GSA CENTRAL EUROPE REGIONAL AWARDS CEREMONY LIGHTS UP BUDAPEST

22 Sept

On 11 September 2025, the entrepreneurial spirit of Central Europe came alive at the GSA Central Europe Regional Awards Ceremony – Edition 11, hosted at the spectacular Bálna (“The Whale”) in Budapest.

Shaped like a whale and overlooking the Danube, the iconic venue offered the perfect stage for celebrating innovation, deep tech, and changemakers from 13 countries across the region.

Part of CONNEXIONS – CEE Deeptech Summit and Hungarian Innovation Week, the GSA Central Europe Ceremony marked more than an awards night - it was the culmination of Connexions Day, bringing together founders, investors, ecosystem builders, and startup enthusiasts under one roof.

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Innovation Meets Tradition on the Danube

Budapest, with its unique mix of history, culture, and tech momentum, made for a powerful setting.

This event was brought to life in collaboration with MeOut Group, a long-standing partner of Global Startup Awards since 2019. The Global Startup Awards has been part of XO Group since 2024, which was co-founded with MeOut Group.

Supported by the Hungarian Innovation Agency and Csodálatos Magyarország, Edition 11 put the spotlight on frontier technologies - AI, biotech, robotics - and on the people helping shape ecosystems across Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, and Montenegro.

Over 130 finalists competed in SDG-aligned categories, from Startup of the Year to People’s Choice.

Fourteen winners were crowned and will now represent Central Europe on the Global stage in 2026.

This year also marked a milestone with the introduction of a brand-new category, Best AI-Enabled Startup, highlighting the region’s growing strength in artificial intelligence and its impact on global innovation.

THE WINNERS ARE

BEST AI-ENABLED STARTUP - KARDI AI

**Kardi Ai** ran with this edition's regional title as Best AI-Enabled Startup. The award was presented by Arthur Keleti from ITBN Conf-Expo.

Pioneers in the digital transformation of healthcare, Kardi Ai makes long-term ECG monitoring simple, affordable, and seamlessly part of everyday life — empowering people to take charge of their heart health anytime, anywhere.

WEBSITE

BEST COWORKING SPACE -
PUZL COWORKING

**Puzl CowOrKing** took home this edition’s regional title as **Best Coworking Space**. The award was presented by Zsuzsa Szabados from the National Research Development and Innovation Office.

A thoughtfully curated tech-centric community, Puzl CowOrKing blends historical elegance with modern design, fostering productivity and connection as a regional hub for IT professionals to collaborate and grow.

WEBSITE

ECOSYSTEM HERO OF THE YEAR -
Bjoern Schaettgen

**Bjoern Schaettgen** won this edition’s regional title as **Ecosystem Hero of the Year**. The award was presented by Dr. Marianna Wlaszlovits from MeOut Group.

With global experience at industry leaders like Philips and Samsung, Bjoern Schaettgen is dedicated to bridging corporations and fast-growing scaleups — fostering collaborations that bring bold ideas to life and drive lasting impact in technology and telecom.

BEST YOUTH STARTUP OF THE YEAR - Benedek Szilágyi

**Benedek Szilágyi** won this edition’s regional title as **Best Youth Startup of the Year.**
Technology entrepreneur Benedek Szilágyi has a background in finance and business with a focus on artificial intelligence development, and international academic experience spanning Hungary and Singapore.

BEST ACCELERATOR/INCUBATOR PROGRAM - UNSUNG HEROES

**Unsung Heroes - Ventures For Humanity** took home this edition’s regional title as **Best Accelerator/Incubator Program**. The award was presented by Kanat Ydyrys from the Organization of Turkic States.

Champions of impact-driven innovation, the Unsung Heroes Foundation Ventures for Humanity empowers startups in developing countries with education, mentoring, and global networks — bridging incubation with development aid to drive change in climate and gender equality worldwide.

WEBSITE

BEST NEWCOMER -
VOOVO

**Voovo** took home this edition’s regional title as **Best Newcomer.** The award was presented by Prof. Robert Somogyifrom the Hungarian Innovation Agency.

Transforming education into an engaging, Duolingo-like experience, Voovo helps schools and universities boost student performance, improve retention, and enable data-driven academic support.

WEBSITE

EMPOWERMENT CHAMPION OF THE YEAR - Linda Stucbartova

**Linda Stucbartova**, represented by Eszter Honti, won this edition’s regional title as **Empowerment Champion of the Year.** We were delighted to be joined by Marianna Szarkova from Doers United, former GSA Central Europe organiser for Edition 10 in Bratislava, Slovakia, who had the honour of presenting this award.

An entrepreneur, women’s activist, and leadership coach, Linda Štucbartová empowers communities in the CEE region through initiatives like Empowerment Self Defense Czechia, which has trained over 2,500 people in just two years, and through her work with Women in Tech and new edtech solutions for violence prevention.

FOUNDER OF THE YEAR -
Lukáš Vršecký

**Lukáš Vršecký,** represented by Jiří Heinrich, ran with this edition’s regional title as **Founder of the Year**. The award was handed over by Zoltan A. Vardy, Founder of The Launch Code.

Entrepreneur and innovator Lukáš Vršecký is the co-founder and CEO of Patron GO a fintech app using open banking and gamification to deliver personalized financial advice that saves, protects, and grows users’ money.

HEALTHTECH STARTUP OF THE YEAR -
Sensible Biotechnologies

**Sensible Biotechnologies** ran with this edition’s regional title as **Best Healthtech Startup of the Year.** The award was handed over by Máté Flaskay dr. from PV Partners Ügyvédi Iroda.

Sensible Biotechnologies is building the world’s first cell-based mRNA manufacturing platform — a faster, cheaper, and scalable living-cell system producing naturally modified, pure, and low-immunogenic mRNA, redefining the future of global biomanufacturing and next-gen therapies.

WEBSITE

STARTUP OF THE YEAR -
MYCO

**Myco** ran with this edition’s regional title as **Startup of the Year**. The award was handed over by Thomas Ohr, Founder and CEO of EU-Startups

Founded in 2021, Myco is a biotech startup turning fungi and organic waste into fully biodegradable materials — replacing single-use plastics with award-winning, scalable, and sustainable packaging solutions that drive the circular economy.

WEBSITE

PEOPLE’S CHOICE -
Lukáš Vršecký

**Lukáš Vršecký,** represented by Jiří Heinrich, won this edition’s regional People’s Choice. The award was handed over by Péter Kovács, Founder at NetworkSmith.io.

Entrepreneur and innovator Lukáš Vršecký is the co-founder and CEO of Patron GO, a fintech app using open banking and gamification to deliver personalized financial advice that saves, protects, and grows users’ money.

Wrapping up

Edition 11 of the GSA Central Europe proved that the region is brimming with talent, vision, and determination. Fourteen winners now carry the Central European spirit forward as they prepare to compete on the GLOBAL STAGE in 2026.

We look forward to seeing them showcase their innovations, scale their impact, and represent the strength and creativity of this region to the world.