The second edition of the COPS Venture Builders Meetup delivered a memorable evening full of practical lessons, founder stories, and deep dives into the art (and grind) of building new ventures. Whether you’re a startup founder, innovation lead, or exploring spin-offs inside your company, the event was packed with real takeaways, and great energy that lasted well into the night.

If you missed it, here are five powerful insights from the fireside chat with Jan Proček (CEO, AtomTrace), Alex Karo (CEO, Robosales.ai), and the keynote by Filip Řehořík (Partner Development Manager, Microsoft).

1. “There’s never a right moment—you create the right moment.”

This quote from Alex Karo lit up the room, and LinkedIn the next day.

Founders often wait for the stars to align – perfect timing, ideal market signals, available funding. But Jan and Alex showed us a better approach: they didn’t wait. They saw the opportunity and created momentum. Whether it was emerging AI technology or a deep-tech application ready for commercialization, they recognized the potential and moved fast to shape the moment, not chase it.

Lesson? You don’t find perfect timing. You make it.

2. Spin-offs can multiply your company’s value (not just its workload)

Jan’s company, AtomTrace, spun off three ventures from its core technology. Why? Because their niche deep tech solutions were hard to explain, and harder to fund, under a single brand.

By separating them out, they unlocked clearer narratives, new revenue streams, and focused investor conversations. As Jan put it:

“Each spin-off might bring one or two digits of value, but collectively, they can add two to four digits to AtomTrace’s worth.”

Spin-offs weren’t just a side project – they became a growth strategy.

3. Building a spin-off? Be ready to sacrifice

Both founders were refreshingly honest: launching a spin-off comes at a cost.

Alex’s consulting business slowed down when he committed to Robosales.ai. Jan spoke about allocating 98% of his energy to the new ventures.

“I’m burning my own cash. It’s painful, but the long-term value is worth it.” – Alex

From stretched teams to delayed revenues, the sacrifices are real. But so is the upside.

4. AI is the hottest ticket – but delivery is what counts

Alex’s journey building an AI-powered sales assistant wasn’t smooth. Despite all the AI hype, finding talent that could actually deliver was brutally difficult.

“Everyone says they do AI. But very few can actually deliver.” – explained Alex.

He interviewed over 100 candidates and had to rebuild his team before finding success. With help from the COPS team and tools like YouTrack, he brought structure to his development process and shifted from messy enthusiasm to measurable progress.

5. Microsoft can open doors to Fortune 500 clients

In the keynote, Filip Řehořík from Microsoft shared how startups can plug into Microsoft’s salesforce, cloud infrastructure, and partner programs to reach global enterprise customers.

If you’re building in B2B or SaaS, Microsoft offers a direct path to scalability – even as a young startup.

“You can co-sell with Microsoft, tap into their network, and register your SaaS product directly in their commercial marketplace. It’s a shortcut to scale.” – Filip Řehořík

He broke down which internal roles matter, what KPIs they care about, and how founders can align their offering with Microsoft’s ecosystem to generate real leads.

Final thought: Innovation is messy, hard, and totally worth it

As one attendee put it:

“Beyond the laughs, it was an extremely insightful conversation about building, scaling, and spinning off new ventures.”

This event reminded everyone that building new businesses isn’t glamorous – it’s gritty. But with the right mindset, structure, and support, it’s possible.

Don’t Miss the Next Meetup – June 17

We’re back with more real talk and real results. The next COPS Venture Builders Meetup happens on June 17 and will dive into franchising, spin-offs, and collaboration models that scale.

Featuring a keynote by Adam Dostál, a panel discussion, Q&A, and tons of networking.

Details & RSVP here:

https://cops.solutions/2025/05/cops-venture-builders-meetup-17-6/

Spots are limited. Join fellow builders, investors, and corporate innovators shaping the future of ventures in Europe.