Maribor, Slovenia – At the Podim Pitching Competition, held within the prestigious Podim conference, the best startup of the conference was announced today from a pool of 137 startups from 23 countries. After an intense competition, Startup Hypefy emerged victorious, securing the coveted title.
The Competition
The Podim Pitching Competition, traditionally held during the Podim conference from 13th to 15th May 2024, offers startups and scale-ups a significant opportunity to raise their visibility and attract the attention of investors and potential business partners. Many startups participating in this competition have experienced increased visibility, faster meeting arrangements, and accelerated growth as a result.
From Demo Day to the Finals
The journey began with 137 startups presenting their ideas at an online Demo Day in early May 2024. From these, a jury selected the 10 best to enter the semi-finals, which took place on Monday, 13 May 2024 at the Podim conference. An international jury of investors and experienced entrepreneurs then selected the 5 finalists: Get Moments (Czech Republic), Novasign Suite (Austria), Kinderpedia (Romania), Hypefy (Croatia), and Readmio (Czech Republic).
The Final Jury
This year’s final jury comprised prominent names from the international investment and business world:
- Felix Martinez (Seedcamp, UK)
- Francois Mazoudier (Fundraising Bootcamp, UK)
- Gabriele Poteliunaite (HEARTFELT_, Germany)
- Julien Coustaury (Fil Rouge Capital, Croatia)
- Mary Alcantara (Interactive Venture Partners, Hungary)
- Lucija Reić (Infobip, Croatia)
- Rok Huber (SPS, Slovenia)
- Tatjana Zabasu Mikuž (South Central Ventures, Slovenia)
- Izet Ždralović (Silicon Gardens)
- Katie Lockwood (Twin Path Ventures, UK)
The Coveted Title Goes to Croatian Hypefy
The experienced investor jury was most impressed by Hypefy from Croatia. The startup has developed a fully automated platform for running influencer marketing campaigns, from hiring influencers to campaign realization.
The winner was announced by the Minister of the Economy, Tourism and Sport, Matjaž Han, who praised the Podim conference and its significance in developing the startup ecosystem and fostering international market exchanges.
Words from the Winner
Upon receiving the coveted title, Stjepan Zelić from Hypefy said:
“Winning means a lot to us because we tried to win two years ago, we tried to win last year. But this year, finally, we got a killer pitch. And we got the traction that confirmed it. For the future, we have big plans to scale to the United States. We’re going to more than double our team. Our team is now 10. We’re aiming for somewhere 25. We already raised 1.3 out of the 1.5 million EUR. I guess closing the last 200,000 EUR is not going to be an issue now. We want to scale and grow by 7 times this year and even more.”
Prizes and Opportunities
The winner of the Podim Pitching Competition has been awarded a place in the European Investor Programme No.1 “Fundraising Bootcamp”, a structured program that provides access to new skills, contacts, and investment opportunities. Francois Mazoudier, who designed this program, praised Hypefy for its energy and innovation.
Additionally, the winner will join the Podim team in London for the three-day Podim London Springboard programme, offering a series of meetings with key stakeholders to further grow their startup.
Jury Feedback
Felix Martinez, a jury member and principal at Seedcamp venture capital fund, noted:
“This is my first time at Podim. I’m really impressed by the founders. The winner was great. He had good energy. I think he was very, very concise, which is obviously a must in these three-minute pitches. I think he really got across why it’s him that’s building it, why it’s an interesting moment for this type of company.”
Additional Prize
In addition to the main prize, an additional startup, Kinderpedia from Romania, was awarded Infobip’s services worth EUR 30,000. Kinderpedia offers an all-in-one digital suite for schools and nurseries, enhancing academic and administrative work, family engagement, and tuition invoicing.
Lucija Reić from Infobip explained their choice:
“We took into consideration what kind of use the startup would have from this. This is something that could improve the product, take it to the next level, and also lower communication costs. We noticed that Kinderpedia might have a good use for these, and that’s why we chose them.”
For more details, visit the official Podim conference website.
