DATANA by BioSistemika Wins PODIM 2026 Pitching Competition

A Slovenian startup that stores digital data in synthetic DNA just beat 1,000+ applicants to win Central Europe’s most prestigious pitching competition — backed by EIC Accelerator, EIC Pathfinder, and NATO DIANA.

📍 Maribor, Slovenia  ·  May 13, 2026  ·  3 min read

DATANA, a patented technology for storing digital data in synthetic DNA, has won the PODIM Pitching Competition 2026. Developed by Ljubljana-based BioSistemika, it beat four other finalists on May 12 in Maribor before a jury of leading European VCs and a live audience of 1,100 — the largest PODIM in the conference’s 46-year history. For the first time ever, two Slovenian startups reached the final round simultaneously.

Storing the world’s data in a drop of DNA

The premise behind DATANA is both simple and radical: what if the world’s exploding data problem could be solved using biology? By 2025, global data production reached 175 zettabytes — ten times what humanity produced in 2017 — yet conventional storage infrastructure cannot keep up. Data centres are expensive, energy-hungry, physically vulnerable, and already produce as many CO2 emissions as the aviation industry.

DATANA’s answer is synthetic DNA. The patented technology stores binary data as DNA molecules, offering durability lasting thousands of years, zero digital footprint, and full resistance to cyberattacks and physical damage. The core breakthrough — a proprietary encoding algorithm combined with a liquid-handling system that operates at picolitre volumes (one billionth of a millilitre) — brings the cost of DNA storage down to levels comparable with conventional media for the first time. To put the density in perspective: this technology could store all the world’s data in one litre of DNA solution.

Fifteen years of science behind a two-minute pitch

BioSistemika was founded in 2010 as a spin-off of Slovenia’s National Institute of Biology. Today it employs nearly 50 people and develops software for instrument manufacturers, research laboratories, and scientific equipment providers. DATANA emerged from that research base in 2017 and has since secured an extraordinary string of European and transatlantic validations: funding from the EIC Accelerator, EIC Pathfinder, and NATO DIANA — a triple that very few startups anywhere in Europe can claim.

Behind me stands a great team working incredibly hard. We are passionate about our project and proud that we managed to transfer this enthusiasm to both the audience and the jury. This victory validates our work so far and confirms that we are on the right path, especially now as we are preparing to seek investors. Our primary goal for this year is securing investment so we can bring our technology to market.
— Anže Smerdelj, DATANA / BioSistemika

The competition that opened the door

PODIM is one of the most important startup and technology events in the Alps-Adriatic and Western Balkans region, with a 46-year tradition. This year’s edition in Maribor gathered 1,100 participants from 34 countries, over 60 VC funds managing more than €10 billion in assets, and 220 startups selected from more than 1,000 applicants. The Pitching Competition is its flagship contest — past winners have used the visibility to accelerate investment timelines and open partnerships that would otherwise have taken years.

The prize package adds firepower to DATANA’s fundraising push: a place in the Podim London Springboard — a three-day programme connecting the winner with London’s investor community — and a spot in the Fundraising Bootcamp led by angel investor François Mazoudier.

DNA data storage is one of the most watched frontiers in deep tech — Microsoft, Twist Bioscience, and a handful of European labs have all been working on it for years. What makes BioSistemika’s DATANA different is the commercialisation pathway: a patented encoding system, a working prototype, a proven cost-reduction breakthrough, and now a fundraising round in active preparation. The PODIM win puts a spotlight on that process at exactly the right moment. Watch this one closely.

More at datana-storage.com · biosistemika.com · podim.org

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