In November we held our exclusive Founders Club for the second time with top innovators and leaders of the startup ecosystem gathering at Brody Workshop.

We had started this invitation-only event series last year with the intention to engage the members of our community in having meaningful dialogues about some of the most pressing issues of our times and to spend memorable moments connecting with each other. It was a fantastic evening, where serious issues and a likeminded, connected crowd sparked thought-provoking conversations and created a wonderful atmosphere.

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We live in a very tense, turbulent era, so we obviously wanted to reflect this in the roundtable discussions. The first topic focused on external pressure: our panelists talked about the war in Ukraine and how 21^stcentury technology plays a role in shaping the events and outcomes of warfare. Then in the second roundtable we talked about the internal struggles that entrepreneurs face: speakers shared their personal experiences on the importance of self-awareness in critical periods of their lives and entrepreneurial careers.

The war is relentlessly raging in our neighboring Ukraine, forcing millions to change the course of their lives. We invited renowned Hungarian war correspondent Andras Földes, who visited the war zone many times and two of our portfolio companies’ founders: Yurii Filipchuk from Partyspace, Ukraine and Srdjan Kovacevic from the Croatian goggles and drone developer, Orqa to share their thoughts and sometimes dramatic experience.

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In the second panel discussion facilitated by Andrea Szabó, our resident coach, Ákos Máté Tóth, Swapp’s CTO and co-founder of ClicknCruise, Gábor Vészi, co-founder of Budapest School and Vilma Magyar, creator of Underguide shared candid thoughts on how overcoming their insecurities as overachievers, finding new methods for strengthening boundaries and daring to take time for big decisions in a fast-moving environment, helped them become more successful leaders. 

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A main conclusion by the participants: letting old beliefs go and adding a reflective lens is the most important leadership skill in the 21st century.

It was a pleasure to have so many of you join us that evening. We attached a short video so you can catch a glimpse of the event.
We are looking forward to doing it again in 2023!

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