The Engaged Investments conference welcomes angel investors and VC funds in Prague.


The Czech startup investment scene may be off to a good start, however, compared to many other European countries they are still falling behind. Perhaps the reason might be that the interested parties lack general information about the market and their understanding of it is still often only superficial. The Engaged Investments conference aims to change this. The all-day event is not only for experienced investors but also those that are just thinking about their potential engagement. The conference and its program will have up to 20 hardened professionals mainly from foreign countries discussing their experiences and their expertise. The 4th consecutive conference hosted by the investment group DEPO Ventures is going to take place in Prague on October 10th.

The Engaged Investments conference welcomes angel investors and VC funds in Prague.

A total of five-panel discussions, workshops, group discussions, speed dating, and a networking dinner are supposed to bring quality-based content using an interactive form. The main topics are going to be covering the positives of cross-border investments, angel investors, and VC funds cooperation, but also successful exit strategies and discussions about how to increase the number of women investors.  

During our very first conference, we wanted to primarily connect angel investors in Czechia. Since then, we have grown, and now understand the importance of cross-border investments, as well as the necessity for the cooperation of the whole startup ecosystem, which encompasses VC funds, angel investors, incubators, and mentors. With these factors in mind, this year’s conference is going to be even more ambitious, bringing key players from the entire startup world from the CEE and the Baltics.” Says Jan Krahulík, fund partner of the DEPO Ventures investment group and the main host of the conference, which is the only one in Central Europe that focuses exclusively on education concerning risk capital.

Experienced investors sharing advice

Among the speakers, you can find mainly foreign investors with extensive knowledge of their craft. For example, the conference will host guests like Chris Gay-Crosier who manages cross-border investments of the Swiss fund Verve Ventures, the co-founder of the Estonian fund Honey Badger Capital Helery Pops, or the bosses of various angel investor networks from Latvia, Estonia, and Slovenia. The speakers will not be arriving alone from their home countries. They will be accompanied by investors, who want to familiarize themselves with the Czech startup ecosystem. “I am sincerely grateful, that my membership in the board of directors of EBAN, as well as my efforts to raise the bar for international co-investments, had not been in vain, and that it actually increased the interest in Czechia on the international level.” Says Petr Šíma, partner at DEPO Ventures. 

The conference itself is meant for angel investors, VC funds, accelerators, mentors, and several different promoters, however, practically anyone is welcome to join, even those just thinking about joining on the risk capital bandwagon. “The engaged investment conference is great for investors, who need to meet face to face, in order to make connections and cooperate.” Bill Reichert, partner of the American fund Pegasus Tech Venture and a speaker at our event.

The point of the conference besides education is also the support of the investor community. Besides the ‘conventional’ program, we prepared a quick meetup game of speed dating, and a reverse pitch, where investors share their investment opportunities, perhaps even introduce projects for which they actively search for possible co-investors. The whole event ends with an investor dinner, with the purpose of establishing important contacts. 

Besides the already mentioned program, the conference is going to host a regional finale of the startup contest. Its grand finale is planned for the day after at the Disruptors Summit. The winner gains up to half a million dollars as well as plane tickets to Silicon Valley for the grand finale Startup World Cup. Last year the European round winner was Tatum, a Czech startup that makes the process of blockchain app development significantly easier.

If you would like to know more about the conference and its speakers, or perhaps buy tickets to check it out yourself, you can find all the relevant information at engaged.investments.

You can also watch a video from previous year's conference.