RiSEE Summit
2026
Why RiSEE Summit
Position yourself at the intersection of Southeast Europe’s talent and U.S. market opportunity.
Not another conference
RiSEE is built around outcomes, not panels.
Curated meetings, startup showcases and strategic conversations designed to create partnerships, investments and real market expansion.
SEE → U.S. Bridge
RiSEE creates a direct bridge between Southeast Europe’s startup ecosystem and the global innovation market.
Founders meet investors, corporations and ecosystem leaders actively working with the U.S. market and international expansion.
Built on Scale SEE and SeeUp network
Scale SEE and SeeUp are private accelerator programs in Southeast Europe that have been actively supporting and accelerating the region’s most promising startups and scaleups for the past three years.
Each program has independently built strong networks of founders and investors, which are now coming together to create a shared platform for collaboration and growth.
What happens at
RiSEE?
Powerful panels
The conference will feature two high-impact panels with outstanding speakers discussing how startups from Southeast Europe can successfully scale to global markets.
Startup Showcase & Pitch Competition
Discover some of Southeast Europe’s most promising startups as they compete for international exposure and a trip to San Francisco.
Curated Matchmaking
Meet founders, investors, and corporate innovators through facilitated introductions designed to spark real partnerships. Twenty selected startups will be paired with twenty investors for a structured speed-dating session. In addition, breakout rooms of 8–10 participants will host focused discussions on key industry topics such as FinTech, HealthTech, Cybersecurity, and more.
Side events
On June 4th, the summit will kick off with a networking party designed to help participants build meaningful relationships. On June 5th, we will host a Founder Breakfast, a curated gathering for regional founders to connect and explore collaboration opportunities. Later the same day, an Investor Lunch will bring together selected venture capitalists and angel investors from across the region for focused discussions and networking.
Attendees
Startups
VCs & Angel Investors
Innovative corporates & support organizations
Countries represented
Your access to RiSEE
Four paths, one shared experience.
For founders and startup teams
Startup Ticket
Access to investors, mentors and potential partners from across the region and the U.S.
- curated investor meetings
- Access to Thursday Party & Founder Breakfast
- growth & fundraising sessions
For corporates, executives and ecosystem builders
Business Ticket
Connect with founders, investors and innovators shaping the next generation of companies in Southeast Europe.
- curated networking
- practical group sessions
- partnership opportunities
- Access to all side events
For venture capital and angel investors
Investor Ticket
Discover high-potential startups from Southeast Europe and connect with fellow investors and ecosystem leaders.
- startup pipeline access
- Speed dating with top 20 startups
- co-investment opportunities
- curated investor networkingž
- Access to Thursday night party & Investor lunch
Who Speaks at RiSEE Summit
One powerful panel discussion: The $100M Question: Can SEE Founders Compete Globally – and How?
Stjepan Zelić
CEO of Hypefy.ai, an AI-powered platform that enables brands to run influencer campaigns with a single prompt.
In 4.5 years, Hypefy delivered 1,700+ campaigns across 43 countries for global brands like McDonald’s, Nivea, and Philips, raising €8.2M and expanding rapidly into Western Europe and the US.
Branko Džakula
Co-founder and CISO of Secfix, which raised $12M in 2025, and founder of Un1quely, a global cybersecurity services company with 300+ employees.
Branko specializes in cybersecurity, compliance, and AI, helping companies scale securely in complex regulatory environments.
Luka Prelevic
Managing Director of Hellas Direct, one of Europe’s fastest-growing insurtech companies with $300M+ ARR.
With a background spanning Bank of America, Merrill Lynch, and McKinsey & Company, Luka brings deep expertise in scaling businesses and navigating global markets.
Who Judge at RiSEE Summit
Judges include GPs and Partners of prominent regional VC funds:
About Scale SEE
Scale SEE was born from a simple observation: Southeast European startups were building world-class products but struggling to access the world’s largest market – the United States.
Vladislav, the Founder of Scale SEE, first pitched the idea to the YTILI (Young Transatlantic Innovative Leadership Initative) program of the American Councils and State Department back in 2024, and was awarded a 6-week trip to the US to find partners and companies that will help him build this initiative.
After successful completion of the program, Scale SEE was formed with 3 other partners from the US, who have strong ties to the startup ecosystems of New York, Philadelphia and San Francisco.
First Batch of the Accelerator saw more than 70 applicants from around the Balkans, and top 6 startups were accepted, and got through the 1 month online program as well as the in-person event of 5 days in Belgrade from 1st to 5th of September.
After the program, founders were amazed at their progress, and 3 out of 6 signed long-term partnerships with our US mentors. All 3 startups got an increase in revenue by 150% in less than 4 months, and 1 startup even raised a 500K investment. We know we had something special, so we kept building on top of that…