{
  "id": 9732582,
  "title": "Bootstrapping, AI, \"building for a flip\": Central European VCs have their say",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/25/bootstrapping-ai-building-for-a-flip-central-european-vcs-have-their",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-09-25T08:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Tech.eu",
    "slug": "tech-eu",
    "url": "https://tech.eu/2026/09/25/central-european-startup-going-for-bigger-cheques-as-want-moment-in-spotlight-says-vc/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "When considering VC funding for a startup, it's crucial to weigh the options of bootstrapping versus VC backing, as discussed at the recent Infobip Shift conference in Zadar, Croatia. Central European VCs, South Central Ventures' Jure Mikuž and Tera Ventures' David Clark, shared their perspectives on these matters.\n\nMikuž advised against founders seeking to raise VC funds simply to secure a spot on a country's top ten list of investees, emphasizing the importance of articulating the reasons for raising capital. Clark echoed this sentiment, stating that founders should consider the key personnel they aim to hire and the value they can bring if the startup secures funding.\n\nWhile there is no universal approach to bootstrapping versus VC funding, Central European founders may find it advantageous to forgo external capital, thanks to the availability of helpful tech tools like vibe coding. VC funding, likened by Clark to rocket fuel, can either propel a startup to great heights or cause its downfall. Founders should only seek such funding if they intend to utilize it effectively.\n\nRéka Hidas, a pre-seed and seed investor at Portfolion, highlighted the importance of founders choosing VCs that align with their three primary needs, rather than merely seeking any capital. Hidas questioned the practice of \"building for a flip,\" where startups are developed with the sole intention of being acquired. She argued that this approach addresses the needs of acquirers, not the market.\n\nMikuž and Clark both stressed the significance of open communication between VCs and startups at the outset of their partnership, focusing on the startup's ambitions rather than potential exit strategies. Mikuž observed that the startup ecosystems in Western Europe and Central Europe are converging, but cautioned that many Central European founders hold romantic notions about the startup journey that do not align with reality.\n\nThe use of AI and large language models (LLMs) was also addressed at the conference. Florian Binswanger, startup GTM lead, EMEA, Vercel, and Nina Trejos, startup GTM executive, Stripe, emphasized that founders should integrate AI as a core component of their business and customer satisfaction, rather than merely adding a chatbot to showcase AI adoption. Binswanger cautioned against locking in with a single AI model provider and advised using a router to select and implement the most suitable models for specific tasks. Trejos stressed the need for founders to address AI credit usage early in their product strategy. Infobip's CTO, Izabel Jelenić, shared her experiences as a co-founder of Croatia's first unicorn, reflecting on the importance of working with someone who complements one's strengths and weaknesses.",
  "summary": "When is the right time for founders to take VC capital? Bootstrapping versus VC backing, “building for a flip”, AI, and many other issues were discussed on the startup stage at a recent conference in ...",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}