Košice Startups Explore U.S. Market Expansion with SARIO Support

SARIO – Slovak Investment and Trade Development Agency, in cooperation with the Innovation Center of the Košice Region (ICKK), SOSA, the Consulate General of the Slovak Republic in New York, and the Slovak Embassy in Washington, coordinated a week-long accelerator and business program in New York for seven promising startups from the Košice innovation ecosystem. The initiative, led on the ground by Vladimír Lackovič, SARIO’s Special Representative for Trade and Investment in the United States, is part of SARIO’s strategic effort to help Slovak companies enter overseas markets, secure international growth opportunities, and support the development of high-value industries in Slovakia.

The United States remains the most important market for technology and venture capital worldwide. It is also the environment where companies scale rapidly, build commercial resilience, and succeed globally. For Slovak startups to compete at this level, they must understand U.S. customer expectations, investor behavior, and business culture. These are areas where direct exposure and relationships matter far more than theory. That is why SARIO is supporting programs for companies that are ready to take this transformative step.

The Košice region has become one of Slovakia’s strongest innovation engines, and this program demonstrated that clearly. The founders of Upfan, CherryPeak, NextRetreat,  OWASmooth, Eatster, Nordics, and UMBRA Solutions arrived well prepared, representing companies with real traction and ambitions that extend beyond Europe. Their readiness reflects years of development work by ICKK and the broader Košice innovation community. The goal of the program was to accelerate their access to U.S. knowledge, networks, and possibilities that can significantly strengthen their market expansion strategy.

The first part of the week was focused on an intensive accelerator led by SOSA, where experienced U.S. mentors worked with the group on sales and communication in the American market, fundraising and pitching, corporate structuring, taxes and accounting, hiring and HR specifics, and public relations. The pace was fast, practical, and tailored to the realities of entering the United States. This culminated in a Pitch Night hosted at the Consulate General of Slovakia in New York, where more than 80 investors, business leaders, and ecosystem partners learned about Slovak innovation and provided direct feedback. A panel of U.S. startup experts challenged the founders with the kind of clear, direct insights needed to refine their strategy for future investor conversations.

Throughout the week, SARIO and partners organized a curated program of high-value meetings and visits that exposed the group to the strength of New York’s technology ecosystem:

•    New York City Economic Development Corporation — a discussion with Josefina Echeverria on how the city supports innovation and how Slovak companies can access its programs
•    Queens Tech Night — engagement with one of NYC’s fastest-growing innovation communities and direct networking facilitated by the Queens Economic Development Corporation
•    Citi Bank Global Headquarters — an expert briefing on geopolitical and economic conditions influencing U.S. business, led by Vice-president of federal government affairs at Citi Ben Koltun, along with a rare behind-the-scenes tour
•    Cornell Tech — exposure to a world-class institution that transforms research into global companies, showing founders what ambition and execution at scale look like in New York
•    Amazon Web Services HQ NYC — insights from Wilfrido Solano, global technology leader at AWS,  on leveraging generative AI for real-world business growth, and a tour that inspired discussions about partnerships and product strategy in the U.S. market

These engagements highlighted the scale of opportunity in the United States and opened important doors for future cooperation. They also helped establish initial relationships that can lead to investment, partnerships, and long-term presence in the U.S.

This  initiative will serve as a model for future programs. By helping Slovak founders expand internationally, we are amplifying the global visibility of Slovak innovation, supporting the growth of high-tech exports, and creating pathways for advanced technology investment back into Slovakia. A stronger presence of Slovak startups in the U.S. market brings direct economic benefits - new clients, new capital, and new jobs in Slovakia - and also strengthens the country’s reputation as a credible and competitive innovation partner.

Following the success of this first cohort, SARIO and partners have already begun planning a second cycle for spring 2026. The long-term ambition is to provide Slovak technology companies with continuous opportunities to validate and grow their business in the United States, with a special focus on regions like Košice that have the potential to develop companies capable of global scale.

Slovakia’s future economic growth depends on its ability to nurture innovation and ensure that Slovak technologies are not only invented here, but also commercialized successfully on the world stage. Programs like this are a key step toward that future.