The competition
Why now
Europe is rearming. The funding — SAFE, EDIP, the European Defence Fund, NATO's innovation capital — is moving toward the Eastern Flank, and the companies that will absorb it are being founded now, across CEE. Most have never been in the same room as the people who buy and fund what they build.
What it is
A pitch competition inside the Regional Defence and Security Summit: 600+ policymakers, military, industry and investors in Sofia on 21 October. Ten finalists are shortlisted by a jury of investors, defence-innovation organisations and industry. They exhibit all day, pitch on Stage 2, and the top three are awarded on the main stage.
Who is behind it
Capital, Bulgaria's business weekly since 1993, which convenes the Summit. And Eleven — the early-stage venture fund behind Payhawk and Dronamics, investing across 15 European markets since 2012 — as the Summit's VC Partner.
What you actually get
- Fast-track into Eleven's investment evaluation process
- Curated 1:1 meetings with the Summit's VC panel
- A seat at an invitation-only Summit dinner
- A feature in Capital
- Introductions to NATO-affiliated innovation bodies attending the Summit
- Support structuring a proof of concept
The Eleven fast-track is an accelerated evaluation, not a guaranteed investment. No equity is taken and no fee is charged for entering or winning.
- A stand in the Expo zone all day, in front of 600+ attendees
- Finalist branding across Summit media
- Investor office hours with the jury
- Full Summit access for three team members
- An invitation to the eve-of-Summit investor drinks on 20 October
Who can apply
Five rules. Read them before you start — they are checked before scoring.
Pre-seed or seed. You have not raised a priced Series A. Bootstrapped, grant-funded and angel-backed teams count.
Incorporated in an EU or NATO member state. The applying legal entity, not necessarily where the team sits.
Headquarters or core R&D in CEE. Where the engineering actually happens.
A working prototype, or a product in testing. Something that exists and has been switched on. Slideware and pre-build concepts are not eligible this year.
A founder can pitch in person on 21 October, in Sofia, in English. Pitches are not accepted by video.
Building in Ukraine, Serbia, Bosnia, Kosovo or Moldova? You are eligible — provided the company you apply with is incorporated in an EU or NATO member state. Many teams in the region already hold a Polish, Estonian or Bulgarian entity. That entity is the applicant.
Autonomy & unmanned systems
Air, ground, surface and subsurface platforms, autonomy stacks, swarming, counter-UAS.
Defence AI, sensing & decision support
ISR, sensor fusion, geospatial intelligence, targeting support, command-and-control software.
Cybersecurity & secure communications
Offensive and defensive cyber, electronic warfare, resilient and contested-environment comms.
Energy & critical-infrastructure resilience
Power for the edge, grid and port security, hybrid-threat detection, logistics continuity.
Space & advanced hardware
Smallsats, PNT, space-based ISR, advanced materials, microelectronics and enabling components.
How it works
Apply
Shortlist
Pitch
Awards
The jury
More jurors announced as they are confirmed.
Valeri Petrov
Partner, ElevenOne of the pioneers of private equity in SEE, Valeri brings extensive investment expertise from his roles at Global Finance, Bancroft Private Equity, and Axxess Capital. His experience spans more than 30 company boards across numerous industries. Valeri's background combines investment expertise with valuable managerial experience from his position as CEO of Orgachim and executive roles at Royal Dutch Shell.
Andro Mathewson
Strategy & Operations, Stark DefenceAndro works at the intersection of emerging military technology and modern war, with a particular focus on unmanned systems and the war in Ukraine. Over the past five years he has spent extensive time in Ukraine, combining humanitarian EOD operations, war crimes investigations and OSINT to study battlefield innovation and adaptation under fire. His work bridges academic research, fieldwork and open-source investigation to understand how new technologies are reshaping tactics, operations and strategy.
Adam Niewiński
Co-founder & Managing Partner, OTB VenturesAdam has over 20 years of experience as an entrepreneur and senior executive, and has been an investor for two decades. He co-founded Expander (acquired by GE Capital/Aviva) and Platinum Bank (investors included Goldman Sachs and Warburg Pincus), and spent 16 years at UniCredit Group, most recently as Deputy CEO of Bank Pekao SA. In 2017 he co-founded OTB Ventures, a leading European DeepTech VC with over $350 million under management, investing in SpaceTech, AI & automation, dual-use and cybersecurity. He serves on the boards of ICEYE, Hydrosat, Silent Eight, ClearSpace and TwentyFour Industries.
Oles Khudoba
Co-founder, Double Tap InvestmentsOles is co-founder of Double Tap Investments, a Finnish-Ukrainian defence investment company backing Ukrainian defence startups in drones, autonomy, maritime and surface systems, data analytics and battlefield decision-making. An international government advisor, he was previously part of the core team of BRAVE1 — Ukraine's largest defence and technology innovation cluster, led by the Ministry of Defence, the General Staff and other state bodies, with an ecosystem of more than 3,000 startups — where he served as Head of Finance and Partnerships.
Questions
Do not submit classified or restricted information, or technical detail whose export is controlled under EU Regulation 2021/821 or your national regime. Describe your capability at the level you would use in a public conference talk. If a detail matters and cannot be written down, say so and we will arrange the conversation separately.
Put it in front of the room
Ministries, NATO organisations, prime contractors and the funds writing Europe's defence cheques — all in one building, for one day. Ten teams get the stage.
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