On March 26-27, 2024, Brigadier General Imre Porkoláb, CEO of VIKI, and Balázs Hendrich, Deputy CEO of VIKI, participated in the NATO DIANA Outreach Days held in Amsterdam. The main objective of the two-day ‘NATO DIANA Outreach Days’ event was to facilitate connections between investors, startups, and potential end-users, while also offering a platform for future collaborations.
At the event, Imre Porkoláb, showcased the opportunities of Hungarian innovations and the activities of VIKI. The opening speech was delivered by Deeph Chana PhD, Managing Director of NATO DIANA and Andrea Traversone, CEO of the NATO Innovation Fund (NIF). In their speeches, they highlighted that key aspects for consideration include the extent to which the startup’s product or idea can respond to the challenges identified by DIANA its readiness for market introduction, technological feasibility, and dual-use potential.
The panel discussion, which was attended by investors and experts, was followed by a presentation of innovations from start-ups that had participated in DIANA’s six-month preparatory program. This allowed investors to gain insight into new, dual-use strategic technologies that could also offer value to the defense industry.
During the event, Balázs Hendrich, Deputy CEO of VIKI discussions with key international partners such as the Bundeswehr University Munich, Plug and Play Tech Center, ODTÜ TEKNOKENT (Ankara) and NCSR “DEMOKRITOS” , as well as with Chris O’Connor, NATO Innovation Fund (NIF) representative in Amsterdam. Additionally, he presented the Hungarian defense innovation plans and the VIKI acceleration program to the participating startups and hosted a workshop to discuss the priorities of the Diana Rapid Adoption program.
