How much do CEE startups based abroad raise?
Startups that began in Central and Eastern Europe and moved their headquarters abroad raised €743 million from January to September 2026, 41% of all capital raised by CEE startups, against 36% a year earlier. In the Baltics the share is much smaller: Baltic startups based abroad raised €17 million, 5% of the Baltics' €326 million.
The figures
| Startups headquartered abroad, January to September | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Capital raised | €529 million | €743 million |
| Share of all CEE capital | 36% | 41% |
| Rounds | 52 | 29 |
In the BADideas funding report, these companies raise some of the region's largest rounds. They count in the totals under the country they started in.
| Largest rounds, 2026 | Started in | Headquarters | Round |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mews | Czechia | Netherlands | €273 million |
| Preply | Ukraine | United States | €136 million |
| Exaforce | Czechia | United States | €114 million |
| Uforce | Ukraine | United Kingdom | €46 million |
| Cyber Swarm | Romania | United States | €46 million |
| Zocks | Hungary | United States | €41 million |
| Pathway | Poland | United States | €18 million |
Several keep their main team in the region: Cyber Swarm's research team works in Ploiești, Pathway's team in Wrocław, and Exaforce is built largely by its Prague engineering team.
What is changing
| Calendar year | Capital raised by startups based abroad | Share of all CEE capital |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | €669 million | 36% |
| 2025 | €647 million | 32% |
| 2026, January to September | €743 million | 41% |
The share rose in 2026 because three of the five largest rounds of the year went to companies based abroad: Mews, Preply and Exaforce.
Across CEE
| Started in, January to September 2026 | Capital raised by startups based abroad | Share of the country's capital |
|---|---|---|
| Czechia | €386 million | 75% |
| Ukraine | €226 million | 80% |
| Romania | €49 million | 47% |
| Hungary | €41 million | 34% |
| Poland | €18 million | 8% |
| Baltics | €17 million | 5% |
We show countries where startups based abroad raised €10 million or more with a disclosed amount. In Czechia and Ukraine, most of the year's capital went to companies headquartered elsewhere.
What it means for you
- The money sits in a few large rounds. Mews, Preply and Exaforce raised €523 million of the €743 million.
- A team in the region still counts. Investors back companies headquartered abroad whose engineering or research stays here.
- Staying is the norm. Nine in ten rounds this year went to startups headquartered in the region.
Related questions
Do CEE founders need to move their startup abroad to raise?
No. Startups headquartered in the region raised €1.08 billion, 59% of the capital, from January to September 2026, and 291 of the 320 rounds. Most of the capital raised by startups based abroad went to three growth rounds.
Which CEE startups moved their headquarters abroad?
Among those that raised in 2026: Mews (Czechia to the Netherlands), Preply (Ukraine to the United States), Exaforce (Czechia to the United States), Uforce (Ukraine to the United Kingdom), Cyber Swarm (Romania to the United States), Zocks (Hungary to the United States), Pathway (Poland to the United States) and FintechOS (Romania to the United Kingdom).
Do Baltic startups move their headquarters abroad to raise?
Less than elsewhere in the region. Baltic startups based abroad raised €17 million from January to September 2026, 5% of the Baltics' capital. The BADideas funding report counts three such Baltic rounds in 2026, against 29 across CEE.
How we measured it
- On this page: A startup based abroad counts here if it started in one of the ten countries or keeps its main team there, and moved its headquarters elsewhere; it counts in the totals under the country it started in. A company that qualifies only through a large office here, and whose rounds would outweigh its country's whole year, is listed in the report but left out of the totals: in 2026 that is ElevenLabs and ICEYE. Founders from the region who built a company abroad with no base here are not counted. Rounds of startups based abroad are less completely recorded for 2026 than for earlier years. This is the Q3 2026 edition. Full method: CEE startup funding report.
- Updated: 18 October 2026.
BADideas.fund, "How much do CEE startups based abroad raise?", updated 18 October 2026. https://badideas.fund/answers/startups-moved-abroad-funding-cee
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