Four ambitious European startups will showcase AI, healthtech and foodtech innovations to international investors during the Czech Innovators Pitch at SXSW.
BRNO, CZECH REPUBLIC, March 5, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — The Brno region will be represented at SXSW in Austin, Texas, one of the world’s leading events connecting innovation, technology, and investment. Top-notch startups supported by the JIC innovation agency will present their cutting-edge solutions, global ambitions, and breakthrough ideas in front of an international panel of investors during pitch session in the Czech House.
The Czech Innovators Pitch is part of Czech Night at SXSW on Thursday March 12, 2026 featuring technology startups that are currently raising investment rounds totaling several million euros to accelerate their international growth:
Mewery is the first European food tech startup developing cultivated pork on a microalgae-based platform. Using a proprietary AI-driven co-cultivation method that combines animal and microalgae cells, the company is working to produce pork meat with significantly lower environmental impact and without animal slaughter. Mewery is currently raising a €7 million seed round to expand its platform and accelerate entry into global markets, particularly the U.S. The company previously became the first Czech startup selected by the US fund Big Idea Ventures, the world’s most active food tech investor, chosen from roughly 300 projects worldwide.
Maia Labs develops AI-powered medical imaging software that assists doctors in detecting colorectal cancer during colonoscopy procedures. Its real-time computer vision solution, ColoMaia, significantly increases polyp detection rates while reducing reporting time for physicians. The technology is already deployed at leading U.S. medical institutions including Mayo Clinic and Cleveland Clinic, marking a major step in the company’s expansion into the U.S. market. Maia Labs, recently named Europe’s Best HealthTech Startup and a finalist of the Global Startup Awards, is currently raising investment to support further clinical expansion and international growth.
Buylo is building an AI infrastructure layer for retail and logistics that transforms physical operations into an autonomous decision system. Its platform enables companies to deploy RFID technology up to ten times faster using an AI-powered design engine that converts a simple space layout into an optimized infrastructure blueprint within minutes. On top of this real-time data layer, Buylo’s prescriptive AI continuously detects inefficiencies and generates actionable recommendations that increase revenue and reduce operational costs. The company plans to announce a new seed funding round this year to support its expansion into the U.S. market.
Ranketta helps D2C and B2C brands sell their products in AI search. As a dedicated AI visibility platform, it allows companies to measure, understand, and improve their presence in AI-generated answers and shopping recommendations. Having recently raised €1 million in pre-seed funding, Ranketta is scaling its European operations, expanding its engineering and sales teams, and building deeper integrations with platforms like Shopify. Impressively, after just three months of operation, the startup has already reached $100K in ARR, partnered with more than 20 European brands, and is actively preparing for its U.S. market entry.
Beyond the pitching session, additional companies backed by JIC will demonstrate the breadth of emerging technologies in the official business mission of the Ministry of Industry and Trade led by Minister Karel Havlíček.
• IDEA StatiCa develops advanced structural engineering software used by engineers worldwide to design and verify complex steel and concrete structures.
• Get Moments uses AI to transform crowd-sourced videos from live events into personalized highlight reels within minutes.
• LOBEY produces clinically tested and sustainable natural cosmetics built around high-performance active ingredients.
• Intecs data delivers business intelligence and data warehouse management solutions.
• Kapnetix develops AI-powered tools that automate motion capture post-processing for animation and visual effects production.
• Roger provides digital financing solutions that simplify cash-flow management and invoice financing for companies.
• Eterny develops secure digital vault to organize, optimize, and prepare financial and life assets.
Journalists and investors are invited to register for the program. Czech House serves as the central meeting point during SXSW for investors, media and partners.
The strong Czech startup presence in Austin reflects close cooperation between public and private innovation leaders and the long-term support of the South Moravian Region, one of the founders of the innovation agency.
Through JIC, the region plays a key role in supporting companies’ growth and international expansion. Startups supported by the innovation agency have attracted more than €300 million in investment in recent years and include global success stories such as Kiwi.com and Flowmon.
About the Brno region
The Brno region (Czech Republic, European Union) is a hub of over 1.2 million residents. As one of the most dynamic places for technological innovation in Central Europe, it combines world-class research, cutting-edge startups, and a deep talent pool especially in cybersecurity, electron microscopy, aerospace industry, game development and many more.
www.brnoregion.com
www.jic.cz
Jana Pokorna
JIC
pokorna@jic.cz
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