REGION’S LEADING GAS CONFERENCE

the outbreak of the war, Lehel said that the aid, about half of which was government support, had assisted more than 245,000 people.

Although the organization could only deliver food via the back of trucks during the first phase of the war, Lehel recalled that it soon established a warehouse in Berehove

Earlier, Orbán had reaffirmed Hungary’s commitment to providing Ukraine with humanitarian aid during a European Union summit in Brussels on February 9, in which his Greek, Croatian and Slovenian counterparts, along with the Austrian Chancellor and the Bulgarian and Cypriot presidents, met with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky.

“Hearing the Ukrainian president, it’s obvious this war is dragging on; we can’t count on it ending soon,” Orbán said. “As it drags on, we Hungarians will continue to help the Ukrainians with humanitarian means.”

Meanwhile, the Hungarian Parliament is scheduled to discuss the prospective accession of Sweden and Finland into NATO on the third day of its spring session starting next week, according to the business weekly HVG. The two historically neutral countries applied for membership in May last year following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, adding that they want to join “hand in hand.” Joining the alliance, however, requires the unanimous approval of its members, of whom Turkey and Hungary alone have not yet acceded.

Applications Open for Rubik Garage CEE Accelerator

Founders of early-stage startups or at minimum viable product level who want to expand into a new CEE market, raise investment, or reach a recurring monthly revenue of EUR 2,000 are invited to join the Rubik Garage accelerator in Romania. The accelerator grants access to advantages and benefits worth more than EUR 150,000, including discounts and benefits offered by tech partners such as Notion, AWS, and Twillio Segment; access to the House of Startups (a free co-working space) for two years; accommodation grants; opportunities to participate in international conferences; as well as access to Jobs in Startups, a platform for finding employees or co-founders.

The program is free but requires a total involvement commitment from the selected founders in each phase of the program. Registration is open until March 5.

Teams with the most significant potential to raise investment in the next 6-12 months will be selected in the follow-on Investment Readiness Program. They will attend workshops focused on critical aspects of fundraising, including methods for evaluating an early-stage startup, strategies and crucial metrics to watch for when raising investment, investor management strategies, and preparing a successful pitch. Founders will also benefit from match-making and introductions to investors.

“We believe that the coming years have great potential for the development and growth of startups in Romania and CEE,” says Valentin Iulian Ţoc, the coordinator of the accelerator.