Chef’s editorials

JIC, the Brno-based innovation agency, has launched JIC Ventures, a new fund for pre-seed and seed-stage technology founders from Central and Eastern Europe. Backed by more than 20 years of ecosystem building, the fund will invest up to €1m per company, support around 20 startups over the next four years, and combine capital with hands-on expertise for companies with global potential. And we sat down with their Managing Partners, Radim Kocourek and Miloš Sochor. Enjoy our conversation.

The money is back in VC, but the exit rules have changed. The global acquisition drought is over. As tech giants return to the table with record cash and venture funds face immense pressure to return capital, a unique window of opportunity has opened for CEE founders.

Europe produces some of the world’s most advanced deep tech, from AI and clean energy to mobility and advanced materials. Funding is strong: in 2025, deep tech attracted €17.6 billion, nearly a third of all European venture capital, according to The Recursive media.

Three days of founders nursing flat whites, investors being pitched at after-parties, yes, I witnessed a founder with a laptop in one hand and a Latvian beer in the other.

In a world defined by constant motion, routine, and digital noise, truly original ideas often struggle to emerge. A new Czech initiative, Čížovka for founders & artists, aims to change that—by offering something increasingly rare: time, space, and silence.

Prague dominates coverage of Czech startups. What we found in just a few short trips to Plzeň, though, impressed us. Not only did we see some very interesting new companies, we also found a model for partnership between business and local government everybody should be taking notes on. Let’s take a closer look at what’s happening beyond the banks of the Vltava.