On September 16 and 17, 2026, Scaleup Fest plans to bring together around 250 founders, managers and investors in Budapest. Dedicated to the development of technology companies in Central and South-Eastern Europe, the event combines feedback, workshops and meetings around international expansion, financing and acquisitions.
Scaleup Fest focuses on a tight format to facilitate exchanges between entrepreneurs, operational managers and investors. The sessions should bring together between 40 and 80 people in several locations in central Budapest, with meetings extending over lunches and informal times. The organization notably announces the presence of more than 30 investors.
The proposal is to allow participants to compare their projects to the experience of managers who have already opened new markets, structured their teams or carried out a financial transaction. The format also aims to facilitate contact with players who know the region’s businesses and markets.
A meeting for companies preparing their next step
The event is aimed at founders and managers of scaleups, startups that have passed their first stages of development and technology SMEs. Those responsible for growth, sales and operations will find programming linked to their daily decisions: winning customers, organizing teams, choosing financing and international development.
For a company exploring Central Europe, the meeting can provide a point of contact with regional leaders and partners. For an investor, its interest lies in the possibility of meeting developing companies and discussing with their financiers.
Speakers from software, AI and defense
The program is structured around four areas: commercial growth and international expansion; financing and acquisitions; organization of teams; defense technologies. AI crosses multiple sessions, including its effects on software sales, marketing, and business models.
Among the speakers announced:
- Tamás Kukla, product manager at Preziwill discuss the evolution of software offerings and pricing with AI.
- Gergely Bihary, Growth Engineer at ElevenLabswill showcase AI tools used by growth teams.
- Richard Malovič, founder and CEO of Whalebonewill share his experience of international development of a cybersecurity company.
- Kevin Morgan, Chief Investment Officer of Vesta Software Groupwill intervene on the criteria for acquiring software and IT services companies.
- Balázs Szekeres, co-founder and CEO of Perciv AIwill return to the company’s development in defense after its beginnings in the automobile industry.
These interventions should make it possible to bring together the experiences of entrepreneurs, the practices of operational teams and the expectations of investors.
Practical information
- Dates: September 16 and 17, 2026.
- Place : Budapest, Hungary, in several downtown spaces. Addresses are provided upon registration.
- Format: workshops, round tables, masterclasses and small group meetings.
- Organization : event founded by Lenard Horgos and Ivan Gyuracz Nemeth, partners of the Absolvo firm.
- Access : majority of places by invitation, with a limited number of public tickets. Some lunches and dinners are reserved for affected guests.
- Registrations: official ticket office. Program and terms on the Scaleup Fest website.
