Study, do business, don't be afraid of failure. Entrepreneurship competition at BUT honored finalists from last two years

The BUT Student Entrepreneurship Award competition, organized by the Brno University of Technology in cooperation with the JIC innovation agency, has been running for five years. During this time, it has helped hundreds of Brno University of Technology students develop their business ideas. On Wednesday, November 12, fifteen of the most successful young entrepreneurs from the last two years gathered in the hall of the BUT Rector's Office to receive their awards and discuss their experiences.

What were the participants' entrepreneurial stories like? Did they learn about the downside of entrepreneurship or the harshness of business? How did they seek and find a balance between studying at university and entrepreneurship? What do they see as the main benefit of the competition? These were some of the questions discussed by two panels, which brought together successful participants from the fourth and fifth years of the competition after they received their diplomas from representatives of the BUT management and the best of them received glass rocket trophies, symbolizing innovation and a bold start to their careers.

"I am very proud of what BUT students can achieve. I can still see some of the amazing ideas that were created during the competition. Among other things, they are the result of creative thinking and the ability to pursue one's dreams. Both are essential for entrepreneurship. This is especially true today, when things are happening in the world of technology that we could only dream of and read about in science fiction literature years ago. Creative thinking, entrepreneurship, and innovation are also increasingly important not only for entrepreneurs but also for employers who are calling for graduates with these skills," said BUT Rector Ladislav Janíček as the competition organizer, adding his thanks to JIC for its long-term cooperation on the Go to Business! project, within which the competition takes place.

He also emphasized that entrepreneurship is a supported, legitimate, and strategic part of the university's functioning. "The establishment and development of businesses based on know-how that originated at the university is an expression of the quality of education that develops students' ability to apply their acquired knowledge and skills in practice. However, it is also an expression of their innovative thinking, courage, and ability to take risks, as well as their desire to one day be not just employees, but entrepreneurs with the ability to compete globally. These are the qualities of modern graduates of technical universities. We consider the support of education that develops the creativity and entrepreneurial thinking of our students, as well as applied research whose results have entrepreneurial potential, to be one of the key priorities of our university's strategic direction," added the rector of BUT.

The award ceremony was also attended by Jan Zámečník, Deputy Governor of the South Moravian Region and Petr Chládek, Director of the JIC Innovation Agency. He thanked BUT for its very significant and active role in supporting and building an entrepreneurship system that is one of the most respected ecosystems of its kind across universities in the Czech Republic, and recalled the positive influence that successful business role models have on building a strong democratic society.

Benefits of the competition for participants

The idea of entrepreneurship inspired by dreams was taken up by Jindřich Šafran from Duncal Technologies, one of the authors of the idea that won an award in the fourth year of the competition. "For us, it was a dream that we realized together. It started with a meeting of four mechatronics students in the cafeteria at lunch, where we said to ourselves that we were skilled and could come up with something. We decided to develop smart devices for airsoft, paintball, and laser tag. The competition and its conditions immediately caught our attention. We signed up, and thanks to that, we moved on to the final product and founded a company," Šafran explained in the opening discussion panel.

"Financial support is important, but networking, which leads to quality contacts, has brought us more," continued Matúš Nosko from MaNoSens in the discussion about the benefits of the competition. Maroš Macko from Volteek further emphasized the boost in confidence and reassurance about the correctness of the entrepreneurial path, and Lukáš Jablončík, founder of Wattee, added that success in the competition is not a guarantee of success in real business, but it is an indication that the idea has good potential.

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Two entities also participated in the introductory discussion – MaNoSens and Wattee – which are holders of the Start-up BUT trademark. What has the trademark brought them? "It gives us a reference, we can identify where we come from," said Matúš Nosko, and Lukáš Jablončík continued: "Thanks to BUT, we met, and we think it's good to sign up with the university and give something back in some way."

"It's fantastic to see that all four projects were successful not only in the competition but also in the real market, where they are developing their products and successfully reaching customers," emphasized Veronika Chválková from JIC, who moderated the event together with Jakub Ulč from the Faculty of Business and Management at BUT.

Not everything is easy, or the downside of entrepreneurship

"Of course, we had wonderful plans, but as we found out, they can change from one minute to the next," said Jindřich Šafran in response to the moderator's question about the downside of entrepreneurship. "Even though we had support from JIC and VUT, the clash with the reality of business, especially in terms of sales, was tough. As small fish, we encountered sharks who are seasoned in this environment. It toughened us up," he said, assessing the real experience.

Maroš Macko from Volteek agreed that starting a business is more complicated and slower, and that it is necessary to temper expectations and build everything gradually. They also appreciated the legal support provided by JIC, which helped them resolve issues with contracts.

Monitoring the movement of income and expenses in company accounts, known as cash flow, is an area that most start-ups have to deal with. "It's unpleasant when, for example, you issue invoices late and have to go into the red because of it. But you have to pay your employees," Nosko described another problem. According to him, in this situation, it helps if the entrepreneur has good contracts and, above all, good relationships. "In such a case, you can always come up with something," he added.

All of the above was also confirmed by Lukáš Jablončík – from legal disputes and cash flow problems to dead ends in development. "I think that overcoming failures, of which there are many in business, is necessary for the great success that will one day come," he added.

How to balance business and study obligations

The discussion offered various experiences with simultaneously managing studies and business. It is advantageous when both domains overlap. This is the case for Jindřich Šafran. In addition to his business with Duncal Technologies, he is also focusing on his doctoral studies in Engineering Mechanics at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at BUT. Thanks to the support of his supervisor, he is successfully combining both.

On the contrary, Lukáš Jablončík pointed out the pitfalls that this combination brings. "When an opportunity arises in business, you have to jump at it. It may only come once in a lifetime. I hope I speak for other start-ups when I appeal for it to be possible in such cases to postpone the deadline for submitting a research article, for example. I would therefore like to ask for leniency and support for start-up entrepreneurs within the framework of their studies," said Lukáš Jablončík, who, in addition to his business activities, is pursuing a doctoral program in Microelectronics and Technology at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Communication Technologies at BUT.

Maroš Macko then mentioned the important role that the university's Formula Student team played in the creation of Volteek, where future colleagues met. "We learned to work beyond the scope of our normal study obligations, and these habits have also helped us in business," he explained.

Don't be afraid of failure

When asked by the moderator what message they would give to the future generation of entrepreneurial students at BUT, two finalists from the fifth year of the competition responded during the second discussion panel. Matyáš Krejza came in second place with his digital loyalty app Věrka, and Vojtěch Oravec won with his meeting planning app OneCalend.

"Definitely go for it. I didn't succeed the first time, but I got feedback on why my idea wasn't suitable for the competition. That later helped me present another idea much better, much more thoughtfully, and get it to second place," Matyáš Krejza shared his experience.

Vojtěch Oravec agreed that it is important to step outside your comfort zone and try opportunities such as the BUT Student Entrepreneurship Award competition. "The competition may be one of those places where we receive unpleasant feedback, but that is precisely what shapes an entrepreneur on their journey. It cannot be avoided. Everyone has to go through failure."

"Fear kills more than failure itself," said Vít Chlebovský, guarantor of the contriBUTe project, which oversees the competition, quoting an American saying. "It is important not to be afraid of failure and to go for it, especially during your studies, when the cost of living is lower and you have more time flexibility. That's the right time to start a business. Of course, it won't work out a few times, and you may lose tens of thousands. But in the end, that's an amazingly low tuition fee for what you learn," concluded Chlebovský.

The BUT Student Entrepreneurship Award competition lasts a total of ten months and has three stages. First, representatives from BUT and JIC select up to twenty of the most interesting ideas, which advance to the second round. In this round, participants attend a presentation skills workshop, consult with mentors, and present their ideas to a jury. In addition to the idea itself, the judges also evaluate its business model, presentation skills, and team competencies. Up to ten ideas receive initial financial support and advance to the third stage. This is followed by approximately six months of work on the ideas and further mentoring support. At the end, the students present their progress again. The main criteria for evaluation are business, human potential, work done, feasibility of the plan, sustainability of the idea, and, once again, the quality of the presentation. Students receive detailed feedback from the jury, and the most successful ideas are then presented to the competition organizer, i.e., the rector of BUT, who confirms the results of the competition. Results of the fourth year Results of the fifth year

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Author	Mgr. Petr Kubíček
Published	2025-11-21 12:13
Link	https://www.vut.cz/en/but/f19528/d310274