Registration
Section I
09:00 - 09:10
09:10 - 09:20
09:20 - 09:30
The Awards Ceremony of John Harsányi Prize
09:30 - 10:10
Keynote speech: Venture Capital in Times of Crisis; the Power of Resilience
Jonathan Medved, Founder, CEO, OurCrowd
Q&A session with J. Medved by András Molnár, CEO PortfoLion Capital Partners and Dr. Milos Milicsevics, Institute of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Corvinus University of Budapest.
10:10 - 10:40
Presentation: Trends, Dynamics & Market Pulse'
What are the recent trends in M&A activity in Central and Eastern Europe, and in Hungary in particular?
How do they compare to other markets?
How do private equity and venture capital shape market dynamics in the region?
What insights does BCG's new M&A Sentiment Index offer for the market outlook?
Presenter: Balázs Zoletnik, Partner, BCG
Coffee Break
Section II
11:10 - 11:50
Panel discussion: Are Fund of Funds’ schemes Europe’s secret weapon?
Moderator: Laszlo Czirjak, Managing Partner, Interactive Venture Partners
Panelist:
• Malgorzata Walczak, Head of GreenHub Fund of Funds, PFR Ventures
• Sándor Buda, CEO & Chairman, Hungarian Development Bank
• Joe Schorge, Founder and Managing Partner, Isomer Capital (online)
11:50 - 12:30
Panel discussion: Will European fundraising become a new norm for growth-stage startups in Europe?
The panel will explore the vital role of late-stage investors in financing the growth of European startups from geopolitical, public
policy and investor perspectives.
Moderator: Péter Tánczos, Managing Partner, Euroventures
Panelist:
• Michael Rager, Partner, DTCP Capital
• Radovan Nesrsta, General Partner, Orbit Capital
• András Molnár, CEO PortfoLion Capital Partners
Lunch
Section III
14:00 - 14:40
Panel discussion: Lessons from investing in life sciences in CEE
The panel discussion explores the peculiarities of investing in life sciences in CEE, bridging local practices with global qualities to offer the audience a set of conclusions about the outlook of this specialist investor activity in this region.
Moderator: Dr. Milos Milicsevics, Institute of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Corvinus University of Budapest
Panelist:
• Attila Várkonyi, Managing Partner, FastVentures
• Svetoslav Stefanov, Senior Investment Officer, European Innovation Council Fund
• Dr. Péter Puskás, Chief Executive Officer, Sycamore Capital Partners
• Martyn Eeles, Managing Partner, Clarma Capital
14:40 - 15:20
Panel discussion: CEE Tech investments / deals on the rise
Despite the ups and downs in VC investments and the M&A market globally, CEE tech transactions show resilience in the past
3-5 years, moreover steady growth. We invited tech focused investors and experts to share insights about this trend, asking them
about the drivers, so our community can learn what are the implications for their own strategy.
Moderator: Lénárd Horgos, Partner, Growth Financing I M&A, Absolvo Consulting
Panelist:
• Filip Berkowski, Senior Investment Partner, MCI Capital
• Kevin Morgan, Chief Investment Officer, Jonas Software
• Jiri Benes, Managing Partner, Genesis Capital Growth
Coffee Break
Section IV
15:50 - 16:40
Panel discussion: Venture Debt as an Alternative Form of Financing
This panel aims to explore the current role of venture debt in early-stage firms’ life cycle, outlining a number of positive synergies
and the nature of complementarity between venture debt and venture capital finance.
Moderator: Dr. Judit Budai, Co-Managing Partner, Szecskay Attorney at Law
Panelist:
• Izabella Hermann-Schön, Managing Partner, Round 2 Capital
• Daniel Mallon, Principal, Claret Capital Partners
• Gergely Krajcsi, Senior Manager, European Investment Bank
• Denis Mosolov, Managing Partner, Flashpoint Growth Debt Fund
16:40 - 17:10
Fireside Chat with Steve Balaban, Chief Investment Officer, Mink Capital (online)
Recent Trends and the Evolution of the Family Offices
According to Credit Suisse’s estimation, there are approximately 10,500 family offices globally. Due to their long-term outlook, they
are often treated as 'patient capital.' In recent years, family offices have not only become the most active investors behind private
equity funds, but 38% of them have also increased their private equity exposure, according to Citibank’s Global Family Office Survey
Inside 2023. Our speaker, Steven Balaban, founder and CEO of Mink Capital, trains and advises family offices, supporting their private
equity investments.
Moderator: Levente Zsembery, Managing Director, Lamassu Capital
17:10
Closing remarks