WHY CEE?
Why we are bullish on the CEE Region
After a 30 year late start, Europe's younger generation of VC-backed startups are taking a growing share of global new enterprise value β around 18% over the last decade. Central and Eastern Europe is at the forefront of this transformation.
Enterprise Value Today of VC-Backed Companies
Major US Tech Companies driving enterprise value:
Oracle
Intel
Amazon
NVIDIA
Tesla
Google
Meta
Microsoft
AppleSource: Dealroom.co
Why Invest in Central & Eastern Europe
A Magnet for American Investors β combining deep technical talent, cost efficiency, and strategic advantages
18% Global Enterprise Value
Europe's younger generation of VC-backed startups are taking a growing share of global new enterprise value β around 18% over the last decade.
Equal Capital Efficiency
Europe produces unicorns at the same rate as the US per amount raised. The difference is scale, not efficiency.
1.8 Million Talent Pool
Access to a massive talent pool of qualified programmers and ICT graduates across the CEE region.
Cost Savings up to 4x
Annual senior developer salary in Poland is ~$78K compared to ~$165K in the USA β significant cost advantages.
24/7 Work Continuity
Time difference allows for round-the-clock product development and operations across global teams.
Strategic Tech Hubs
Warsaw, Kyiv, Prague, Bucharest, Sofia, and Bratislava are emerging as key European tech centers.
Unicorn Efficiency: Europe vs USA
% unicorn of startups by total amount raised
Source: Dealroom.co
The unicorn conversion rate across funding stages is virtually identical between the US and Europe. The difference is scale, not efficiency. European startups demonstrate equal capital efficiency in turning euros into unicorns.
Key European Startups & Valuations
Prominent CEE Startups building global companies
MEWS
~$1.2B
ElevenLabs
~$1.1B
Rohlik
~$1.5B
Booksy
~$300M
Payhawk
~$1B
InPost
~$8.5B (Public)
Grammarly
~$13B
DocPlanner
~$1B
UiPath
~$13B (Public)
Veriff
~β¬1.3B+
Prezi
~$500M
Bolt
~$8.4B
Pipedrive
~$1.5B
Vinted
~$4.5B
TESONET
~$1B
CEE Alternatives to Top US Startups
For every major US tech company, there's often a European CEE alternative building competitive solutions
CEE Connection in Top Global Tech Companies
Founders and co-founders from CEE behind world's most valuable companies
| Company | Valuation | Co/Founder | CEE Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAI | ~$157B | Wojciech Zaremba | Poland |
 WhatsApp | $19B | Jan Koum | Ukraine |
| PayPal | ~$85B | Max Levchin, Luke Nosek | Ukraine |
| Grammarly | ~$13B | Max Lytvyn, Alex Shevchenko, Dmytro Lider | Ukraine |
| UiPath | ~$13B (Public) | Daniel Dines, Marius Tirca | Romania |
 Wise | $10B+ (Public) | Taavet Hinrikus, Kristo KÀÀrmann | Estonia |
| ~$8.5B (Public) | RafaΕ Brzoska | Poland | |
| ~$8.4B | Markus Villig | Estonia | |
| ~$6.6B | Mati Staniszewski, Piotr Dabkowski | Poland | |
| ~$4.5B | Milda MitkutΔ, Justas Janauskas | Lithuania | |
 Nord Security | ~$3B | Tom Okman, Eimantas Sabaliauskas | Lithuania |
| ~$1.5B | Timo Rein, Urmas Purde (et al.) | Estonia |
Central and Eastern European Tech Hubs
Warsaw
Regional Leader- 150,000+ developers
- Thriving startup ecosystem
- Major VC presence
Kyiv
Most Promising Hub- Strong AI & DefenseTech
- Top technical talent
- Resilient ecosystem
Prague
Best Business Environment- EU gateway
- Stable regulations
- High quality of life
Bucharest
Rising Star- UiPath birthplace
- Cost-effective
- Growing talent pool
Sofia
Emerging Hub- Payhawk HQ
- EU's lowest taxes
- IT outsourcing center
Tallinn
Digital Pioneer- e-Residency
- Bolt & Wise HQ
- Most startups per capita
Don't Miss the Startup Train (Again)
Your second chance to be early β this time in Europe's most underrated startup region.
The next 10 years will mint a new generation of European unicorns. Many will be CEE-born.
Most global capital will arrive late. Our edge is seeing them first β through the accelerator, venture studio and regional network.
As an LP / VC / Angel partner, you get privileged access to curated, not crowded, dealflow.