DATANA Wins PODIM 2026 Pitching Competition
BioSistemika’s pioneering R&D project DATANA, has won the official pitching competition at PODIM 2026, one of the leading startup and investor conferences in the CEE region. Selected among hundreds of startups from across Europe, the project was recognized for its technological innovation, long-term vision, and market potential.
The jury highlighted DATANA’s approach to long-term digital data preservation using synthetic DNA and recognized the technology’s relevance to addressing the growing challenges of sustainable data storage. DATANA offers a secure and durable archival storage solution that requires no electricity for long-term data preservation.
The award represents an important international recognition for the whole team and an important milestone as the project enters its next stage of growth, fundraising, and commercialization.
International Recognition and New Opportunities
In addition to winning the competition, DATANA team received access to several international growth opportunities, including participation at the Bits & Pretzels festival in Munich, a Fundraising Bootcamp, and legal advisory support from CMS.
PODIM also provided an opportunity to connect with international investors, partners, and technology leaders. During the conference, the team held fruitful one-on-one meetings with investors and industry stakeholders interested in next-generation data infrastructure technologies.
The strong response from the international startup and investment community further confirmed the relevance of DATANA’s vision and the growing interest in sustainable long-term data storage technologies.
Anže Smerdelj from the DATANA team during the winner announcement at the PODIM Conference
In the Media
The Slovenia Times: BioSistemika wins Podim Pitching Competition
Connecting The Region: Slovenian Startup Wins Top Award For DNA Data Storage Technology
English STA: Biosistemika wins Podim startup award
