0100 Emerging Europe 2026

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• As global uncertainty intensifies, resilience and innovation are becoming central to Europe’s future, alongside the push for greater strategic autonomy. This session will explore how CEE is helping anchor a more robust, adaptable, and innovation-driven European economy while reinforcing its capacity to act independently on the global stage.

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• This session explores how investors can navigate volatility while uncovering growth across the region. Industry leaders (both LPs and GPs) will highlight sectors and markets showing strong potential, alongside practical approaches to risk management and value creation. Attendees will leave with a clearer perspective on how to position capital for long-term opportunity in Emerging Europe.

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• Across Emerging Europe and the CEE region, startups are proving they can innovate, attract early traction, and compete globally — but many face a critical challenge when it comes to scaling. This panel explores the growing “scale-up gap”: the shortage of growth-stage capital, strategic investors, and long-term support needed to help promising companies expand internationally. Industry leaders, investors, founders, and policymakers will discuss why scaling remains difficult in the region, what funding models are emerging, and how ecosystems can better support companies moving from startup to global contender. Topics include venture capital trends, private equity, public funding, cross-border investment, exits, and the role of corporate partnerships in accelerating growth. The conversation will provide practical insights into how CEE can retain talent, attract later-stage investment, and build the next generation of internationally successful companies.

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• As liquidity pressures reshape private markets, secondaries have emerged from a niche strategy to a core portfolio management tool for institutional investors. This panel will explore how buyers and sellers are approaching pricing, portfolio rebalancing, GP-led transactions, and opportunity creation across the evolving secondaries landscape in CEE and beyond.

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• As continuation vehicles become an increasingly prominent feature of private markets, investors and fund managers are reassessing how they balance liquidity needs with long-term value creation. This fireside chat will explore the evolving role of continuation vehicles, alignment between GPs and LPs, pricing dynamics, and whether these structures are primarily a liquidity tool or a strategic extension of ownership in high-quality assets.

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• Two of CEE's most active early-stage investors — on what it takes to back category-defining companies from the very first cheque. In this fireside they compare notes on where the next winners are hiding, why so many now scale from Sofia or Prague to Silicon Valley, and the question every LP is asking: can CEE consistently return the fund? Expect real calls, real misses, and a clear read on the next 24 months.

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• The LP Lunch is an exclusive, invitation-only gathering held during the main conference day, tailored specifically for private equity and venture capital limited partners. Designed for a select group of institutional and private investors, it offers a valuable opportunity to connect with fellow LPs during a relaxed midday networking break between sessions.

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• Tune into a conversation featuring LPs discussing how venture allocation strategies are evolving across CEE and the broader European ecosystem. The discussion will explore where capital is quietly moving, how emerging managers and regional opportunities are being evaluated, and what increasingly differentiates CEE from more mature European markets. Attendees will gain insight into the macro trends, risk considerations, and long-term themes shaping the next wave of venture investment.

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• This panel will explore how regional private equity firms are competing for deals amid increasing interest from international investors and growing pools of global capital. The discussion will examine the advantages of local market knowledge, sourcing networks, and operational expertise, as well as how competition is shaping valuations, deal structures, and investment strategies across Emerging Europe.

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• Defence and dual-use innovation is attracting more capital than ever, but converting momentum into procurement, revenue, and scale remains the real test. This roundtable brings investors, founders, corporates, and policy stakeholders together to discuss what separates “interesting technology” from deployable capability. Topics include customer validation in defence markets, navigating long procurement cycles, working with ministries and primes, and identifying the business models that can actually scale across NATO and European markets. Our private, pre-registration–only roundtables bring together up to 30 carefully selected participants, including GPs, LPs, startups, defence companies, and senior policy-makers. Held in a confidential, closed-door environment, these roundtables foster open dialogue, meaningful connections, and actionable insights among the leaders shaping the defence, security, and investment landscape.

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• This session examines why investors are revisiting the region as a core component of their portfolios. Featuring insights from the European Investment Fund, the discussion will explore how structural growth drivers, innovation, and policy support are reshaping the investment landscape. Speakers will address allocation strategies, risk-return dynamics, and the role of Emerging Europe in enhancing diversification. Attendees will gain practical perspectives on building resilient, forward-looking portfolios in a shifting global environment.

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• This panel will examine how private equity firms are approaching value creation in a more challenging economic and operational environment. The discussion will cover the strategies and operational levers delivering measurable results today, including revenue growth, margin improvement, digital transformation, talent management, and portfolio resilience.

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• From AI infrastructure and cybersecurity to defense and deeptech, some of the world’s fastest-growing sectors are accelerating investment interest in Emerging Europe. This discussion brings together local and international LPs to examine where regional expertise creates alpha, how global capital evaluates the market, and what will define the next investment cycle in the region.

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• As European security priorities reshape capital allocation, investors and founders are navigating a complex intersection of technology, geopolitics, and regulation. This session examines where the real opportunities lie and what it takes to build resilient, fundable companies in this space – from CEE defence startups and dual-use technology to procurement reform and export controls. Panellists will unpack how NATO and EU funding frameworks are shifting investor appetite and what supply chain resilience really demands from both founders and capital allocators.

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• As Europe redraws its priorities around defense, energy, AI, and industrial resilience, private capital is being pulled into the center of the strategic conversation. This fireside chat brings together leading investors and thinkers to explore where capital is flowing next, how geopolitics is reshaping investment decisions, and why Emerging Europe may become one of the continent’s most important investment frontiers.

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• Unwind and connect during an exclusive aperitivo networking event created for Family Office professionals. This curated gathering offers a relaxed setting to exchange insights, build meaningful relationships, and engage with peers shaping the family capital landscape.

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• The hype cycle is over - what remains is the harder question of where AI actually generates returns. This session cuts through the noise to focus on real deployment, measurable outcomes, and what LPs and GPs should be tracking - from enterprise adoption and vertical AI platforms to the valuation challenges that come with scaling. Against the backdrop of a fast-growing CEE AI ecosystem, speakers will share where the genuine value creation is happening and what separates winning bets from expensive experiments.

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• Join a conversation exploring how family offices approach manager selection across private markets, from venture and private equity to alternative strategies. The discussion will cover how conviction is built, what drives long-term partnerships with GPs, and the frameworks family offices use to evaluate alignment, discipline, and performance potential. Gain insights into the evolving priorities and investment philosophies shaping family office capital allocation today.

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• The gap between breakthrough research and investable business remains one of the hardest to cross - yet the CEE region holds significant untapped potential in science and engineering talent. This session explores how capital, institutional support, and smarter grant-to-VC pathways can accelerate that translation - covering university spin-outs, IP commercialisation, and the fund structures built to absorb deep tech's longer time-to-market. Speakers will debate what it actually takes to back frontier science without losing a decade.

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• As AI matures, value creation is shifting from software to the physical world. Robotics is emerging as a key investment frontier, driven by advances in intelligence and rising demand for automation. This session explores where the biggest opportunities lie and what it takes to build scalable robotics companies.

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• Demographic shifts are forcing a fundamental rethink of healthcare systems, insurance models, and consumer behaviour, creating both pressure and opportunity for private capital. This session explores how investors are positioning at the intersection of longevity science and healthcare economics, from preventive care and healthspan innovation to the reform of ageing healthcare systems across CEE. Speakers will examine what a credible longevity investment thesis looks like today and where the next decade of value creation in health is being built.