(Maribor, 16 October 2025) – The Start:up Slovenia 2025 Demo Day took place in Maribor, one of the key annual events of the Slovenian startup ecosystem. Ten promising startups took the stage to present their vision, products, and growth plans before an experienced panel of investors – opening the door to funding, partnerships, and new business opportunities.

Investors assess innovation, market potential, and team strength

The panel included representatives from leading venture capital funds – Jure Mikuž (South Central Ventures), Peter Merc (Suricate Ventures), Aleš Pustovrh (Fil Rouge Capital), Karlo Kukec (Vesna Deeptech Fund), Kristian Asani (Silicon Gardens), Rok Colarič (Ruj Ventures) and Katja Šteblaj (Tivoli Partners). Their mission was not only to identify great ideas, but also the teams that truly understand their market, their customers, and how to tell their story convincingly.

The event, organized by Venture Factory - Tovarna podjemov with the support of the Slovenian Enterprise Fund and the Ministry of the Economy, Tourism and Sport, has a clear goal: to connect early-stage Slovenian startups with investors and key players shaping the future of entrepreneurship in Slovenia.

10 startups, 10 opportunities for growth

“Pitching at Demo Day is a true test for startups – it shows whether they can present their idea clearly, confidently, and strategically. Investors are not just looking for good ideas, but for teams that understand their market, their customers, and how to tell their story,” the jury emphasized.

The following startups took the stage:

Alta Field
Alta Field is the first AI-powered mental performance app for football players, combining psychology, physiology, and data into one experience. It helps players recognize and understand behavioral patterns, offers personalized mental support, and gives clubs and coaches analytical insights into player progress.

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Arsio
ARSIO is an AI-driven solution that automates candidate sourcing, selection, and evaluation for more efficient hiring. It generates optimized job descriptions, analyzes CVs, assesses candidate suitability, records interviews, and enables social media sharing of open positions.
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HyptT
HYPTT is a platform that simplifies the planning, management, and analysis of TikTok campaigns while enabling seamless collaboration between agencies and brands. Teams can define target audiences, track performance and budgets, share content and scripts, and exchange feedback in real time.
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InstantIQ
InstantIQ enables fast and smart data analytics with no manual work. Users can “talk to data,” use industry-tailored templates, and connect with existing databases for instant insights and visualizations.
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LexFlow
LexFlow brings legal protection to individuals, founders, and creators without the need for expensive lawyers. It transforms unstructured agreements from emails or chats into clear, binding contracts, explains legal terms in simple language, and enables quick signing and storage of documents.
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Mars X Run Game
Mars X Run Game is a runner-style video game where the player escapes flowing lava and a collapsing Mars station, overcoming obstacles by jumping, shooting, sliding, and flying.

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Platana
Platana is an AI-powered investment platform for retail investors that helps build efficient investment strategies without coding. It offers a broad set of financial data, intuitive strategy-building tools, and ready-made investment plans with different risk and return profiles.

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RaiseDone
RaiseDone is an AI fundraising coach that helps startups prepare high-quality investment materials, evaluate them, and receive feedback to improve their pitch decks. It accelerates and simplifies fundraising while increasing investor engagement.
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TradeBee
TradeBee is a SaaS solution that fully automates trading and integrates multiple markets into a single interface. It enables users to trade safely, transparently, and efficiently without manual intervention – even when they’re offline.
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Womanly Seasons
Womanly Seasons is a mobile app – a digital personal guide for tracking three natural cycles (menstrual, lunar, and solar), helping women understand their natural rhythms and needs.
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For many teams, this was their first direct encounter with investors, providing valuable feedback on how investors think, where their strengths lie, and where there’s room for improvement.

HYPTT impresses the jury and takes a step closer to investment

The jury awarded the highest score and recognition to HYPTT, whose thoughtful presentation, clear strategy, and compelling product vision won them first place. The team will also attent Podim 2026, where they’ll meet over 150 global investors, attend one-on-one meetings, and gain numerous opportunities to secure funding.

“I came mainly for the experience. I didn’t expect to win – I wanted to test my skills, as I hadn’t pitched to investors in a long time. I saw it as an opportunity to learn something new and see how others present. Of course, winning feels great. It’s an extra motivation to take the next step, expand our solutions to new markets, and raise capital for further development,” said Jan Kukovec, founder of HYPTT.

Jan Kukovec (HYPTT)

A reflection of a mature Slovenian startup ecosystem

The event concluded with informal networking, where founders and investors exchanged experiences and explored opportunities for collaboration. Conversations made it clear that Slovenian startups are showing growing maturity, confidence, and professionalism — from the way they present their ideas to their strategic approach to growth.

Kristian Asani, Silicon Gardens:
“I attended Demo Day last year, and the quality of pitches this year is significantly higher. Pitching is a skill you can train, and it’s clear the teams prepared well — certainly with help from Venture Factory -Tovarna podjemov. Congratulations to both startups and organizers. Perhaps they still lack a bit of global mindset, but that’s going to come as the ecosystem matures, and I believe it’s just around the corner.”

Peter Merc, Suricate Ventures:
“I was very positively surprised, just like last year. I always come with modest expectations, but the startups never fail to impress. Each year, I see higher levels of preparation and pitch quality. I also appreciated the diversity of solutions. I would, however, advise startups to pay more attention to eye contact — don’t look at your slides, which you already know by heart, but at your audience and potential investors.”

Jure Mikuž, South Central Ventures:
“The competition was very well executed — materials were flawless, startups kept to their time slots, and their pitches were quite convincing, especially considering their early stage. Their ideas are still developing, but the energy and motivation were excellent. Startups must remember, though, that raising larger rounds is challenging. Interestingly, foreign startups tend to be slightly more ambitious — when you ask how they’ll change the world, they have an immediate answer. That’s an important trait, even if they don’t fully achieve it.”

Jure Mikuž (Suth Central Ventures)

Katja Šteblaj, Tivoli Partners:
“It was a fantastic event. You could feel the passion and drive to solve real problems. Many solutions are AI-based, which makes sense, given the opportunities there. Still, it would be refreshing to see a few startups not relying on AI. Considering their early stage, the teams have plenty of open paths and space to explore.”

Karlo Kukec, Vesna Deeptech Fund:
“As always, the event was great — and improving each year, both in organization and startup quality. Compared to foreign startups, Slovenian ones are now on a similar level. What matters most is showing traction, team capability, and ambition. These are key factors investors evaluate. It’s also important that their financial projections and timelines are realistic.”

“Slovenian startups are no longer just promising – they’re driving change”

“When I look at how the Slovenian startup scene is evolving, I see a community that’s not only innovating but transforming the way we think about entrepreneurship. Startups today are not just seeking capital — they’re seeking knowledge, mentorship, connections, and partners to build sustainable businesses. Our goal is to create conditions where entrepreneurs don’t have to leave Slovenia to succeed,” said Urban Lapajne, Community Manager at Start:up Slovenia and Program Director at Tovarna podjemov.

The Start:up Slovenia 2025 Demo Day once again proved that Slovenian startups are no longer in the shadow of larger European innovation hubs. They now confidently stand alongside the best, representing a generation of founders who, with courage, expertise, and collaboration, demonstrate that Slovenia’s entrepreneurial drive exceeds its size — and its ambition reaches far beyond its borders.