DATANA Wins the Podim Pitching Competition
Maribor, Slovenia, 15th May 2026, ZEX PR WIRE — Last night’s final event of the Podim Pitching Competition, traditionally held as part of Podim, one of the most influential startup and tech events in the Alps-Adriatic and Western Balkans region, crowned this year’s winning startup. Five startups competed in the finals for the prestigious title, with the jury and the audience selecting solution DATANA, developed by Slovenian startup BioSistemika, as the winner.
Taking place from May 11–13 in Maribor, Podim brought together 1,100 participants from around the world, more than 60 venture capital funds and other private investors managing over EUR 10 billion in assets under management, 220 startups, more than 90 speakers from across the globe, and numerous successful entrepreneurs. In addition to its rich conference program, the event also hosted more than 1,100 pre-arranged one-on-one meetings.
DATANA Crowned Best Startup
Alongside its extensive program, Podim traditionally hosts the Podim Pitching Competition, which represents an outstanding opportunity for startup and scaleup companies by increasing their visibility among investors and potential business partners. For many startups in previous years, participation in the competition accelerated their path to investment and opened doors to new partnerships.
The selection process for the best startup began in March, when 220 startups were selected from more than 1,000 applicants. In early May, 134 startups from CEE and Alps-Adriatic region presented their ideas during an online Demo Day to an international jury composed of leading European venture capital investors and experienced entrepreneurs. The jury selected the top 10 startups, awarding them a ticket to the semifinals.
At the semifinals held on May 11, 2026, the jury selected five finalists: DATANA (Slovenia), Groundcom (Czech Republic), GHOSTS by anyconcept (Austria), REALTRACING (Slovenia), and Kardi Ai (Czech Republic), who competed yesterday during the final ceremony for the title of the best Podim startup.
For the first time in Podim’s history, Slovenia was represented among the finalists.
The experienced investor jury and the audience were most impressed by DATANA, developed by Slovenian startup BioSistemika d.o.o. DATANA is an innovative solution for long-term digital data storage in synthetic DNA. Using patented technology, the company enables sustainable data storage capabilities beyond those offered by traditional media: millennia-long durability, complete offline control with no digital footprint, and protection against both cyber and physical breaches. DATANA is paving the way toward a new era of long-term, reliable, and sustainable data storage. More information is available at: https://datana-storage.com/
This year’s final jury consisted of globally recognized business leaders: Tatjana Zabasu Mikuž (South Central Ventures, Slovenia), Grace Francisco (m2i & Philly Builds, USA), Vuk Lau (Silicon Gardens Fund), Dalibor Marijanović (Vesna Deep Tech Venture Fund, Croatia), Matthew Hennigan (Plug and Play Tech Center, United Kingdom), Francois Mazoudier (Fundraising Bootcamp, United Kingdom), Nina Urbanič (Slovenian Enterprise Fund, Slovenia), and Stjepan Orešković (BOSQAR INVEST & Future 500, Croatia).
Upon being announced as the winner, Anže Smerdelj from DATANA (BioSistemika) said:
“Behind me stands a great team working incredibly hard. We are passionate about our project and proud that we managed to transfer this enthusiasm to both, the audience and the jury. This victory validates our work so far and confirms that we are on the right path, especially now as we are preparing to seek investors. Our primary goal for this year is securing investment so we can bring our technology to market.”
Anže Smerdelj gave also advice startups: “Apply to the Podim Pitching Competition because it is an amazing experience. Try to explain in the simplest possible way what the problem is, how you will solve it, and what you are bringing to the market. Don’t talk only about technology. Be bold. Dream big. Step outside your offices and laboratories. Slovenia has a strong and vibrant ecosystem with people willing to help, from investors to numerous advisors. You just need to take the initiative and approach them proactively.”
The winner receives participation in the Fundraising Bootcamp program for startups preparing for investment fundraising, a three-day all-inclusive visit to Munich for two team members with organized meetings with investors and partners, an exhibition package at the Bits & Pretzels conference, legal support from CMS Equip, and a professional media package for promotion and increased visibility.
Podim Evolves into a Strategic Platform
With a 46-year tradition, Podim has firmly established itself as the leading startup and tech event in the Alps-Adriatic and Western Balkans region, as demonstrated by its strong international attendance of 1,100 participants from 34 countries, including startups, established companies, founders of global businesses, investors, and partners.
This year’s edition marks a shift in Podim’s role within the European ecosystem. Moving beyond being a regional flagship event, Podim is evolving into a strategic platform connecting Southeastern and Central Europe with new cross-border growth opportunities. New partnerships with Scale-X (UNIDO), the Future 500 initiative, and the Munich-based Bits & Pretzels conference significantly expand opportunities beyond Slovenia’s borders.
Among other topics, this year’s event actively addressed Europe’s challenge in scaling innovative companies and how to overcome it. While Europe excels at innovation, many of its most promising companies still fail to achieve global scale.
Investors Managing More Than EUR 10 Billion in Venture Capital
Each year, Podim becomes an increasingly important hub for business opportunities. This year, it attracted more than 60 venture capital funds and private investors to Maribor, representing over EUR 10 billion in assets under management. These included Silicon Gardens, South Central Ventures, Vesna VC, TechAngels, Enterprise Investors, Aymo Ventures, and others. Enterprise Investors (with EUR 2.5 billion invested in more than 160 companies and over 140 exits) and South Central Ventures (with more than EUR 150 million under management) served as the key partners of the Investor Academy program.
More than 120 investors attended the three-day event, available for meetings and discussions with 220 selected startups seeking investment to accelerate their growth.
More Than 1,100 Pre-arranged One-on-One Meetings
In addition to knowledge sharing and experience exchange, Podim serves as a key networking event for creating new collaborations and business opportunities. For this purpose, more than 1,100 pre-arranged one-on-one meetings between startups, investors, corporations, and SMEs were organized in the “Podim Deal Room.”
More Than 90 Speakers from Around the World
The event featured a diverse three-day program with more than 90 speakers from 21 countries worldwide, including many internationally recognized names. The program covered current topics in entrepreneurship and technology, deep tech, fintech, and B2B/B2C innovation.
Among the speakers were Stefan Drüssler, Member of the EIC Board and Director of UnternehmerTUM, Robin Wauters, co-creator of the EU-INC initiative, Amir Salihefendić, founder of Doist, Vlatko Matijević, CTO of Orqa FPV, Ioan Iacob, founder of FlowX.AI, and Stjepan Orešković, founder of Bosqar Invest, a publicly listed company operating in 23 countries and leader of the Future500 initiative and many others.
More Information About Podim 2026
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Conference partners: https://podim.org/podim-partners-list/
Media Contacts
Urban Lapajne Program Director of Podim, +386 (0)41 372 418
urban.lapajne@tovarnapodjemov.org
Matej Rus, Director of Podim, +386 (0)31 604 137
matej.rus@startup.si
Thank you for sharing this information through your media channel. Thank you to everyone who joined us live at Podim. Should you require any additional materials, we are happy to assist.
Kind regards,
The Podim Team
Event Organizers and Partners:
The conference is organized by Tovarna podjemov in co-organization with Silicon Gardens, the Slovene Enterprise Fund, and the Ministry of the Economy, Tourism and Sport. The conference is supported by numerous domestic and international partners.
More information about organizers and partners is available at:
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