The Central Eastern Europe Founder Institute, the local chapter of the world's largest pre-seed startup accelerator, is proud to announce the newest Alumni from the Central Eastern Europe 2025 program.
After meticulous selection process and intense four months of aggressive business-building sprints, constant evaluation, and feedback from investors and mentors, just 6 companies were able to make it through.
Each of these Founders have demonstrated a high level of perseverance and creativity, and their businesses have been thoroughly vetted and supported by a panel of Central Eastern Europe's top startup experts and investors.
And now, without further ado, we present the Alumni of the Central Eastern Europe program:
- Guide Inc. - A a swipe-free AI-powered dating app that helps Gen Z and Millennials find emotionally aligned relationships by matching them through personal AI assistants based on values, goals, and boundaries.
- Product: Cash Quest - Company: Bright Brain Games Studio d.o.o. (BBG Studio d.o.o.) - Creating an annual, city-specific educational board game where real local businesses become part of the gameplay, turning brand awareness into engaging experiences that help businesses stand out and connect with local customers.
- Dreamsense - Offering instant, personalized, algorithm-driven sleep coaching for babies, empowering exhausted parents to solve pediatric sleep problems quickly and affordably so families everywhere can thrive.
- Expathia - Empowering individuals navigating new countries to confidently integrate by providing AI-matched access to verified local legal and administrative experts.
- MeetMe Compass - Providing a rental-based smartwatch for theme park visitors that lets parents instantly find lost kids in crowded spaces—without cellular data—while giving parks real-time crowd insights to improve safety and boost revenue
- Moon Trades SRL - Developing autonomous robotic systems that help mining companies explore terrain faster, safer, and more sustainably to meet rising demand for critical minerals.
The Central Eastern Europe 2025 program would not have been possible without help, because it truly takes a city to raise a startup.
Join us at Central Eastern Europe Founder Institute Graduation Event - link to graduation event
Central Eastern Europe Local Directors
We would first like to thank the Local Directors of the Central Eastern Europe Founder Institute: Alex M. Dascalu (Lead Director, Founder Institute Eastern Europe), Cee Admin (Admin, Founder Institute CEE), Ivan Germanov (Regional Success Manager, Founder Institute HQ), Ivaylo Ivanov (Director, Founder Institute CEE), Maria Mihes (Advisor, Start-ups). Our Local Leaders play an incredibly important role in building the local Founder Institute program, and creating an environment and network in Central Eastern Europe that is conducive to building to great companies.
In addition, the Central Eastern Europe Fall 2025 program was supported by some of Central Eastern Europe's top technology organizations, including:
Some of Central Eastern Europe’s top startup mentors helped our founders in the program, including:
In the Founder Institute's pre-seed accelerator program, early-stage entrepreneurs and teams build their business alongside a critical support network of local startup experts that share equity in their success, and through a structured and challenging business-building process that has helped alumni raise over $1.85BN.
After Graduation, the new Central Eastern Europe Founder Institute Portfolio Companies now have a fast-growing company that has been fully validated by experienced startup founders, with access to the Founder Institute's global network and post-graduate support programs to continue building their business.
Leaders of the world’s fastest-growing startups have used the Founder Institute to raise funding, building a co-founding team, get into seed-accelerators, generate traction, recruit a team, build a product, transition from employee to entrepreneur, and more. Based in Silicon Valley and with chapters across 200+ cities and 100+ countries, the Founder Institute’s mission is to Globalize Silicon Valley and empower talented and motivated entrepreneurs to build companies that will create one million new jobs.
The next Central Eastern Europe Founder Institute program is being planned now. If you are interested in being notified when applications open, visit FI.co/apply/central-eastern-europe.
Alumni of the Founder Institute are creating some of the world's fastest growing startups, having raised over $1.85BN in funding, and building products people love across over 200 cities worldwide.
See the most recent news from our Grads at FI.co/news, or learn more about their stories at FI.co/graduates.
