A decade ago, living in Silicon Valley and starting a garage company meant becoming part of a vibrant, inspiring, and highly active business environment. Hungary also experienced the rise of its startup ecosystem: in Budapest and in regional innovation hubs, strong communities incubated revolutionary ideas and promising ventures. Since COVID, we often hear that Silicon Valley has “moved” into the virtual space—raising the question: has physical networking become outdated, and does innovation truly happen online today? Is there still momentum in the Hungarian startup ecosystem, and if so, where and in what forms?
This roundtable discussion explores the role communities played in successful innovation management ten years ago, what has changed since then, and which new operating models, platforms, and forms of connection shape the ecosystem today. The focus is on how founders, organizations, and communities can consciously redesign their approaches—and create real value—in a hybrid, constantly evolving innovation environment.