Young founders, cleaner towns, stronger student-company links. Výkop shows the Liberec Region has ideas

Early-stage entrepreneurs are changing their strategy. While just a few years ago they were mainly looking for investors, today they are primarily seeking their first customers, market validation for their product, and experienced mentors. This is also confirmed by this year’s edition of Výkop, a programme run by the Lipo.ink business incubator, which supported eight startups from the Liberec Region, ranging from a seventeen-year-old entrepreneur and technology for constructed wetlands to a platform connecting students with companies.

“There was strong interest in this year’s edition of the programme once again. Eight projects from very different fields made it to the final selection. Although the programme also includes an opportunity to approach investors, most participants were not primarily looking for capital. What they wanted most was feedback and advice from experienced people. For them, the most valuable part is the connection with people who can help move their project forward,” explains Petra Sedláčková, programme manager.

Students without experience, companies without people

Praxijo, one of the eight startups in this year’s Výkop programme, connects students with employers and responds to a common problem faced by young people, who often make decisions about their future without enough information or contact with real-world practice. It offers a space for building portfolios, sharing experience, and finding high-quality internships and part-time jobs. For companies, it helps identify young people who have a genuine interest in their field.

The project was founded by students who themselves felt that decisions about the future are often made mainly on the basis of experience shared by friends and family.

“It can be done differently, and it can be done better. Cooperation between students and companies can be much more effective than it is today. We want to help students gain relevant experience and make it easier for companies to find the right people,” say members of the Praxijo team.

Business before turning eighteen

Another project that stood out among this year’s participants was Akviza. Behind it is seventeen-year-old student Robin Horáček, who wants to help companies implement automation and free salespeople from routine administrative work.

The idea grew out of his own experience in a student organisation, where he was responsible for sales.

“We were managing spreadsheets instead of actually selling. That is why I started working on Akviza. I want to help companies introduce systems that allow them to focus on customers and business, not administration,” explains the founder of Akviza.

Because he was not yet eighteen, he also had to deal with legal obstacles when setting up the company and obtain court approval for a minor to conduct business. The environment of the business advisory service and later the Výkop programme helped him with this as well. Akviza has now been operating for almost a year. Robin Horáček is currently looking for contacts and further business opportunities rather than a direct investor.

He came up with a way to simplify constructed wetlands

A completely different story is offered by Kantostroj, a project that originally began as Martin Kanta’s diploma thesis on constructed wetlands for wastewater treatment. Today, it is developing into a business project with the ambition to help municipalities and smaller towns treat wastewater more simply and at lower cost.

Martin Kanta focuses on technology for constructed wetlands, which are a common part of water management infrastructure in countries such as France and Austria, but are used significantly less in the Czech Republic. His project aims to change this situation by making the technology simpler.

“I had already worked out the technical part during my diploma thesis. The hardest part is not coming up with something, but getting it into practice. Výkop helped me find a way to develop the project further and test it in real operation,” says Martin Kanta, founder of Kantostroj.

The project is already preparing further technology development and is discussing pilot testing with experts who specialise in implementing constructed wetlands.

Money alone is not enough to kick-start a business

“I am convinced that when we give people with good ideas support at the start of their business journey, it benefits not only them, but the entire region. New companies, jobs, and solutions emerge, with a real impact on the life around us. Great thanks therefore go to the Liberec Region, which, through Lipo.ink, has long been creating the conditions for people with courage and good ideas to develop their projects. In my view, entrepreneurship, innovation, and the desire to change things for the better are among the keys to ensuring that the Liberec Region remains a prosperous and attractive place to live and work in the long term,” says Ondřej Král, director of Lipo.ink.

Výkop is a three-month incubation programme for early-stage entrepreneurs from the Liberec Region. It offers participants workshops, mentoring, expert consultations, and the opportunity to present their project to investors. Many graduates subsequently continue in other Lipo.ink programmes or further develop their business using the contacts and experience gained during the programme.