The CEE Deep Tech Summit, held in Warsaw on November 20-21, 2023, provided a captivating glimpse into the burgeoning world of deep tech in the region. The event was a melting pot of innovation, bringing together industry experts, investors, and startup founders to explore the vast opportunities and challenges within the CEE deep tech ecosystem.
One of the highlights of the summit was a thought-provoking panel featuring distinguished voices, including representatives from the European Innovation Council (EIC) Fund, ff Venture Capital, Baltic Sandbox Accelerator, Vinci S.A., and OTB Ventures. Among the participants was Masayuki Ohta, a Partner at ff Venture Capital, who shared valuable insights on the current state and future prospects of deep tech in the CEE region.
The panel delved into the heart of deep tech investment, shedding light on opportunities and challenges unique to the CEE landscape. The frontier fields explored included space tech, dual-use technologies, and quantum computing. Masayuki and his fellow panelists provided a comprehensive overview of these cutting-edge sectors, emphasizing their potential to create new value propositions not only within Europe but also on a global scale.
One key aspect discussed during the panel was the impressive array of deeptech startups emerging from the CEE region. Masayuki Ohta commented, “Meeting the deeptech startup founders was truly inspiring. Many of them harness technologies originating from universities or involve academic researchers, giving their solutions a competitive edge. What stood out was not only the quality of their innovations but also their ability to navigate the challenging path of commercialization with limited resources.”
Central and Eastern Europe, as evidenced by the summit, is proving to be a fertile ground for innovation and investment. As the region continues to evolve as a hub for inventions, partnerships forged at events like these are poised to shape the future of technology and propel CEE’s deep tech ecosystem onto the global stage.