Every company is solving its own AI problems. Put enough of those companies in the same room, and individual experiences start to reveal where the industry is converging, where it isn't, and which questions remain genuinely unresolved.
What it takes to scale across borders when AI is rewriting defensibility and why mindset, trust, and focus still decide who wins - insights from Hellen’s Rock Founder Retreat
Bulgarian-founded fintech Payhawk has surpassed $100 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR), becoming a Centaur company. The company attributes its latest growth to a two-year AI transformation across its products and operations.
Europe has the talent, research, and capital to lead in deep tech — but fragmented laws, tax systems, and investment rules keep startups from scaling. To compete globally, the continent must move beyond national borders and build a truly unified ecosystem for innovation and entrepreneurship.
Backed by BAE Systems, the European Investment Fund, and the NATO Innovation Fund, the new vehicle will invest in early-stage defence, AI, cybersecurity, quantum, and space startups across Europe.
Can We Safely Live with Humanoid Robots? 🤖 In this fascinating episode of The Recursive Podcast, we sit down with Emily Kate Genatowski, an AI PhD candidate, historian and domestic robotics researcher who provides a unique, hands-on perspective on our future with machines. Unlike most researchers who work in controlled labs, Emily lives full-time with a humanoid robot named Tova (a Unitree G1) in her apartment in Vienna.
As the founder of PSL (Proportional Stake Liability), an insurtech startup bridging the liability gap in robotics, Emily’s career is dedicated to uncovering the practical, legal, and social friction points that arise when AI gains a physical body. She moves beyond the "AI hype" to explore how humanoid robotics will realistically intersect with our legal regulations, physical infrastructure, and the daily fabric of our communities.
🧠 Why Watch?
Whether you’re a tech optimist, a skeptic, or someone worried about the future of work, this conversation offers a grounded, practical look at the challenges ahead. Emily moves the needle from philosophical fear to practical empowerment, showing us that we are still the architects of the future we want to see.
What does AI engineering actually look like inside modern enterprises — and how close are we to truly autonomous software development?
In this episode of The Recursive Podcast, we sit down with Karol Przystalski, Chief Data and AI Officer at Exadel, to explore how organizations are moving beyond AI experimentation and into AI-native operations.
We discuss the evolution from AI copilots and coding assistants to fully orchestrated engineering systems, why many companies are measuring AI success incorrectly, and how enterprise leaders should think about ROI, productivity, and organizational change in the age of autonomous engineering.
Karol also shares insights into Exadel Colleague — an AI-powered engineering teammate designed to support entire software teams—and explains why the future of AI isn't about replacing humans, but helping them focus on higher-value work.
In This Episode:
🔹 Why AI adoption is shifting from experimentation to real business value
How enterprises have moved beyond AI proof-of-concepts and are now focused on productivity, efficiency, and measurable outcomes.
🔹 The difference between AI-enabled development and AI-native engineering
Why coding assistants are only the first step—and how autonomous systems are transforming entire software development lifecycles.
🔹 How to measure AI ROI beyond token usage
The metrics that actually matter, including productivity gains, human-equivalent hours saved, accuracy, and business impact.
🔹 The future of autonomous engineering and the role of humans
Why AI won't replace software engineers, but will fundamentally change how teams work and what skills will matter most.
🧠 Whether you're an engineering leader, CTO, product executive, or simply curious about the future of software development, this conversation offers a practical look at where enterprise AI is headed next.
In this episode of The Recursive Podcast, we sit down with Kilian Kaminski, the co-founder of Refurbed, the Vienna-based marketplace that has become a powerhouse in the European circular economy. Kilian shares insights from his transition from Amazon to entrepreneurship and the ongoing battle to establish refurbishment as a standardized global consumption category.
A former head of Amazon’s Certified Refurbished program in Germany, Kilian left the corporate giant to revolutionize how we consume. Today, Refurbed has surpassed €2 billion in sales, proving that "rethinking new" is not just a sustainable choice, but a massive business opportunity that sits at the intersection of consumer trust and environmental impact.
What we discussed in this episode:
♻️ The limitations of corporate sustainability and the origins of Refurbed’s marketplace model.
♻️ Overcoming the "chicken and egg" problem of acquiring sellers and building consumer trust in non-new products.
♻️ The critical need for standardized European legal definitions and quality criteria for refurbishment.
♻️ Cultural differences in consumption habits and the untapped "gold mine" of 600 million unused devices in European households.
♻️ The impact of the "Right to Repair" directive and the role of the European Refurbishment Association (EUREFAS) in policy lobbying.
🧠 This episode is a must-watch for entrepreneurs interested in marketplace dynamics, sustainability advocates, and anyone curious about how the "Right to Repair" legislation will impact the gadgets we use every day.
At Croatia's Nuqleus Liftoff, EIB and EIC officials outlined a strategic push into deep tech. Backed by new capital to bridge early-stage funding gaps, the focus is on utilizing scientific excellence to drive industrial scale. Can the region help Europe build a deep tech moat?
Warsaw-based edge AI startup CTHINGS.CO secured over €1.8 million from Navivo Capital, the new fund's first investment, to accelerate its North American expansion, grow sales, and scale its Orchestra platform for managing IoT, edge, and AI infrastructure.
This is the story of how Facilization helped turn a vision into reality in record time for the banking sector.
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.
Ten startups from Poland to Greece are quietly rebuilding how Europe's €1.8 trillion travel industry works — from accessible booking and parametric insurance to hotel analytics and urban gaming. Here are the early-stage CEE companies worth watching.
In this interview, entrepreneur and CPA Australia Michal Wasserbauer draws on more than 15 years of experience building businesses across Southeast Asia to explain why the Czech Republic has the foundations for a thriving innovation ecosystem.
Orbit Capital has secured €107 million for the second closing of its Growth Debt Fund II, surpassing its initial target as institutional investors increase their exposure to venture debt.
A Prague-based AI lab founded by three former DeepMind researchers who built a poker-beating algorithm has raised the largest single investment Creandum has ever made, valuing the trading startup at over €438M($500M).
The Croatian startup plans to double its team, expand internationally, and further develop its AI platform after securing a €6.3 million Series A round led by AYMO Ventures.
The funding backs an AI platform that generates production-ready code from plain-language software specifications.
At Techsylvania in Cluj-Napoca, the CEO of SPARK, Sharjah's Research, Technology and Innovation park, made the case for partnership over competition, explained the role of government vision for attracting world-class talent, and was candid about what European founders get wrong about the Gulf.
Organized in partnership with Plug and Play, the event created a platform for high-impact discussions, meaningful networking, and cross-border collaboration between Europe’s innovation ecosystem and the rapidly growing markets of Azerbaijan, the Caucasus, Central Asia, and beyond.
