All Posts

All eyes on CEE

[11/01/2021, Michael Chaffe, Wolves Summit CEO]

When we acquired Wolves Summit in July 2019, we did so with a bold promise: to place the innovation ecosystem of Central & Eastern Europe firmly in the crosshairs of the international VC community. Two years and a global pandemic later, our team’s relentless hard work has allowed us to deliver on that promise.

Mike Chaffe on stage during the Wolves Summit conference in October 2020

I recall being quizzed back in 2019 just prior to the 10th Wolves Summit edition (our first as the new owners) on how we were going to draw overseas VCs to the region. My response was:

"First of all Maciej, I'm going to approach Andrzej <senior director at a prominent Polish multinational> and persuade them to provide us with one of their corporate jets for a London to Warsaw round-trip. Then I'm going to knock on all the right doors in London, until I have every spot on that Learjet filled."

At Wolves Summit's upcoming 13th edition, we're excited to welcome a lineup of investors from the world's most distinguished VCs who will sit as judges of our Great Pitch Contest.

Notable investors so far include Olivia de La Rivière - Bpifrance, Emily Zhen - New Enterprise Associates, Jakob Kleihues - APX, Greta Anderson - Balderton Capital, Oscar Ramos - SOSV, Chantal Ambord - Accel, Maxime Paradis - Genius Global, Nate Sztrum - Deutsche Telekom VC, Kevin Monserrat - Consilience Ventures, David Citron - Global Founders Capital, Christian Boas - Keiretsu Forum, and Oran Bambrick - Enterprise Ireland. We will be announcing more judges and investors over the next few weeks leading up to our event.

Pitch to global vcs >

Alongside our international judges will sit their regional counterparts from the CEE VC community, whose unwavering support over the last five years has allowed Wolves Summit to become what it is today - sincere thanks to all of you!
Join as a judge >

Now poor Maciej probably walked away from our 2019 conversation wondering if I'd taken my medication that morning, but I had been deadly serious. As things panned out on that occasion, I didn't manage to secure the jet; we achieved something more valuable - stirring the European and International VC community to pay more attention to the CEE region, particularly Poland. As every entrepreneur knows - “Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars.” - Norman Vincent Peale.

Related Posts

Sweden & Estonia-based Crypto Rogue Games raises $1.5M to forge the future of web3 gaming

Umeå-based game studio Crypto Rogue Games has successfully concluded a $1.5 million seed funding round, attracting prominent investors such as Merit Circle and Avalanche. Other participants in the funding round include SNZ, Coinfund, Lyrik Ventures, Devmons, and Bryan Pellegrino, CEO, and co-founder of Layer Zero. Specializing in the creation of web3 gaming experiences, the studio is currently focused on developing Crystals of Naramunz, an action-packed hack ‘n’ slash RPG set in a post-apocalyptic steampunk universe. This infusion of capital is earmarked to expedite the game’s development and establish the studio as a leader in blockchain technology within the gaming industry. https://arcticstartup.com/crypto-rogue-games-raises-1-5m-seed/

Daato secures 5 million euros in seed financing round

Berlin-based Daato, a pioneer in ESG management, announces that it has secured over €5 million in a seed funding round. This investment will enable the startup to advance its mission to make ESG management efficient for all companies. The financing round was led by kopa ventures in partnership with neosfer and IBB Ventures. kopa ventures is an early-stage impact investor focusing on European climate technology startups, neosfer is the early-stage investment unit and innovation division of Commerzbank Group and IBB Ventures provides venture capital for innovative Berlin-based companies. https://www.startbase.com/news/daato-sichert-sich-5-millionen-euro-in-seed-finanzierungsrunde/

Bulgaria launches renewables-plus-storage tenders

Bulgarian businesses can apply for funding under two new tenders that aim to facilitate 1,425 MW of renewable energy generation capacity coupled with 350 MW of energy storage. Funding support is only offered for the storage component. The Bulgarian Ministry of Energy has launched two renewables-plus-storage tenders to the tune of BGN 535 million ($298 million), accepting bids from companies in all sectors except agriculture, forestry, and fishery. The first tender, with a total budget of BGN 107.6 million, will finance the construction of solar and wind projects and co-located energy storage facilities with installed capacities between 200 kW and 2 MW. The procedure seeks to facilitate the development of at least 200 MW of renewable energy production and 100 MW of energy storage. The second procurement exercise, with a budget of BGN 427.5 million, will support new solar and wind projects and energy storage facilities with a total installed capacity of more than 200 kW. The procedure aims to develop at least 940 MW of renewable energy generation and at least 200 MW of energy storage. https://www.pv-magazine.com/2024/03/15/bulgaria-launches-renewables-plus-storage-tenders/