Czech Startup Week New York 2026, organized by CzechInvest in cooperation with the Czech Consulate in New York and the American accelerator SOSA, showcased six selected Czech startups that were given the opportunity to break into one of the world’s most competitive markets. The program was supported by the Ministry of Industry and Trade, which funded the promotional activities of the entire mission.

“Czech Startup Week in New York has once again demonstrated that Czech startups have the ambition and capabilities to succeed in the U.S. We are proud that this year, together with the SOSA accelerator, we are holding the 5th edition of the event, continuing our successful efforts to connect startups with mentors and investors right in the heart of Manhattan,” explains Jiří Maňák, Director of East Coast Operations in USA, CzechInvest.

The companies Adbian, Eterny, Chatlys, Minds & Models, ValkaAI, and VR Vitalis participated in this year’s edition. These startups completed a two-day intensive bootcamp led by experts from SOSA, focused on the U.S. market, presentation skills, and strategic business development in the U.S. The bootcamp culminated in a Pitch Event at the Czech National Building in Manhattan, where participants presented their projects to American investors and industry professionals. The winner of this competition, the startup Adbian, earned the opportunity to represent the Czech Republic at the prestigious European Innovation Summit, which is jointly organized by thirteen European countries and ranks among the major events held during NY Tech Week.

"For European startups, contact with the American ecosystem isn’t just a matter of capital. It’s an opportunity to continually measure their own ambitions against the best, learn faster, and adopt ways of thinking that propel companies from local players to global ones," adds Ondřej Kolařík, founder of the Czech startup Adbian and winner of the Czech Pitch Event.

The entire Czech Startup Week New York took place while New York was hosting Tech Week, a large-scale festival of tech events, meetups, and conferences. Participants thus had the opportunity to engage with a broader ecosystem, attend dozens of side events, and network with American startups, investors, and corporations. This combination created an ideal environment for showcasing Czech innovations and opened the door to new partnerships and business opportunities.

At the very end of the week, two events also took place at the Czech National Building. The first was a presentation by the Czech company ValkaAI, which has already secured $14 million from investors in the Czech Republic to develop its technology and which presented itself to an American audience there. Next was an event organized by the European Startup Embassy and Rockaway Ventures, where representatives of Czech and international startups and the innovation ecosystem could meet with American investors during a networking session on the rooftop of a building right in Manhattan.

Czech Startup Week New York 2026 thus reaffirmed that connecting Czech startups with the American market is of fundamental importance for their growth and internationalization. Thanks to the cooperation of CzechInvest, the Czech Consulate in New York, SOSA, and other key partners, we are successfully and systematically strengthening the position of Czech innovation on a global scale and supporting companies that aspire to succeed on the world stage, particularly in the most demanding market of all—the United States.