From day one, ValkaAI has positioned itself as a global venture, with teams across the United States, Europe, and the United Arab Emirates, and the ambition to build a world-leading AI video company from the Czech Republic. The platform could enable businesses to deploy digital avatars capable of conducting fully controlled, real-time, personalized interactions with users, at a scale that is currently difficult without major cost increases.
Built on the Founders’ Track Record
ValkaAI was founded by Vlastimil Venclík and Miloš Lokajíček, who are building the company’s technology team. Venclík previously founded and grew Oddin.gg and Hodei, a platform that has become a global leader in e-sports predictive technology and data infrastructure. In 2024, Oddin.gg became the overall winner of the Deloitte Technology Fast 50 Central Europe ranking as the fastest-growing technology company in Central Europe, achieving a growth of 7,958 percent and winning the ranking again the following year.
Lokajíček, ValkaAI’s COO, brings experience in operating and scaling technology products, including AI startups, and is responsible for execution and global expansion.
Making Video Interactive
The founders believe video is shifting from something people simply watch to something they can interact with, adapt to context, and personalize.
“Today’s experience is still largely linear – you just hit play and watch. We believe the next step is real-time environments users can step into, where content is no longer just consumed but actively shaped.“
ValkaAI aims to create technology for on-demand content—media generated in real time and tailored to a specific situation. Its core product will be a platform that enables entertainment industry players to create digital environments and AI avatars that users can actively interact with.
Early Use Cases: Sports and E-sports
ValkaAI says its approach could enable applications such as AI commentators and digital characters that react to live events and user behavior.
“Our technology opens the door to an entirely new range of applications – from interactive sports simulations to live broadcasts that are localized, personalized, and responsive to specific audiences in real time.”
The funding will be used to strengthen research and product teams, advance core technologies for real-time digital characters and AI commentators, scale computational infrastructure, and support early commercial pilots in sports and e-sports.
“ValkaAI is tackling a difficult but fundamental challenge – combining visual quality with speed and true real-time interactivity. This is not just another application. It provides the foundation for a new generation of entertainment. The founder plays a central role. Vlasta Venclík has a clear vision, deep technological understanding, and has already proven his ability to build a global business and attract top talent. That’s why we believe ValkaAI has the potential to redefine how people consume sports, e-sports, and other forms of entertainment and create an entirely new, standalone category.”
Rockaway Ventures is a venture capital fund within the Rockaway Capital investment group, focused on startups that digitize traditional industries through transformative technologies, led by artificial intelligence. As part of the investment group founded by Jakub Havrlant, the fund systematically seeks out and supports startup founders in early growth and geographic expansion stages across Central Europe and the DACH region.
“The €12 million investment is exceptional for a pre-seed round in Central and Eastern Europe and reflects ValkaAI’s ambition to build a globally relevant technology platform, but more importantly, it reflects our confidence in the team behind ValkaAI. We believe there will be more stories like this coming out of the Czech Republic.”
