Michal Ciffra, Partner at DEPO Ventures and one of the key people behind The Fintechers initiative, discusses what makes fintech startups investable in 2026 and the next stage for investment landscape in Europe.
Twenty local events across Central and Eastern Europe will run alongside hundreds of others worldwide on 14–15 November.
The fund will invest around €2.3–23 million in each of 15 to 20 companies working on satellites, Earth observation, propulsion and space data. ICEYE has joined as a strategic partner.
The Tallinn-based spacetech, eight years in the making, raised a €4M seed co-led by Join Capital and PhotonVentures to scale manufacturing of its in-house laser communication terminals for satellites and airborne platforms, already shipping to paying customers.
A conversation between Petr Šíma, General Partner at DEPO Ventures, and Marcel Müller-Marbach, Senior Regional Representative for Austria, Czech Republic and Slovakia of the European Investment Fund (EIF).
Three guests, three very different jobs, one thing in common: they're all in their twenties and already taking on a level of responsibility that usually comes later in a career.
In this episode of The Recursive Roundtable, we talk with Viktoriya Markileva (Head of Space Services at EnduroSat), Georgi Nichev (Marketing Specialist at Helios Marine, Co-Founder of Scylla), and Maria Nikolova (Strategic Partnerships Development Manager at BESCO) about what it's actually like to be trusted with real responsibility this early — what makes someone trust you with it, how they handle it, and whether a career needs to follow a clear path at all.
In this episode, we explore:
🟣 How Gen Zs think about failure,
🟣 what hustle culture looks like from the inside,
🟣 what progress actually means to them,
🟣 and whether they'd be willing to wait years for the next step in their career.
💡 This conversation is essential for entrepreneurs looking to hire young talent, and for any Gen Z professionals wondering if they are ready to take the leap into a leadership role.
In this episode of The Recursive Podcast, we sit down with Rakuten Viber CEO Ofir Eyal to discuss how the company is evolving beyond messaging through its partnership with OpenAI, the rise of AI-powered communication, and the long-term vision behind building a "super app."
The conversation explores how the company approaches privacy and responsible AI adoption, and why Europe has yet to embrace the super app model seen across Asia.
Ofir also reflects on his own journey from product manager to CEO, the leadership lessons he learned while navigating one of Viber's most challenging periods after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine.
In this episode:
☑️ Why Viber partnered with OpenAI
☑️ The future of AI inside messaging apps
☑️ Can Europe build a successful super app?
☑️ Privacy, security, and responsible AI adoption
☑️ How Viber makes money beyond messaging
☑️ Leadership lessons from scaling a global platform
☑️ Rebuilding after losing 40% of the business overnight
🎙️ Subscribe to The Recursive Podcast for conversations with the founders, investors, and technology leaders shaping the future of innovation across Central and Eastern Europe and beyond.
AI can generate logos, colors, taglines, and entire visual identities in seconds. But can it build a brand people actually remember?
In this episode of The Recursive Roundtable, we explore one of the biggest questions facing founders, marketers, and designers today: what does branding look like in the age of AI?
Joining us are three branding experts with decades of experience building companies across technology, consumer products, and global markets:
• Zlatina Petrova — Founder & Creative Director, Brandly
• Plamen Motev — Creative & Operational Director, Fontfabric
• Kiril Hadjidinev — Brand Strategist & Marketing Advisor
The episode is hosted by Etien Yovchev, Co-founder and CGO, The Recursive.
☑️ Why the strongest brands shape identity, not just recognition
☑️ How design, typography, and marketing create emotional connection
☑️ Why AI-generated brands often struggle to build authenticity
☑️ What happens to local brands in a world shaped by global AI models
☑️ How founders can preserve cultural identity while building for global markets
☑️ Whether AI can truly understand local language, heritage, and aesthetics
☑️ What remains of a brand when customers discover products through AI assistants
Whether you're building a startup, launching a product, working in marketing, or simply curious about how AI is changing creative work, this conversation offers practical insights into what still requires human judgment, and why great brands are built through relationships, not prompts.
The Startup Revolution AI Summit drew 2,000 founders, investors, and policymakers to dissect VC trends, growth strategies, state super apps, and dozens of startup pitches. Here are the notes from the floor.
The company builds AI agents that handle support, shopping and social media conversations for consumer brands such as FIGS, SPANX and HexClad.
Slovak-founded Sensible Biotechnologies has secured $47 million to advance its cell-based mRNA platform, scale manufacturing in Europe, and develop new applications across cancer, genetic diseases, and biosecurity.
The Zagreb-based newsroom technology company argues that publishers are giving AI the wrong brief when they judge it chiefly by faster output. Its case starts with the work journalists want time to do and the editors who remain responsible for what gets published.
Founders often treat domain names as an afterthought. But waiting can turn a simple naming decision into a costly problem involving fundraising, rebranding, security, and even ownership. The companies that avoid it have one thing in common: they think about their domain before it becomes urgent.
The Engaged Investments conference is expanding its format this year, opening the event beyond investors to startup founders and the wider tech ecosystem, while adding dedicated tracks for fintech and defense.
Ukrainian defence tech company Buntar Aerospace has raised €14.3M ($16M)in a round led by Freedom Fund and an undisclosed international private equity fund. Its total funding is now $30M, and the money will go toward scaling its Buntar-3 reconnaissance drone and Copilot mission software.
GITEX is expanding into Southeast Europe with GITEX AI Belgrade, bringing together 700+ tech companies and startups and 200+ investors as part of EXPO 2027 BELGRADE.
For decades, Bulgaria’s international narrative was defined by the talent that left. Today, a new wave of founders and investors is proving that the country can systematically produce businesses capable of scaling globally.
Falling valuations and investor payout rules are pushing tech founders toward early exits. Instead of raising risky funding rounds, some are choosing quiet sales...
The Recursive’s weekly roundup aims to cover key tech developments across Central and Eastern Europe, as well as the growing impact of CEE-born founders on the global stage. Take a look at the latest news in funding, startup milestones, and emerging trends tied to the region’s innovation potential.
DEPO Ventures has been selected to manage a new fund backing startups from Ukraine, Moldova, and Georgia. Managing Partner Petr Šíma explains why competition for Ukrainian technology is intensifying, and how Czech manufacturing could become part of the equation.
