PODIM to Discuss the Hottest Topics from the World of Startups and Innovations - Promising Investment Opportunities in the Alps-Adriatic Region

MARIBOR, Slovenia, May 9, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

The PODIM Conference is the biggest and most influential startup event in the Alps-Adriatic and Western Balkans regions, annually connecting more than 800 participants from the whole world. Amongst them are more than 50 internationally established investors, 60 renowned speakers, 100 corporate representatives and 250 most promising startups from the region and further, coming to the event to find seed investment opportunities.

This year's PODIM Conference, happening for the 38th time in a row, will take place on 15 and 16 May in Maribor, Slovenia. It will be dedicated to the current hottest topics in the world of startups, innovations, investments, new business models, and paradigms of modern business operations. It will host more than 60 renowned speakers from the whole world at more than 30 lectures, workshops and roundtables. 

Blockchain, venture design, corporate communication and other hot topics 

The programme of this year's PODIM Conference is dedicated to the hottest topics from the world of innovation and startups, and is divided into eight programme blocks: technology & business, venture design, corporate innovation, marketing & growth hacks, winning team & winning company, venture funding, blockchain, creatives industries & high-tech.

PODIM Marketplace and DEMO Day 

For the first time in PODIM's history, two additional themed days will take place alongside the customary two days of the conference. One of them is DEMO Day, where startups will pitch to renowned investors one day before the official start of the conference. The other significant novelty of this year's conference is PODIM Marketplace, which is dedicated to connecting hardware startups and global distributers and merchants, and will take place on 17 May, the day after the official closing of the conference.

The essence of the event lies in quality networking, connections and collaboration  

Besides in-depth knowledge, PODIM also offers plenty of opportunities for networking, connections and collaboration. Part of the conference includes more than 500 organized 1:1 meetings, PODIM connects chosen early-stage startups with investors and strategic corporate partners within the PODIM Challenge investment platform, and participants have the opportunity to get to know each other at workshops and roundtables. On the other hand, informal networking at the conference and the traditional party hold their own power as well.

The PODIM Conference is organized by the Initiative Start:up Slovenia, Slovene Enterprise Fund and Ministry of Economic Development and Technology with strong support from European Commission, SPIRIT Public Agency, University of Maribor together with key partners of the Alps-Adriatic and Balkan startup ecosystem. The conference wouldn't be here without partners that enable quality implementation and co-create the programme: Kolektor, Iskratel, Telekom Slovenije, Zavarovalnica Sava, Outfit7, Nova KBM, Pošta Slovenije, ICONOMI, KATAPULT, ABC accelerator, CEED Slovenia, EIT Digital, CorpoHub, D•Labs, Red Orbit  and others listed on the website.