On September 12-14, innovative startups, technology companies and investors convened at the Tech Crunch-Disrupt in San Francisco. With the financial and organizational support of the Foreign Affairs Ministry, CzechInvest and Czech ICT Alliance, several Czech startups were able to be among the participants, showcasing their ideas and original solutions to potential investors and business partners.

The Czech Republic was represented by these companies:

Zeerat – www.zeerat.com  –  web analysis, raising e-shop productivity

Threat Mark – www.threatmark.com – digital identity security with payments

Red Crow – www.redcrox.com –  increasing customer loyalty in internet shopping

Digimates – www.digimates.cz – IT headhunting

Locaid Me – www.locaid.me –  security solutions in crisis situations

Neuron SW – www.neuronsw.com – sound and voice analysis

Mailytics – www.mailytics.io –  raising the effectiveness of marketing campaigns via email analysis

Additionally, Czech firm Product Board, specializing in assisting others build products that people want, participated in Tech Crunch-Disrupt and made it to the final competition known as Tech Crunch Battlefield, which featured the 25 most interesting and innovative startups from all the hundreds of participants, with the winner taking home $50,000 for product development.  It is a great success that a Czech company was selected to be among the finalists as the competition is fierce and demands the highest levels of technical capabilities and professional presentation from the companies. More information about Product Board may be found at: www.productboard.com.

The Czech companies further took part in several networking events at the Honorary Consulate in the Silicon Valley, at Café Prague in San Francisco, and at V4 Demo Day, at which Threat Mark, Neuron SW, and Zeerat presented to security investors.

The IT sector is where Czech companies have made most headway on the US market. For example, the Czech data management company Javlin (www.javlin.eu), which has been based out of Arlington, Virginia, for several years, has experienced annual growth. “The first year is the hardest for new companies,” says Ambassador of the Czech Republic Petr Gandalovic. “If you don’t know, ask. Luckily, we now have enough Czechs in the US who know the ropes and are willing to share their advice and experiences with others.”