Taking place in Prague on October 21–22, 2026, the conference is expected to bring together hundreds of investors, founders, and industry representatives from across Europe. The program will include pitches from up to 80 startups, alongside discussions on defense and dual-use technologies, fintech infrastructure, AI in financial services, and European technological sovereignty.
Organized by Czech investment group DEPO Ventures, Engaged Investments attracted investors from more than 20 countries last year.
Defense tech moves into focus
One of the biggest additions to this year's program is a dedicated defense track, organized together with the Invest in Bravery initiative, EUDIS Matchmaking, and Cassini Matchmaking.
The program will look at how European defense and dual-use startups can connect with private capital, industrial partners, and end users — an increasingly important question as Europe seeks to expand its domestic defense technology capabilities.
Among the speakers will be Senior Lieutenant Mykyta Puz, Defense Industry Liaison Officer of the Azov Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine. Before volunteering for the front lines in 2024, Puz worked in business and AI product management. At the conference, he is expected to discuss the technologies and capabilities currently needed by military units.
The defense program will also feature Erin Hallock, Managing Partner at the NATO Innovation Fund, as well as a representative of Ukrainian defense innovation platform Brave1.
“At the European level, the EUDIS Matchmaking initiative helps connect innovators in defense and dual-use products with investors, industrial partners, and end-users from the defense sector. However, for the rapid growth of these companies, private venture capital is essential,” said Maciej Nowak, Project Manager at CIVITTA for EUDIS Matchmaking.
According to Petr Šíma, partner at DEPO Ventures and founder of Engaged Investments, the decision to put both defense and fintech higher on the agenda reflects a broader discussion around Europe's technological independence:
“Financial technology and defense answer the question of who will own and create the strategic infrastructure upon which Europe's security and independence rely.”
Fintech meets banking and regulation
The second day will also feature UnBundled Fintech, a dedicated track organized by The FinTechers in collaboration with Mastercard.
Its program will bring together banks, fintech companies, investors, and regulators to discuss topics including stablecoins and tokenization, banking resilience, fraudulent-payment liability, and the use of AI in financial services.
“Robots move fast, regulation moves slow, and banks fall somewhere in between. The fintech that survives has to speak all three languages at once,” said Michal Ciffra, partner at DEPO Ventures and co-founder of The FinTechers.
Among the speakers is Michal Vodrážka, Director of the Payment Systems Regulation Division at the Czech National Bank, who will join Jiří Raška, CTO of Partners Banka, for a discussion around responsibility for fraudulent payments and upcoming payee-verification requirements.
Dorothea Ysenburg, Vice President of Global Partnerships for Digital Assets and Blockchain at Mastercard, will open a session focused on stablecoins and emerging financial infrastructure. Maryna Muntian from J.P. Morgan is also expected to discuss the relationship between Central European banks and investors.
Up to 80 startups to pitch investors
Startup-investor matchmaking will remain a central part of the event. Up to 80 selected companies, from early-stage startups through Series A, will be given three minutes to pitch investors active in their respective sectors.
For the first time, the conference will include dedicated pitching blocks for fintech, defense, and space startups.
The conference will also connect with the two-day Coding the Future of Finance hackathon, taking place on October 19–20 and organized by The FinTechers together with Deloitte, AWS, and other partners. Selected projects from the hackathon will pitch to investors at Engaged Investments on October 22.
The conference's partners include Bird & Bird, the European Investment Fund (EIF), Warsaw Equity Group, JIC Ventures, Tilia Impact Ventures, ICON Corporate Finance, and Eldison.
Engaged Investments will also take place as part of Czech Startup Week, an initiative launched by CzechInvest that brings together a series of startup and innovation events in Prague.
For DEPO Ventures, bringing fintech and defense under the same roof is ultimately tied to the same question: whether European technology companies can build critical infrastructure and scale globally with capital originating closer to home.
“We need to connect local innovative ideas with international growth capital,” Šíma said.
Member discussion