Money Motion powers Automation Summit: Leading regional AI conference in Split gathers business elite
Zagreb became the central gathering point for the European deep tech ecosystem this week. More than 400 scientists, startups, investment funds, decision-makers, industry and public sector representatives participated in the Liftoff conference, which opened a discussion on the future of European innovation, technological sovereignty and the development of the European startup ecosystem on 1 July at the Mozaik Event Centre. The conference was organised by Nuqleus, an academic entrepreneurship program operating within the FER Innovation Centre Nikola Tesla, with the support of the Ministry of Science, Education and Youth, the DIGIT project and the World Bank.
Participants were welcomed in the opening speeches by Matija Srbić, Nuqleus program coordinator, Prof. Vedran Bilas, PhD, Dean of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing, Cecile Thioro Niang, Practice Manager for Finance, Competitiveness and Innovation at the World Bank, Tomislav Tomašević, Mayor of the City of Zagreb and Hrvoje Meštrić, Director-General for Science and Technology at the Ministry of Science, Education and Youth.
The central theme of the conference was how Europe can accelerate innovation growth and strengthen its global competitiveness, with a particular emphasis placed on the potential of Central and Eastern European countries as new drivers of technological innovation.
"The Croatian deep tech ecosystem has boomed over the last 4 years. With Liftoff, we want to prepare the ecosystem for the growth and expansion of deep tech companies, which requires much larger capital than what is currently available on the local market. That is why we are proud to have hosted the leaders of key European institutions at Liftoff this year to present European plans for fostering innovation firsthand, and alongside them, we attracted leading European VC funds to provide an opportunity for deep tech startups to secure their next funding round in 'their own backyard', in Zagreb. With a conference like this, we further position Zagreb and Croatia as one of the key places for the development of deep tech entrepreneurship and the meeting point for startups, investors and industry in Central and Eastern Europe," stated Matija Srbić, Nuqleus program coordinator at ICENT, regarding the importance of the Liftoff event for boosting the startup ecosystem in Croatia and the wider region.
The conference was opened with a keynote lecture by Marko Primorac, Vice-President of the European Investment Bank, who highlighted the potential of deep tech in Croatia: "When founders connect with public institutions, private investors, researchers and industry, that is when ideas turn into progress. Be ambitious. Demand clarity. Insist on support that is faster and better aligned. If Europe can deliver that and if innovators can take full advantage of it, deep tech can become a true springboard for global success. Croatian founders have the opportunity to participate in this from the very beginning."
During the conference, discussions were held on European competitiveness, innovation ecosystem development, deep tech venture financing and connecting science with industry. Representatives of Croatian tech leaders KONČAR, Infobip and Hrvatski Telekom participated in the panels, as well as representatives of the European Investment Fund (EIF), the European Innovation Council (EIC), the Croatian Bank for Reconstruction and Development (HBOR), UnternehmerTUM from Germany, KTH Innovation from Sweden, YES!Delft from the Netherlands, the European Commission Representation in Croatia and leading European venture capital funds.
One of the highlights of the event was the Nuqleus Demo Day, where startups born from the foundations of Croatian scientific research were presented. In front of an expert jury composed of international investors, teams developing solutions with global market potential showcased their technologies. The victory at Demo Day went to the startup Metastruct, a deep tech platform that uses parametric design, advanced materials and additive manufacturing to develop topologically optimised, lighter and more sustainable building structures.
Alongside the conference program, participants had the opportunity to learn about the programs of leading regional startup incubators such as the Infobip Startup Tribe, ZICER and Science Park Graz, discover all about the benefits offered by the Ministry of Science, Education and Youth through the DIGIT project and the European Investment Bank for scientists, startups and entrepreneurs, as well as establish valuable contacts with European investors, numerous startups and other representatives of the European innovation ecosystem.
This year's Liftoff confirmed that Croatia has the knowledge, talent and a growing innovation ecosystem capable of creating deep tech companies with a global reach. By bringing together leading European investors, industry, the scientific community and startups in one place, the conference took an important step towards an even stronger positioning of Zagreb and Croatia on the European deep tech map.
