MeOut Summit 2026: shaping CEE’s innovation ecosystem

On 25-26 November Budapest will become a meeting point for founders, investors, corporate innovators, researchers, policymakers and ecosystem builders from Central and Eastern Europe and beyond.

MeOut Summit 2026 brings two full days of conversations, practical insights, networking and opportunities to connect with the people shaping Europe’s innovation ecosystem.

Taking place at Akvárium Budapest, the programme features 50+ speakers with more set to be announced, two stages and a mix of keynotes, fireside chats, panel discussions, pitches and side events.

The Summit will also include a Day Zero on 24 November, which will feature BizHack AI, a three-day international marketing hackathon focused on helping SMEs turn real business challenges into practical AI-powered solutions. 

Bringing together companies and experts from seven countries, BizHack AI combines hands-on workshops, mentoring and low-code and no-code tools, with teams developing solutions around real marketing challenges. The hackathon continues throughout the MeOut Summit on 25-26 November.

Want to take part in BizHack AI? Explore the programme and apply here.

Stage one: Main Stage

The Main Stage at the MeOut Summit brings together leading voices from technology, entrepreneurship, sustainability, and deep tech. On this stage, inspiring speakers will share their experiences, ideas, and insights on building, scaling, and shaping the future of innovation.

It will feature discussions on female entrepreneurship and building entirely new markets. A panel focused on women founders in CEE will examine the barriers that continue to limit women’s participation in entrepreneurship, including access to funding and wider structural challenges across the region.

Among other inspiring stories, you will hear from Bruno Santos, founder of Exobiosphere, who will share how the company went from an ambitious idea to building a space biotech business in just 18 months. Andrea Basilova, co-founder of Sensoneo, will share her journey in her keynote entitled “Solving the World’s Waste Problem: From Startup Idea to Global Scale”.

One of the highlights is the Global Startup Awards, hosted as part of the MeOut Summit. It brings together founders and ecosystem builders from across Central and Eastern Europe through the Global Startup Awards network.

Stage Two: Where the ecosystem comes together

The second stage adds another layer to the Summit programme, bringing together dedicated formats, community initiatives and side events alongside the main conference.

Stage Two will also host a series of practical discussions focused on AI, startup funding and investment. Jan van Schuppen, Drew Calin and Christian Voss will explore how AI is moving beyond automation to reshape sales, from customer engagement to decision-making and growth.

The funding landscape takes centre stage with Andrei Dudoiu, Nora Szeles and Ciprian Man, who will discuss alternative funding options for startups and the different ways founders can finance and grow their businesses beyond traditional venture capital.

Anikó Ivanics will lead “Your First Angel Cheque,” an interactive introduction to startup investing built around real investment decisions. The session will give participants a practical look at how angel investors evaluate opportunities and decide where to invest.

The programme will also feature ecosystem-led events and activities including the Pitch Marathon, HunBAN activities, Scaleup Fest, and the BizHack AI Marketing Hackathon’s finale. 

The Pitch Marathon will give startups an opportunity to take the stage and present their businesses to an audience of founders, investors and ecosystem professionals. 

Selected founders will pitch their idea and the problem it is addressing. With no competition element attached, the focus will remain on visibility, constructive investor feedback and creating conversations that can continue after the pitch itself.

The Startup Arena by HunBAN (The Hungarian Business Angel Network) will bring Hungary’s angel investment community into the Summit, creating additional opportunities for founders and investors to connect and exchange ideas. HunBAN will also host a panel discussion entitled “Why Europe Still Doesn’t Invest Like One Continent”, and have six startups showcasing their business.

Scaleup Fest focuses on the challenges of scaling companies internationally, with sessions covering go-to-market strategies, fundraising and exits, AI, talent, enterprise sales and building for global markets.

BizHack AI Marketing Hackathon Finale – After three days of workshops, mentoring and hands-on development, the BizHack AI teams take the MeOut Summit stage to showcase the AI-powered marketing solutions they have built around real SME challenges. The finale opens with a keynote from Richard Bavlsík, co-founder & CEO of InnoMaker Partners, on AI in marketing, followed by live team demos and Q&A.

More than a conference: host a side event

Want to bring your community together around the MeOut Summit? Accelerators, VC funds, angel networks, corporates, embassies, universities, founder communities and other ecosystem organisations can apply to host an Official Side Event of the MeOut Summit 2026 in Budapest.

Hosts can choose their own format, from investor breakfasts and curated dinners to workshops, pitch sessions, demo nights, roundtables and community meetups. Events can take place on 24 November (Day Zero), before or after the Summit on 25–26 November, or on the morning of 27 November.

Hosts organise and finance their events independently, while the MeOut Summit provides visibility through the official side event page and attendee programme, promotion across MeOut and EU-Startups channels, an official event badge and promotional assets, plus Summit tickets and community discounts. Events must be free for Summit attendees, relevant to the Summit audience and focused on meaningful content rather than product promotion.

Want to host a side event during the MeOut Summit? Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, with a limited number of side events selected for the 2026 edition.

You can submit your event details here.

Explore the programme in full

With two stages, 50+ speakers, the Global Startup Awards Grand Finale, startup pitches and a growing calendar of side events, the MeOut Summit 2026 is bringing together multiple parts of the European startup ecosystem under one roof.

The full programme is live and will continue to evolve as more speakers, sessions and activities are announced.

Explore the MeOut Summit agenda in full and book your tickets here to enjoy two days in Budapest.

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