From 11 to 13 May, Maribor, Slovenia, will host PODIM, the startup‑focused event established in 1980. With a long-standing tradition of fostering innovation and entrepreneurial growth, PODIM has consolidated its role as a strategic hub for the innovation ecosystem in Central and Eastern Europe, as well as a catalyst for the Alpine-Adriatic and Western Balkans regions.
The event offers emerging startups pitching sessions, networking opportunities, and a competition culminating in the announcement of the winner, highlighting regional excellence and promoting international connections.
The previous edition achieved record results, confirming the event’s global relevance: more than 1,000 professionals and 188 startups from 23 countries took part, enriched by contributions from over 80 speakers. The investment ecosystem was represented by 58 venture capital funds and private investors, managing portfolios estimated at over EUR 8.2 billion dedicated to startup development. The strong networking dimension of the fair was further demonstrated by more than 1,300 individual B2B meetings.
The Italian Trade Agency (ITA) in Ljubljana is participating as a “Golden Unicorn” partner; building on the excellent results and widespread appreciation received by Italian companies in past editions, the Office continues to promote innovation and entrepreneurial growth at the international level.
For this year’s edition, ITA Ljubljana has coordinated the participation of an even larger delegation, composed of eleven Italian companies (10 startups and 1 Innovative SME) active in the energy, creative industries, medical, agri-food, enterprise software, construction, infrastructure, and cybersecurity sectors. Over the three days of the event, these companies will take part in an intensive programme of meetings, with the exclusive opportunity to schedule targeted appointments in advance with investors, executives, and entrepreneurs through the organiser’s dedicated app.
On 12 May at 11:00, an institutional toast will officially welcome the delegation; the Ambassador of Italy to Slovenia, H.E. Giuseppe Cavagna, will greet the Italian participants, wishing them a productive and opportunity-rich experience.
ITA’s offer for participating companies includes the use of innovative workstations organised in specific time slots within the “Marketplace Expo”. Services include entry tickets, continuous assistance provided by staff at the “Punto Italia”- a dedicated space with customised graphics - and the inclusion of company profiles in the collective’s digital catalogue. This is complemented by a robust communication plan developed with Slovenian media, including RTV Slovenia Koper-Capodistria.
Slovenia continues to position itself as an important European innovation hub, thanks to a dynamic ecosystem with recognised expertise in artificial intelligence, blockchain, and advanced digital technologies. In 2026, this positioning was further strengthened by the inauguration in Ljubljana of the Artificial Intelligence Competence Centre, supported by EUR 10 million in public funding, and by the launch of the Slovenian AI Factory (SLAIF), a strategic EUR 135 million project linked to a new European AI supercomputer. In parallel, the Slovenian Government adopted the National Startup Strategy and the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy to 2030, introducing measures to improve access to capital, support internationalisation, attract talent, and promote competitive and sovereign AI. This framework also includes the recent partnership among major organisations in the startup ecosystem, aimed at creating a coordinated and structural support system. Within this context, cooperation between Italy and Slovenia plays a strategic role in promoting research and development in cutting-edge fields such as quantum science, robotics, supercomputing, and AI Factory initiatives.
