Thoughts That Inspire
We share insights, stories, and reflections on the challenges and opportunities entrepreneurs face, from go-to-market strategies, building connections, and exploring markets to the latest trends, well-being, and mindset. We want to inspire, inform, and support founders on their journey.
The CEE Founder’s Community Playbook 2026
19 September, 2026
At ScaleupFest 2026 in Budapest, five community builders from five CEE countries sat down to discuss how companies can use events, communities and personal relationships to cut through the noise, accelerate growth and create opportunities, and why that matters today more than ever before. This playbook is what the room concluded, written for companies rather than event organisers. It covers why trust has become the real distribution channel, which formats still work, when to spend money on events and when not to, how to turn your own customers into a community, and how to measure any of it.
Plastic Waste Into Fuel
15 August, 2026
Can plastic waste become a valuable source of energy instead of ending up in landfills or the ocean? In this interview, recorded at our energy conference in Vienna, David Terblanche, co-founder of ScarabTech, explains how pyrolysis turns plastic waste into usable diesel fuel, why decentralized, small-scale plants may outperform massive recycling facilities, and why Cape Town has become one of Africa’s leading innovation hubs.
What’s Really Behind Poland’s Startup Boom?
8 August, 2026
Arek Kwoska, Founder & CEO of Rebels Valley, joins Tamás Tüske (MeOut Group) and Péter Kovács (NetworkSmith.io) for an honest discussion about what’s driving Poland’s startup ecosystem, why founders should stop chasing grants, and what Central Europe must do to build globally competitive companies: from venture building and deep tech to defense, V4 collaboration, and why sales, not subsidies, belong at the heart of every startup.
Trust Is a Superpower. Here’s How I Turned It Into a Business.
1 August, 2026
In this conversation with Urška Jez, recorded for the Transformation Lighthouse ‘Rays of Light’ podcast, we go far beyond startups and networking: why trust became the foundation of everything I do, growing up after my parents went bankrupt, discovering entrepreneurship, building the Global Startup Awards from Central Europe to more than 150 countries, and why AI makes human relationships even more valuable.
How 15 Startup Experts Actually Use AI (Not What You Think)
26 July, 2026
During the EU-Startups Summit 2026 in Malta, I asked 15 founders, investors, lawyers and operators one simple question: how do you use AI in your daily work? The answers cover everything from startup screening and legal compliance to coding, research, marketing, digital twins, AI agents and venture capital. Practical AI workflows instead of hype.
Building a $1B Company Without Selling Your Soul
20 July, 2026
Can you build a unicorn without sacrificing your values? Jack Mardack, co-founder of Oyster, joins Tamás Tüske (MeOut Group) and Péter Kovács (NetworkSmith.io) to discuss building one of the world’s best-known remote-first companies and B Corp unicorns: why company culture should be treated as an operating system, how COVID accelerated the future of work, and how AI is democratizing entrepreneurship.
When Will The Lights Go Out in Europe?
14 July, 2026
I recently co-organized this scenario-based panel discussion, hosted by the Vienna Institute for Global Studies (VIGS). The provocative title hides a deeper question: can Europe maintain reliable and affordable energy while protecting its industrial competitiveness, security, and strategic autonomy? The panel brought together experts from nuclear energy, renewables, infrastructure, investment, and emerging technologies.
The Future of Work in the Age of AI: Equality or Falling Behind?
16 June, 2026
On 8 June 2026, we hosted an intimate and unusually honest conversation at KLUSTER Coworking in Budapest with Jack Mardack, California-based co-founder of Oyster, a B Corp unicorn and one of the world’s leading remote work companies. One of the strongest themes: professional opportunity is becoming increasingly independent from geography, and AI is reshaping who gets to participate.
Is SaaS Dead? AI Agents, One-Person Companies & the Future of Software
15 May, 2026
At the EU-Startups Summit 2026 in Malta, I sat down with Dr. Arndt Schwaiger to explore one of the biggest shifts happening right now: the transition from traditional Software as a Service to AI-driven ‘Service as a Software’ : why AI agents are changing SaaS forever, usage-based pricing, AI employees and one-person companies, and why the last 20% of building still matters most.
I’ve Built Companies for 15 Years. I Still Feel Like a Fraud.
15 April, 2026
What does failure really mean in entrepreneurship? In this interview with Tamás Tüske, Innovation Director at MeOut Group, I talk about failure, doubt, and imposter syndrome from a founder’s perspective: why failure is often a matter of perspective, how cultural background shapes the way we deal with it, and why mindset matters more than outcomes when building a business (and a life).
Can Europe Still Compete? 14 Voices, One Uncomfortable Answer
9 March, 2026
14 founders, investors, and ecosystem builders discuss Europe’s future in AI, venture capital, regulation, and innovation, answering one big question: what excites and worries them most about Europe’s future in the global race with the US, China, and emerging markets? From over-regulation and EU Inc. to talent mobility and innovation culture, the conversation reveals both optimism and serious concerns.
Founder Exit Reality: Earnouts, Emptiness, and Starting Again
9 February, 2026
Selling a startup is supposed to be the finish line. But for many founders, the real story begins after the exit. I hosted a panel with four founders who exited in very different ways: bootstrapped acquisitions, partial exits, earnouts, co-founder separations. What we discussed wasn’t deal mechanics or valuations, but the part that rarely shows up on LinkedIn: the human reality of exits.
What Will Our Children Eat in 2050? Water, Climate Risk & Adaptation
15 January, 2026
In this episode of the NEXT25 Podcast by the VIGS Institute, we sit down with Shirley Ben-Dak, General Partner at Mazarine Climate VC, to explore how water, climate adaptation, AI, and data-driven technologies will shape the future of our children and our planet, and why water risk, not just carbon, is one of the most overlooked global challenges of our time.
22 Founders, 17 Countries, 1 Question: What’s Coming in 2026?
5 January, 2026
I asked 22 founders and investors from my global network, across 17 countries, one question: how will 2026 shape entrepreneurship? What came back was a surprisingly aligned set of perspectives: AI moving from hype to infrastructure, the rise of smaller teams and solo founders, capital becoming harder but opportunity bigger, and why human connection, trust and focus will matter more than ever.
How to Turn Conversations Into Customers: Recap
9 December, 2025
This piece captures the essence of a raw, honest conversation about early-stage sales in 2025, before playbooks, before sales teams, and long before scalable automation. Drawing on real founder experiences, it explores why most early “interest” never converts, how trust and pain signal real demand, and why conversations are still the most powerful go-to-market tool when used with clarity and discipline. It sets the stage for ten hard-earned lessons on turning human dialogue into real customers, without shortcuts, hype, or false certainty.
How Startup Ecosystems Thrive Outside Capital Cities
12 November, 2025
Can a strong startup community grow outside the capital? Absolutely. Drawing on 15 years of working with founders, mentors, and connectors across small creative towns and regional hubs, this video explores what makes smaller cities powerful (proximity, trust, and real human energy) and how ecosystems grow through people, not programs.
Moving to a New City Alone? Here’s How I Build a Network From Zero
5 November, 2025
Expanding your business to a new market? Networking in a new city can feel uncertain, but done right it becomes one of the most powerful ways to grow. Drawing on 15 years of helping founders enter new markets through trust-based human connections, this video shows how to create gravity before you land, make meetings happen naturally, and turn brief encounters into long-term collaborations.
How Latin America Fintech Startups Are Changing the Game
29 October, 2025
Latin America’s fintech revolution is reshaping how startups grow, raise capital, and go global.In this 18-minute conversation, Daniel Ospina, founder of Pygma Accelerator, joins Péter Kovács (NetworkSmith.io / VIGS) to discuss how Latin America became one of the world’s fastest-rising fintech hubs, from the legacy of Startup Chile to the rise of unicorns like Nubank.
How to Network in a New City, and Actually Enjoy It
27 October, 2025
This article distills 15 years of experience in building relationships across global startup ecosystems. It explores how to create authentic connections when arriving in a new city, starting weeks before the trip by preparing, building visibility, and creating “gravity” around your visit. Through curiosity, generosity, and meaningful conversations, it shows how networking becomes a long-term, human practice of earning trust and belonging, where genuine relationships grow naturally instead of being forced.
Podcast conversation: Building the Circular Economy in the Philippines
24 October, 2025
Filmed in Manila with Josef Werker and Nina Opulencia, the co-founders of Humble Sustainability, this conversation dives into how a scrappy Philippine startup grew into a leading force in the circular economy. We explore how they’re tackling e-waste through innovation and empathy, turning discarded electronics into opportunity, while opening up about the personal battles, faith, and clarity that shaped their leadership. The result is a rare look at how purpose, pain, and profit can align to create lasting impact.
How Startup Ecosystems Thrive Outside Capital Cities
20 October, 2025
After fifteen years of working with founders, mentors, and connectors across Europe, Peter Kovács reflects on what truly keeps startup ecosystems alive: people. The piece explores how trust, proximity, and identity shape innovation, why connectors are the invisible backbone of every ecosystem, and how institutions can empower rather than control. From StartITup Győr to creative hubs across the region, the story celebrates real builders, local DNA, and the quiet rhythm that keeps communities thriving. A reflection on generosity, presence, and the human energy behind every city’s startup heartbeat.
Panel recap: “The Future of Money–How Will the World Pay in the Next 10 Years?”
20 October, 2025
Co-organized by Péter Kovács and the Vienna Institute for Global Studies (VIGS) at weXelerate, this international panel gathered founders, investors, and policy thinkers from four continents to explore how we’ll pay and manage money in the next decade. The conversation spanned CBDCs, Bitcoin, AI wallets, and digital trust, revealing that the future of money will be plural, shaped by culture, technology, and human choice. From privacy-preserving cash to AI-driven payments, the debate showed one clear shift: financial agency is moving closer to individuals.
Podcast conversation: “The Angel of Manila: Joseph De Leon on Fixing the Startup System”
14 October 2025
A walk-and-talk with Joseph De Leon, one of Southeast Asia’s most active startup investors, enablers and connectors. We trace his path from advertising and Oreos in China to founding Manila Angel Investors Network, directing Founder Institute Philippines, and launching Bullet Day. Joseph shares how he channels global capital into local impact, why the Philippines is an underrated launchpad, and how founders can “be the system” they wish to change. Humor, heart, and half a billion in sustainable ambition.
Podcast conversation: From Bootstrapping to a Strategic Exit: Sab Kun (Arenim Group)
3 October, 2025
In this candid conversation, Peter Kovács meets Sab Kun, co-founder of Arenim Group, and one of the few CEE founders to scale a bootstrapped tech company to acquisition by Constellation Software. They revisit eleven years of persistence, from the early Cryptalk days through failures, pivots, and lessons in listening to customers. Kun shares how his team survived without external investors, built processes that led to growth, and eventually reached a successful exit. The talk explores resilience, timing, values, and what it truly means to be an “unemployable” founder. A grounded, inspiring story for builders chasing sustainable success.
Panel discusson: “What has AI ever given us?”
12 September, 2025
Our panel explored creativity, privacy, intellectual property, and the shifting future of work. Inspired by a Monty Python–style inquiry into what AI truly offers, we discussed automation’s effect on creativity, ownership of AI-generated works, privacy pitfalls, and emerging agent teams. The conversation also highlighted practical micro-tools, global IP differences, and questions of inclusion, access, and bias. This fast-paced exchange provides entrepreneurs, innovators, and policymakers with sharp insights into how AI is reshaping industries, workflows, and talent today.
Podcast conversation: “What has AI ever done for us?”
18 May, 2025
A roundtable asked what AI has given us, contrasting applied AI with LLMs and favoring a human–AI–human workflow. Examples included note-takers, Viber summaries, Perplexity, micro-tools, and kids’ learning prompts. Debate spanned creativity (Suno, Sora), energy use, privacy, corporate controls, and startups’ speed. Participants warned about “AI-washing,” urged transparency, and defined AI as decision-making from data. Future promise spanned healthcare and transport; risks included bias and misuse. They doubted a one-person unicorn soon, yet expect faster solo builds.
The Future of Intelligent Automation: Enterprise AI & RPA
23 June, 2025
A conversation with Dr. Gergely Romhány traced his path from IT lawyer to founder to Merck IT leader in QA, RPA, and software. He builds enterprise automations in HR and finance, arguing AI, low/no-code and RPA lower barriers so solo builders and emerging regions compete. At a hackathon, prepared use-cases helped mixed teams learn fast. His team trains via a curated LLM. He loves innovation yet worries acceleration boosts workload and generational competition as life speeds up.
Product Strategy in the Age of AI
23 June, 2025
Adrian Pica shares how AI, low/no-code, and automation are transforming product strategy, startups, and even solo entrepreneurship. Drawing on his journey from CPO roles in unicorns to founding his own ventures, he explains why business skills matter more than ever as coding becomes easier, how prototyping now takes minutes instead of weeks, and why Central and Eastern Europe is shifting from outsourcing to building products. If you’re curious about speed, solopreneurs, and the future of digital products, this talk is worth watching.
From Earning to Winning: How Languages Shape Wealth
28 January, 2025
How do the words we use to describe “earning money” shape our mindset about wealth and work?
We dive into linguistic curiosities and cultural perspectives, from Hungarian’s “searching for money” to Japanese diligence and Middle Eastern ethics.
This journey highlights how languages reflect not only cultural values but also business mindsets. Curious how these insights might impact your perspective on wealth creation?
From Balance to Harmony: Rethinking Work-Life Integration
14 December, 2024
Work-life balance has been a buzzword for years, but does it really capture what we’re striving for?
We explore insights from leaders like Jeff Bezos and Simon Sinek, the philosophy of Barry Schwartz, and our own reflections on how we define work and its place in our lives.
Let’s rethink how we integrate work and life, not as opposites but as partners in creating a meaningful, fulfilling journey.
The Good, the Bad, and the Consultant
25 November, 2024
Steve Jobs once said, “Without owning something over an extended period of time… one learns a fraction of what one can.” As someone who’s co-built initiatives like the Global Startup Awards and now works as a consultant, those words resonate with me. Consulting often gets criticized for being all talk, no action, and I agree. I explore why trust and ownership matter, and why most consultants might not love what they read.
Startup Ecosystems in Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Serbia & Croatia
20 June, 2024
In our article we provide an overview of the entrepreneurial landscapes in these Central and Eastern European countries. Leveraging our extensive network and collaborating closely with local experts from each nation’s startup ecosystem, we highlight key players, emerging trends, and unique challenges faced by startups in the region. This collective effort offers valuable insights for entrepreneurs and investors interested in exploring opportunities within these dynamic markets.