Scaling Up: Europe, Africa and Beyond
19 October 2026 15:30 – 19:00 • Prague, Opero
Scaling Up:
Europe, Africa and Beyond
A curated matchmaking event connecting founders, investors, and ecosystem builders from Czechia and beyond. This is a hands-on afternoon of rapid startup showcases, moderated founder and stakeholder talks, followed by guided connection rounds, built around one idea: global growth works both ways. Everyone can leave with a real, actionable outcome — a contact, a partner, a market-entry path, or a next step toward capital.
Agenda
Registration, name badges and profile capture
CzechInvest welcome, programme overview and explanation of the “leave with a next step” principle.
300 Leaders, 17 Countries, One Pattern: The Org Breaks Before the Market Does
Founder of the Engineering Leaders Community, connecting more than 2,000 technology leaders across Europe. As a mentor, fractional CTO and advisor, he helps startups and scale-ups strengthen their technology teams, leadership and product management. He has delivered over 3,400 mentoring sessions and completed more than 35 fractional CTO engagements. Previously, he served as VP of Product Engineering at Mews and currently advises Eurowag and Trinity Bank.
A founder conversation on taking advanced technologies into new markets— from space technologies in Egypt to smart railway solutions from Czechia. Ahmed Nassar and Kirill Kasaev will explore how founders identify opportunities, build partnerships and adapt to local market needs, drawing on their entrepreneurial journeys and TechInn’s successful market entry in Georgia with support from CzechInvest’s international acceleration programme.
Speakers: Ahmed Nassar, Founder & CEO, AQMAAR — Forbes Middle East 30 Under 30 2024 · Kirill Kasaev, Founder & CEO, TechInn
Moderated by Tobiáš Rataj
A practical conversation on how CzechInvest’s international acceleration programme helps Czech startups explore new markets and connect with local ecosystems. Drawing on ARBO Technologies’ experience at Startup Terrace Taiwan, the panel brings together founder, accelerator and programme perspectives to share lessons, highlight the value of tailored support and inspire other startups to take their next step abroad.
Speakers: Amy Yeh, Startup Terrace Taiwan · Ondřej Kolařík, ARBO Technologies · Zuzana Michalíková, CzechInvest
12 curated startups in their 90-second pitches presenting a clear ask/problem to be solved in a following networking session will compete for a Wild Card to Engaged Investments Conference.
Pre-recommended 1:1 / small-group meetings and connection tables open at the same time to boost your expansion.
Location: Opero
Salvátorská 931/8,
Praha - Staré Město
FAQ
How exactly does the “Connection Round” and the 1:1 meetings work?
What does the “leave with a next step” principle mean in practice?
Registration Request
GDPR: By submitting this form, you confirm that you have read the information regarding the processing of personal data by the Business and Investment Development Agency CzechInvest, with its registered office at Štěpánská 15, 120 00 Prague 2 – Nové Město, Company ID No. 71377999, acting as the data controller, in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of personal data and the relevant national data protection legislation, as published at: https://czechinvest.gov.cz/cz/CzechInvest/Povinne-informace-cs/Ochrana-osobnich-udaju.
Do you have any questions?
Zuzana Michalíková, +420 604 054 112
Partners
Ministerstvo zahraničních věcí
Opero
The Recursive
