It’s tricky, if not impossible, to introduce Tomáš Studeník in one word. Tomáš is a multi-passionate and serial innovator, Founder of the Caelestinus incubator and the GreenHack hackathon, the CEO of Insane Business Ideas – and last but not least, a long-term partner of ours. This year marked our fifth consecutive year as proud partners of his hackathon platform, GreenHack – but our interview covers much more than that. Ahead of our next joint event, the Soulmates VC Brunch, Tomáš shares his insights into the next generation of Czech founders and what it takes for teams to succeed under pressure.
This year marked your sixth time organising GreenHack. How has the rise of AI changed what can be built in 24 hours?
Two or three years ago, a hackathon prototype usually meant a clickable mockup, a rough backend, and a lot of optimism in the pitch deck. Today, thanks to AI, teams can build something that actually feels real in just 24 hours.
AI has changed the speed of everything: coding, design, research, data analysis, even storytelling. The best teams are no longer limited by how fast they can write code or pick up a new skill, but by how clearly they can think. The real shift is from “what can we build in time?” to “are we building the right thing?” And because AI makes building faster than ever, validation matters more than ever too.
During the hackathon, the teams deal with time pressure as well as with stress and lack of sleep, but what do you think is the number one challenge they actually have to overcome in order to succeed?
The biggest challenge isn’t the lack of sleep. Honestly, hackers can survive on coffee, bananas, and pure delusion for quite a while. The real challenge is focus.
In 24 hours, you have too many ideas, too many features, too many tools, and too many opinions. The winning teams aren’t the ones who do the most. They’re the ones who make the smartest cuts, validate quickly, and find the right partners who can help turn a weekend prototype into something real.
They understand the problem, choose one clear direction, and then execute. It’s about proving that this one specific thing should exist.
Honestly, hackers can survive on coffee, bananas, and pure delusion for quite a while. The real challenge is focus.
How do you view the current Czech innovation scene? How would you describe the next generation of Czech founders?
For a long time, we were extremely strong technically, but sometimes a bit too modest on the business side. We could build amazing things, but we weren’t always vocal about them. The next generation of Czech founders is more globally minded – and more confident. They see AI tools, open source technologies, global communities, and they simply start building. Czechia has the talent. Now we just need to stop worrying about coming across as too bold.
The next generation of Czech founders is more globally minded – and more confident.
Do you have any personal vision for the future of GreenHack?
Our vision is for GreenHack to be the place where sustainability stops being a panel discussion and becomes something people can actually test, build, improve, and launch.
Together with partners like Česká spořitelna, ČEPS, and Soulmates Ventures, we want GreenHack to become a true innovation platform where students, startups, corporates, experts, and public institutions tackle challenges that matter and keep the momentum going after the weekend ends. Building a community is just as important today, because AI can help you build faster, but trust, feedback, distribution, and real adoption still come from people.
We’re bringing the same energy to our next project, Rakathon.cz, which we’re organising alongside some of the largest hospitals in the country. It’s going to be one of the biggest AI healthcare hackathons in the world.
