Innovation Where It Matters Most: Reflections from the Engaged Investment Conference in Prague

by Martin Kadlec, Founder & Chief Product Officer, Elevon.io

This week I attended the Engaged Investment Conference in Prague – a gathering of founders, investors, and startups shaping the next chapter of European innovation.

Among the crowd, we met familiar faces like our friends from Tapaya, who we’ll see again soon at the Startup Awards Slovakia finals in Košice. It’s inspiring to see how much momentum Central Europe’s startup ecosystem is building and how collaboration, not competition, is starting to define it.

The event combined quick-fire pitches with structured 1:1 meetings managed through an app a smart format that made connecting with the right people effortless. From potential partners to those who could help us secure Elevon’s first investment round, the conversations were forward-looking, practical, and full of energy.

Yet one topic stood out far beyond funding or strategy: defence technology and the Ukrainian startups driving it.

For them, innovation isn’t about valuations or exits.It’s about survival.

And that forces you to reconsider what real impact means.

At Elevon.io, we often speak about building autonomous enterprises - AI systems that make companies faster, smarter, and more resilient. But resilience isn’t just about technology. It’s about people who create, adapt, and keep building under pressure.

That’s what those Ukrainian founders reminded me of. And that’s what drives us too - creating technology that strengthens organizations and societies alike.

As we move toward the Startup Awards Slovakia 2025 finals, I’m more convinced than ever that innovation must serve something greater than efficiency. It must serve people.

Because when technology and purpose align, that’s when transformation truly begins.

➡️ Follow us on LinkedIn our journey to the Startup Awards Slovakia 2025 finals and see how Elevon is shaping the next generation of autonomous enterprises.