Deep Tech in the CEE region is underrated and under the investors' radar.
Since 2023, my team and the Deep Tech CEE Challenge's jury have reviewed over 1,200 deep tech startup applications from across Central and Eastern Europe. We've done it the hard way, not through algorithms or third-party databases, but through direct contact with startup founders, accelerators, incubators, tech transfer offices, business angel networks, and science & technology parks across 18 countries.
Of those 1,200+, we preselected 267 as genuinely deep tech based on strict criteria, i.e., novel science, or high-tech engineering at the core, defensible IP, product-market-fit & technological risk. We are aligning with the European Innovation Council (EIC) criteria and the Hello Tomorrow Global Challenge.
In this guide, we have compiled key findings from the data we collected.
It won't tell you which specific startup to call, or give you a list of them. That's rather an invitation for a conversation with my team members or me about the Deep Tech Summit & CEE Challenge initiatives, collaboration, or attending the Deep Tech Summit 2026 in Warsaw (October, 26–27).
Moreover, it is an opportunity to get to know each other, discover your areas of interest, focus areas, and the kinds of risk you accept. What this guide will tell you is where in CEE the concentration of deep tech is highest, which sectors are accelerating, and why this region is one of the most underpriced deep tech investment opportunities in Europe and globally, today.
