At the end of September this year, Nuqleus delegation travelled to Prague to take part in the two-day Deep-Tech Connect event, organized by the Czech company UNICO. The main goal of the event was to strengthen the connection between the Croatian and Czech deep-tech ecosystems by increasing the visibility of promising startups from both countries, and creating a platform for knowledge exchange and partnership development.
The Croatian delegation included Nuqleus startups Luxyon, eDNAture, Fiberfusion, Deltasort, TINFE, and Virus Hunter, as well as VaMa Medical Innovations, a startup supported through EDIH Crobohub++ services. The event also gathered startups from Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Serbia, alongside Czech deep-tech stakeholders – VC funds, technology companies, and research institutes.
The first day of the program was dedicated to visits to Czech innovation centers. We visited the HiLASE Centre in Prague, which develops and applies advanced high-power laser technologies for industrial and scientific use, such as material and surface processing. Sanin Zulić, the centre’s International Business Development Manager, introduced us to their main projects and products, followed by a tour of the laser laboratories.
We also visited the headquarters of Prusa Research, a globally recognized company developing and producing 3D printers, accompanying equipment, and software. During the visit, we explored their production facilities and tested the functionality of their devices. One of Prusa’s key principles is their open-source approach, by sharing their designs and solutions publicly, they encourage innovation and development within the global 3D printing community.
The day concluded with a reception at the Embassy of the Republic of Croatia in the Czech Republic, where Chargé d’affaires Zvonimir Sviben welcomed participants and emphasized that both countries share a strong commitment to creating a supportive environment for innovation, scientific collaboration, and technological advancement.
The second day included a visit to UCEEB (University Centre for Energy Efficient Buildings), part of the Czech Technical University, which focuses on research and development of sustainable technologies. The delegation learned about their research capacities and ongoing projects in the fields of energy efficiency, sustainable construction, and green technologies.
The main event of the program was Deep-Tech Connect conference, held in a unique setting – aboard the anchored boat Tajemství on the Vltava River. The conference brought together around a hundred participants, including startups, VC funds, and tech entrepreneurs. The opening remarks were delivered by hosts Vojtech Nosek and Sara Polak, followed by a keynote speech from Dragan Kovačević, Product Manager at Orqa, who shared Orqa’s journey from its early beginnings to becoming a drone technology company attracting multi-million euro investments.
Deni Nurkić from Nuqleus participated in the panel “Shared Challenges in Deep-Tech Funding, Market Entry, and Academia-Industry Transfer”, where panelists discussed the unique characteristics of deep-tech development in the CEE region and explored potential solutions through cross-border collaboration.
The central part of the conference featured pitch presentations by 20 startups from Croatia, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, and Serbia, followed by organized networking sessions with Czech ecosystem stakeholders.
As for the beer halls, goulash, Becherovka, and Prague’s charming streets, those are stories for another time. Even without them, the Deep-Tech Connect experience proved to be an excellent step forward in strengthening innovation, entrepreneurship, and Czech-Croatian collaboration.
