Hungary keeps producing companies that conquer global markets, yet their headquarters keep leaving. A new Budapest summit aims to reverse that pattern by pulling international capital and decision-makers into Central and Eastern Europe.
The region faces a persistent paradox. Local founders build technically sophisticated products, while their corporate registrations migrate westward. LogMeIn started in Budapest, incorporated in Bermuda, shifted to Delaware, and listed on Nasdaq before private equity took it private at a $4.3 billion valuation in 2020. Ustream followed a similar trajectory, with Hungarian roots and a Budapest development hub before IBM acquired it in 2016.
Tamás Tüske, Innovation Director of the MeOut Summit, points to Prezi, SEON, LogMeIn, and Ustream as examples of Hungarian companies built for international scale. His diagnosis cuts to two core deficits: visibility and international capital.
The numbers back him up. Dealroom data shows CEE startups raised €2.3 billion in venture capital during 2025, with quarterly momentum carrying into 2026. Local investors dominate pre-seed and seed rounds at 90%, but that share collapses to 10% at Series B and beyond. Growth capital arrives from abroad, or not at all.
As a result, founders relocate. Dealroom found 48% of CEE scaleups had moved headquarters out of their home country. Engineering teams stayed behind. C-level executives left.
SEON illustrates the sequence precisely. Founded in Budapest in 2017, the fraud-prevention company took Series A funding from Sweden’s Creandum, Series B from U.S. firm IVP, and an $80 million Series C led by Sixth Street Growth in September 2025. Total funding reached $187 million. Its operational footprint now spans Austin, London, Budapest, and Singapore.
Atomico’s State of European Tech 2025 report confirms the imbalance. U.S. investors cluster around the UK, Ireland, and the DACH region, with far fewer reaching CEE tech hubs. The European Commission’s proposed “EU Inc.” framework, allowing online company formation within 48 hours for under €100, represents one policy response.
The MeOut Summit opens November 25-26 at Budapest’s Akvárium Klub with more than 1,000 attendees expected. Tüske won’t measure success by attendance. He wants conversations that give international guests a reason to return in 2027.
