
Nevomo develops MagRail, a magnetic levitation system that can be retrofitted onto existing railway tracks. Operators can raise cargo and passenger speed without building new lines. Independent TÜV Rheinland and PJ Motion tests confirmed vehicle levitation on standard tracks, with modernization costs potentially tens of percent lower than new infrastructure.
Nevomo
Medtech

Feyenally
Medtech
Feyenally builds remote eye-care diagnostics that improve access and lower patient-care cost. The work targets more than 1 billion people without quality eye care, with measurable early detection and treatment efficiency. Providers can expand reach in markets underserved by traditional ophthalmic services.
Feyenally
Mobility

Elmo
Mobility
Elmo’s road-legal teledriving technology powers remote vehicle control for shared mobility, logistics, and AV fleet management. It has been proven on 140 electric vehicles with 19,000 users in real traffic. Remote delivery reduces labour cost and downtime; one published client case reports a $1.2 million return.
Elmo
Green Energy

Naco Technologies
Green Energy
Naco creates nanocoatings for catalysts that cut platinum and iridium use in fuel cells and electrolyzers by up to 80%. That lowers green-hydrogen production cost for transport and energy. The coatings are already used by Siemens Energy, ThyssenKrupp, Volkswagen, Toyota, and Hyundai.
Naco Technologies
Green Energy

WindTak
Green Energy
WindTak optimises wind-turbine operations with IT tools and aerodynamic enhancements that raise energy efficiency, extend turbine life, and cut service cost. The analysis helps owners plan maintenance and reduce operational risk. Early clients report a higher return from more predictable green-energy output.
WindTak
Insurtech

Astroteq
Insurtech
Astroteq provides an earthquake-detection system covering 200,000 km² per station at $100,000, with alerts up to 14 days ahead. Municipalities and insurers can reduce operational risk, disaster-response cost, and seismic damage. The system is aimed at enterprises that need measurable safety and cost avoidance.
Astroteq
Environmental Regeneration

SeaSoil
Environmental Regeneration
SeaSoil develops bioengineering solutions to regenerate degraded soils, raise agricultural yields, and cut spend on fertilizers and land rehabilitation. The approach targets up to 30% higher productivity while lowering environmental-compliance cost for agribusinesses and landowners.
SeaSoil
Timeline
Applications closed 2 October 2026. Finalists pitch at Deep Tech Summit in Warsaw, 26–27 October 2026.
2 October 2026
Deadline
7 October 2026
Announcement of finalists
26–27 October 2026
Deep Tech Summit
In 18 days
Applications Closed – Selection in Progress
Second application round closed on 2 October 2026.2026 terms and conditions
Partners
Co-organizers
Partner Region/ City of Deep Tech
Honorary partner
Institutional partners
European Innovation CouncilPolska Agencja Rozwoju Przedsiębiorczości
Business partner
Pracodawcy RP
International partners
Supportive partners
Ecosystem partners
ARAW
Baltic Sandbox
BioPhoT
Biotech Innovation Institute
Bird Incubator
BSV Ventures
Centrum Kreowania Innowacji
Chamber of Commerce and Industry Serbia
CobikCobin Angels
Commercialization ReactorCzech Invest
Czech Startups
Durana Tech Park
EDIH CTU
EDIH DIGIHUB
Enterprise Europe Network
F6S
FilRouge Capiatl
FindinSlovakia
Fundacja Technotalenty
Global Startup AcceleratorGND PARTNERS
GroWorking
Huge Thing
Industry Lab
Innovation Hub
INOVIA
Institut Circularni Ekonomiky
Invest in Pomerania
ISEGroupJIC
KRDLegit
Łodzka Strefa Ekonomiczna
Magure Science Park
MedMeetsTech
MyIdea RomaniaNemzeti Hu
Next-Gen-BIoTech EDIH BulgariaNIRI
PCIPoint One
Polish Tech
Polonium FoundationPPNT Gdynia
Prague.bio
Puławski Akcelerator Biznesu
Rebels Valley
SARIO
Scalab
SEE UpSofia Tech Labs
Sofia Tech Park
Space4TalentsSPIRIT Slovenija Business
StartItSmart
Startup Community Poznań
Startup Grind
Startup Hub
Startup KitchenStartup Poland
Startup Wrocław
Sunrise Tech Park
The institute of excellence in Entrepreneurship
Tilia Impact Ventures
Ukrainian Startup Bridge
UNICORN Hub
UNIZA
VESTEBEE
Vienna Business
Vilnius Tech
WAB
Youth Business Poland
Defence BuilderLipo
Forum STEMKTP
FFG
startup estoniatartu
Slovenia businessstartup day
PNT Opole
Esa
Uni lab
VITP
2cventures
Pitch me baby
accelpoint
WCB
FAQ
Is a registered company required?
No. A Project may be submitted by a registered entity in a CEE country that is no more than six years old at the application date, or without a legal entity if the founder or at least one co-founder has their permanent place of residence in a CEE country. Applicants must have full capacity to perform acts in law and send a complete Application Form by the deadline.
What awards are given?
Selected teams compete for cash prizes of €5,000, €3,000, or €1,000, take 1:1 meetings, and join the CEE Challenge pitching track — including Deep Tech CEE Rising Stars 2026 and the UK Funding Track. Awards are presented after project presentations during Deep Tech CEE Summit 2026.
How does selection work?
The Competition has three stages. Stage I is a formal and content-related review against the deep tech criterion (scored 0 to 5). Stage II selects finalists. Stage III is presentations at Deep Tech CEE Summit 2026, where the Jury selects and awards the best Projects.
2023–2025
CEE deep tech landscape
267 verified deep tech companies from 750+ applications, mapped across Central and Eastern Europe.
- Startups invited to apply
- 5,000+
- Startups in active contact
- 1,200+
- Applications received
- 750+
- Deep tech companies verified
- 267
- 202379 applications
- 2024101 applications
- 202587 applications
Source: Deep Tech CEE Challenge data. Companies analysed: 267, verified as deep tech out of 750+ applications across the 2023–2025 editions.

