Two transactions on which HAVEL & PARTNERS acted as legal counsel were recognised at this year’s prestigious CVCA & SLOVCA Awards 2026, one of the leading awards programmes in the venture capital industry. The investment by PortfoLion and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in GymBeam received the award for Venture Capital Deal Slovakia. In the Impact Deal Czech Republic & Slovakia category, the winning transaction was the investment by Tilia Impact Ventures, Credo Ventures, and Purple Ventures in Czech startup DELTA GREEN.
“We greatly appreciate the trust our clients place in us and are delighted to have advised on not just one, but two transactions recognised as the leading venture capital deals across the Czech and Slovak markets. These awards reflect the quality of the companies and investors driving their continued growth. The fact that we acted as legal counsel on both award-winning transactions also underscores the strength of our team as one of the leading advisers on venture capital and growth investments in central Europe,” said Jaroslav Baier, partner at HAVEL & PARTNERS in charge of the firm’s venture capital and private equity practice.
The venture capital team at HAVEL & PARTNERS provided comprehensive legal advice to the Hungarian investment fund PortfoLion Capital Partners, acting as the lead investor in its investment in Slovak company GymBeam. GymBeam is one of Europe’s leading companies in the fitness and sports nutrition sector, with operations across numerous European markets.
The transaction represents one of the largest venture capital investments in Slovakia’s history and is widely considered to be the largest investment in a startup in the Czech-Slovak market in recent years. At the CVCA & SLOVCA Awards 2026, it was recognised by the expert jury as the VC Deal of the Year in Slovakia.
The legal advice on the transaction was led by partner Jaroslav Baier, with significant support from senior associate Peter Košecký. The HAVEL & PARTNERS team also included managing associate Dušan Valent, who advised on competition law aspects of the transaction, as well as associates Petra Kováčechová and Martina Rievajová, who provided legal advice on technology-related matters.
Another venture capital transaction recognised at the CVCA & SLOVCA Awards 2026 was the investment in DELTA GREEN by its existing investors Tilia Impact Ventures, Credo Ventures, and Purple Ventures, which received the Impact Deal Czech Republic & Slovakia award. HAVEL & PARTNERS acted as lead investor’s legal counsel on the transaction. Czech startup Delta Green has developed a solution that connects smart household appliances and enables them to function as so-called virtual batteries. The HAVEL & PARTNERS advisory team comprised partner Jaroslav Baier, senior associate Tomáš Jansa, and associate Róbert Košala.
“We have long viewed venture capital not only through the lens of a legal and business adviser, but also from the perspective of our own investment experience. Through our active involvement in venture capital investing and our close collaboration with startups, founders and investment funds, we have developed a deep understanding of how investors think and the challenges companies face at different stages of their growth. This enables us to provide practical, commercially focused legal advice and help our clients identify and capitalise on the opportunities the market presents,” said Jaroslav Havel, Managing Partner of HAVEL & PARTNERS.
Since entering the venture capital market in 2005, HAVEL & PARTNERS has established itself as a leading legal adviser on venture capital transactions in both the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Today, the firm has the region’s largest dedicated team of approximately 60 professionals advising startups, technology companies and innovations, making it the largest venture capital legal practice in the Czech-Slovak market.
The CVCA & SLOVCA Awards are among the most prestigious distinctions in the Czech and Slovak venture capital and private equity markets. The awards are jointly presented by the Czech Private Equity & Venture Capital Association (CVCA) and the Slovak Venture Capital & Private Equity Association (SLOVCA), which bring together investment funds, financial institutions and professional advisers active in the private equity and venture capital sectors. Winners in each category are selected by an expert jury and subsequently confirmed through a vote of the members of both associations.
