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The ECC Hungary community on a rooftop terrace above Budapest

Your Startup Journey Begins Here.

Hungary’s largest student-run startup launchpad, connecting driven students with the world of startups, VC, and innovation.

See the programs

Applications are closed. They’ll reopen next semester — see you then!

The community in numbers

  • 90+

    Active members

  • 3

    Founder programs

  • 30+

    Conferences & external events a year

  • about 100

    Investors & guests at Demo Day

How joining works

One application, three tracks

Everyone joins ECC through the same application. On it you choose a track, and that choice decides which extra questions you answer and what you can be accepted into.

Choose your track on the application

  • General membership

    Standard questions

    Join the community and everything that comes with it: events, free conference tickets, Startup 101, Founder’s Academy and Coworking Sundays.

  • Membership + FF6

    Extra, detailed questions about your idea

    For serious teams already building: six weeks of weekly mentoring on your venture, ending with a Demo Day pitch.

  • Membership + Management Team

    Extra questions

    For people who want to help run ECC: a role on the Management Team for one semester or longer.

What happens next

  1. Apply once

    Fill in the one ECC application and choose your track. It takes about 30 minutes.

  2. Interview

    We get to know you and talk through the track you chose.

  3. You’re in

    If you’re accepted, you become an ECC member, and join FF6 or the Management Team too if you chose it and it’s a fit.

Not a fit for FF6 or the Management Team this time?

You can still be accepted as a member. As a member you can apply again any time: to FF6 once your team is building, or to the Management Team.

Membership includes

Valuable on its own, whichever track you choose.

  • The community and its events
  • Free tickets to external conferences, summits and talks
  • Startup 101 (4 sessions through the semester)
  • The Founder’s Academy online platform
  • The member platform
  • Coworking Sundays
  • The right to apply to FF6 or the Management Team at any time

Applications are closed. They’ll reopen next semester — see you then!

Programs this semester

Find your program

Three programs for different stages, all for ECC members: a mentored fellowship for teams already building, an entry-level course, and an online academy.

★ Flagship

Founder Fellowship (FF6)

Take the venture you're building to the next level.

Our flagship program for serious teams already building their venture. For six weeks you work on it with weekly mentoring from some of Hungary's best mentors, then pitch it at Demo Day to judges, investors and incubator leaders in front of a selective audience of around 100 people.

How to get in Choose the FF6 track in your ECC application, or apply any time as a member once your team is building.

Meet the FF6 mentors

At a glance

Length
6 weeks
Mentoring
Weekly, on your venture
Finale
Demo Day pitch
Stage
Already building

What you get

  • Weekly mentoring from the FF6 mentors
  • A Demo Day pitch to judges and investors
  • A selective audience of around 100 people

You'll work with

Entry level

Startup 101

Startup fundamentals plus practical skills, spread across the semester.

Format
Startup basics plus practical skills
When
4 sessions through the semester
Experience needed
None

How to get in No application – open to all members, 4 sessions through the semester.

Led by Péter Péntek, with all sessions from incredible people at OUVC.

You'll work with

Online

Founder's Academy

A structured startup curriculum on ECC’s online platform, at your own pace.

Format
Online platform
Pace
Self-paced
Idea needed
No

How to get in Online and self-paced for members.

All programs start with one ECC application.

Apply once, choose your track, and the programs open up from there.

Applications are closed. They’ll reopen next semester — see you then!

★ Flagship

Founder Fellowship (FF6)

Take the venture you're building to the next level.

Length
6 weeks
Mentoring
Weekly, on your venture
Finale
Demo Day pitch
Stage
Already building

Our flagship program for serious teams already building their venture. For six weeks you work on it with weekly mentoring from some of Hungary's best mentors, then pitch it at Demo Day to judges, investors and incubator leaders in front of a selective audience of around 100 people.

Who it’s for

Serious teams already building their venture and ready to put 50% or more of their time into it. Mentors' time is reserved for committed teams, so the FF6 track asks more detailed questions about your venture than the general application.

What you’ll do

  • Work on your own venture for six weeks.
  • Meet your mentors every week to work through your next steps.
  • Prepare your pitch and present it at Demo Day.

Format and length

6 weeks, with a mentoring session every week. After that, teams keep building until Demo Day and beyond.

What you get

  • Weekly mentoring from the five FF6 mentors and the ECC Mentoring team
  • A Demo Day pitch to judges, investors and incubator leaders
  • A selective audience of around 100 people in the room

How to get in

Choose the FF6 track on your ECC application; it adds more detailed questions about your venture, and you pitch it at the interview. Already a member? You can apply to FF6 any time once your team is building. If FF6 isn't a fit this time, you can still be accepted as a member.

Not a member yet? Everything starts with one application.

Applications are closed. They’ll reopen next semester — see you then!

Who runs it

The five FF6 mentors, together with ECC’s Mentoring team.
Entry level

Startup 101

Startup fundamentals plus practical skills, spread across the semester.

Format
Startup basics plus practical skills
When
4 sessions through the semester
Experience needed
None

ECC’s base-level program. Sessions run evenly across the semester and pair startup fundamentals with complementary practical skills, like a very first introduction to vibe coding, so you leave with a more useful all-round toolkit.

Who it’s for

Every member, especially if you have just joined: it’s the base-level program, so you don’t need an idea or any experience. Members who joined earlier are welcome too.

What you’ll do

  • Core sessions on startup fundamentals, spread evenly across the semester.
  • Complementary practical skills, such as a very basic introduction to vibe coding.
  • An interactive closing session and extra materials.

Format and length

4 sessions spread evenly through the semester, with an interactive closing session.

What you get

  • A solid grounding in how startups work
  • Practical skills that complement the theory
  • Sessions from incredible people at OUVC

How to get in

No application needed. Any ECC member can join Startup 101: 4 sessions through the semester. Most people take it in their first semester as a member.

Not a member yet? Everything starts with one application.

Applications are closed. They’ll reopen next semester — see you then!

Who runs it

Led by Péter Péntek, with all sessions from incredible people at OUVC.
Online

Founder's Academy

A structured startup curriculum on ECC’s online platform, at your own pace.

Format
Online platform
Pace
Self-paced
Idea needed
No

Work through a structured startup curriculum online, whenever it suits you. Track your progress, submit your work, and come back to it any time. You don’t need an idea to start.

Who it’s for

Any member who wants a structured way to learn the startup basics on their own schedule. You don’t need an idea to start.

What you’ll do

  • Work through a structured startup curriculum.
  • Track your progress as you go.
  • Submit your work on the platform.

Format and length

An online platform you use at your own pace. No fixed sessions and no check-ins.

What you get

  • A complete, structured curriculum you can come back to
  • A clear view of your own progress
  • Overlaps with Startup 101 in places, so the two reinforce each other

How to get in

Included in ECC membership. Once you’re a member, you get access to the platform.

Not a member yet? Everything starts with one application.

Applications are closed. They’ll reopen next semester — see you then!

Beyond the programs

Membership gets you in the room

ECC is invited to conferences, summits, talks, pitch competitions and exhibitions all year round. The invitations usually come with free tickets, and those tickets go to members.

How the tickets work

  1. 1–2 invitations a week

    More than 30 a year, a little quieter over the winter and summer breaks.

  2. Around 10 free tickets each

    A board member posts them in the all-members group chat.

  3. First to reply, first to go

    As long as you're an active member: we want ECC to be well represented in every room.

Selected invitations

Hosted by ECC at Corvinus

A talk by István Kapitány

Hungary's Minister for Economy and Energy

15 October 2026
  • AI Summit Budapest The region's largest AI summit
  • Marketing Summit
  • Fundraising CEE
  • Hunban Startup Arena June 2026
  • Tech in the City – CBD '26 @ SAP Discounted tickets for members
  • InnovateMeOut
  • FIT Poland III Training program of the Polish-Hungarian Chamber of Commerce
  • Internship opportunities Shared with members, e.g. from Voovo and STRT Holdings

In-house, open to every member

  • Pitch training with David Trayford

    Sharpen how you present your idea, in a session open to every member.

  • Máté Cvitkó on startup financing

    The CEO and co-founder of Sharee on how startups get funded, followed by networking.

See what's coming up

Community

Where the community actually meets

The programs are only part of it. The rest happens at camp, on Sundays, at events and in the group chats.

  • A founder pitching to a packed audience at Demo Day
    Flagship, every semester

    Demo Day

    The FF6 teams pitch their ventures to judges, investors and incubator leaders, in front of a selective audience of around 100 people.

    Demo Day details
  • New members sharing burgers at an onboarding dinner

    Intro camp & onboarding

    Every semester opens with an intro camp for new members, then a welcome night and an onboarding period to find your people.

  • Coworking Sundays

    On selected Sundays (not every week), we work side by side on startups, theses and side projects.

    Not a member yet? You're welcome to join. Just give the Management Team a heads-up first, by email or with a call to one of us.

    eccorvinus@gmail.com
  • Members gathered on a rooftop at sunset, with Budapest behind them

    Community one-offs

    The things no syllabus would plan, like last semester's ECC hike.

  • Day to day, we're on WhatsApp and Instagram

    Members talk and plan in WhatsApp groups. Instagram is where you can follow what we're up to.

    ECC on Instagram (opens in a new tab)

Next on the calendar

See all events

More events are on the way. Instagram is the quickest place to hear about them.

Founder Fellowship Mentors

Learn from Industry Experts

Our mentors are founders, investors and operators who have built companies themselves, and they work with our FF6 teams throughout the program.

Currently mentoring our FF6 founders. Founder Fellowship (FF6)

More mentors joining soon We're growing the FF6 mentor network. New mentors will appear here as they join.
More mentors joining soon We're growing the FF6 mentor network. New mentors will appear here as they join.

Swipe to meet every mentor

Our Team

The People Behind ECC

ECC is run by students. The board sets the direction, and three divisions do the day-to-day work, each with its own lead and team.

Board

Leads ECC and its three divisions.

Three divisions

  • Community

    Runs onboarding for every new member, builds the small teams that help them settle in during their first weeks, hosts the community challenge, and keeps people active with community programs and events all semester.

  • Mentoring

    Runs the FF6 program, manages the mentor network, scouts new founders, and organizes workshops and conferences that give members access to investors and experienced founders.

  • Marketing

    Runs the recruitment campaign, keeps ECC's message consistent across every channel, promotes events and programs on social media, maintains the website, supports the other divisions' projects, and shows people what being a member actually feels like.

    This division is building its team. Want in? See how to join the Management Team below.

Join the Management Team

Help run one of the three divisions and gain hands-on leadership experience.

Applications are closed. They’ll reopen next semester — see you then!

How to apply
Choose the Management Team track on the ECC application, or apply any time once you’re a member.
Length
One semester, or longer if you stay on.
If you’re not selected
You can still be accepted into ECC as a member.

Open roles When ECC is looking for someone for a specific role, we’ll announce it here.

Our partners

Partner with us

Companies, institutions and investors work with ECC to meet motivated students and early-stage founders: at Demo Day, at our events and through the programs. If that sounds useful to you, write to us and we'll find a format that fits.

Write to us

Frequently asked questions

Answers for future members, current members, companies and partners, and anyone curious about ECC.

For future members

How do I join ECC?

You fill in one application and choose a track on it: general membership, membership + FF6, or membership + Management Team. The FF6 and Management Team tracks come with a few extra questions. After that comes an interview. Most applicants who aren’t taken into FF6 or the Management Team are still accepted as members.

How joining works
When can I apply?

Applications are closed right now and reopen next semester. Check back here then.

Do I need a startup idea?

No. You don’t need an idea to become a member or to join Startup 101, which needs no application and is open to every member (4 sessions through the semester). FF6 is different: it’s for serious teams that are already building their venture.

Can I apply if I’m not a Corvinus student?

Yes. ECC welcomes students from all universities in Hungary, primarily BSc and MSc students and those who graduated very recently. PhD students are welcome too, with a reduced experience.

Is ECC part of Corvinus?

Yes. ECC is an official student organisation at Corvinus University of Budapest, and it’s open to students from all universities in Hungary.

What happens at the interview?

The interview takes about 15 minutes (a little longer if you apply for FF6). It’s in person at the ECC office at Corvinus, with at least two Management Team members, usually more. Tell us about yourself: your motivations, what you think ECC can offer you, how you’d like to contribute and whether you’d be active, and whether you’re passionate about our community, events, mission and entrepreneurship in general. If you’ve already built something, tell us about it. We look for commitment, passion, curiosity and a fit with the club’s mission and vision. If you apply for FF6, you also pitch your venture: what it is and which phase it’s in. Apart from that, no preparation is currently required.

How much time does it take?

General membership takes about 2 hours a week, depending on how many events you come to, and we’d love to see you at plenty of them. FF6 takes 50% or more of your time: we select serious teams in mature build phases, who work with some of Hungary’s best mentors. The Management Team is a commitment of one semester or longer.

What if I’m not accepted into FF6 or the Management Team?

You can still be accepted as a member, and as a member you can apply again any time.

Where are you based?

Our office is E79 on the ground floor of Building E at Corvinus University of Budapest (1093 Budapest, Fővám tér 8.), on the western corridor facing the Danube.

For current members

How do I get a free conference ticket?

On an average week ECC is invited to 1–2 external events, usually with around 10 free tickets. A board member, usually Márton or Anna, posts them in the all-members group chat, and the first active members to reply get to go.

How do I join Startup 101?

There’s no application. Startup 101 is open to every member: 4 sessions through the semester. It’s most popular with new members. Keep an eye on the member channels to see when it starts.

Can I apply to FF6 or the Management Team now?

Yes. As a member you can apply to either at any time. If you feel up for it, speak to the Management Team.

Where do I find the member platform and Founder’s Academy?

The member platform is at platform.ecchungary.hu. Founder’s Academy, ECC’s online learning platform, lives there too: work through it at your own pace.

Open the member platform (opens in a new tab)
Can I bring a friend to Coworking Sunday?

Yes. Coworking Sundays don’t happen every Sunday, but non-members are welcome after a heads-up to the Management Team: email eccorvinus@gmail.com or call one of us.

Email the team

For companies and partners

How can we partner with ECC?

Email us at eccorvinus@gmail.com and tell us what you have in mind. We’ll find a format that fits.

Email us
What do partners get?

Access to motivated students and early-stage founders: at Demo Day, where the FF6 teams pitch, at our events and through our programs.

Can we invite ECC members to our event?

Yes. ECC regularly shares invitations and tickets with its members. Email us the details.

Email us
How can I become a mentor?

Email us and we’ll set up a call. Our mentors work with the FF6 teams.

Email us
Can we attend Demo Day?

The next Demo Day is in December 2026, with a selective audience of around 100 guests: judges, investors and incubator leaders. If you’d like to attend, get in touch.

Get in touch
Where are you based?

Our office is E79 on the ground floor of Building E at Corvinus University of Budapest (1093 Budapest, Fővám tér 8.), on the western corridor facing the Danube.

For curious visitors

What is ECC?

ECC Hungary (Entrepreneurship Club of Corvinus) is a student-run startup community and an official student organisation at Corvinus University of Budapest. We run programs for students who want to build, connect them with mentors, and share invitations to external events with our members.

Who runs ECC?

Students. ECC is run by a board and three divisions: Community, Mentoring and Marketing.

Meet the team
Is ECC part of Corvinus?

Yes. ECC is an official student organisation at Corvinus University of Budapest, and it’s open to students from all universities in Hungary.

Where are you based?

Our office is E79 on the ground floor of Building E at Corvinus University of Budapest (1093 Budapest, Fővám tér 8.), on the western corridor facing the Danube.

How can I follow what you do?

On Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook.

Didn’t find your answer?

Write to us eccorvinus@gmail.com

One application. Everything ECC has to offer.

Apply once and choose your track on the form. Every member gets the community, free event tickets, Startup 101, Founder's Academy and Coworking Sundays, and can apply to FF6 or the Management Team at any time later.

Tracks you can choose on the application

  • General membership
  • Membership + FF6
  • Membership + Management Team

Applications are closed. They’ll reopen next semester — see you then!

Talk to the team

Get in Touch

Whether you're a student, a potential partner, or a sponsor looking to support the next generation of founders, we'd love to hear from you.

Email Us General Inquiries & Partnerships:
eccorvinus@gmail.com
Our Office Where to find us on campus:
Building E, office E79 (ground floor) Corvinus University of Budapest 1093 Budapest, Fővám tér 8. You'll find us on the western corridor of Building E, the one facing the Danube.
Registered Address Our official registered seat:
1116 Budapest, Zsurló utca 24.
Follow Us See what we're up to.

Applications

Applications are closed.

Our applications are closed and will reopen next semester. See you then!

Questions until then? Write to the team, we’re happy to help.

Talk to the team