Theme: Z tmy do svetla (From dark to light)

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized (subject to certain rules and regulations).

Slovak National Gallery
Riečna 1
Bratislava, Bratislavský kraj, 815 13
Slovakia

Adrián Purkart

zoologist

Adrián Purkart is a scientific researcher working at the Department of Zoology of the Faculty of Natural Sciences of Comenius University in Bratislava. He focuses on the study of insects and their life in a human-affected landscape. His main specialization is ants. This socially living insect has fascinated him since childhood.

Denisa Šulcová

the first Slovak mountain guide

Denisa Šulcová is a climber, skier, skiing instructor, but especially the first Slovak mountain guide. In 2022 in Chamonix, she won the prestigious UIAGM title. She worked in many corners of the Earth and dedicated herself to running demanding ultramarathons. As a native of Poprad, she works in her beloved region under the Tatras. When she is not spending time with clients, she devotes herself to her two daughters. It also organizes the MFHF in Poprad, which allows it to share experiences and develop professional potential in the community of mountain lovers.

Erik Šille

artist

Erik Šille is a prominent visual artists from the middle generation in Slovakia. He focuses on painting and drawing, taking inspiration from animated films, advertising, and various forms of subcultures. He pays attention to public, political and ecological issues, eclectically combining references to various contents and contexts. Since 2004, he has been exhibiting regularly in Slovakia and abroad. He has also held solo exhibitions in Japan, the USA, Indonesia and received several awards.

Filip Dřímalka

digital innovation expert

Filip is a leading expert on digital trends. He translates his know-how into strategic business management consulting and successful development programs. He founded the Digiskills.cz project, which develops the digital skills of tens of thousands of employees, and the Digitask project, the first marketplace of digital innovations and experts in the Czech Republic. He wrote the first Czech book on digital transformation, HOT : How to Succeed in a Digital World, and is now finishing his second book, The Future of No-Work.

Hugo Repáň

entrepreneur

As a student, Hugo founded the recycling project EcoButt, where he transforms cigarette waste into construction material for repairing roads and sidewalks. Today, he leads a growing company that has several successful implementations behind and a great future ahead.

Iryna Zelyk

writer

A mum who writes fairy tales based on real life. Iryna Zelyk graduated from the University of Economics in Bratislava and is currently studying psychology. After her second child was born, she started writing fairy tales to help her older son understand the emotions associated with the arrival of a sibling. Today, Iryna is one of the most popular children's authors and her unique books about children's feelings have become, for many families, an inspiration and a part of the emotional education of their children.

Jasmína Houdek

self-defense instructor

Jasmína is a leading figure in the fight against sexualized violence. As a rape-survivor she overcame her trauma by founding the Modern Self-Defense startup and co-authoring the bestseller Modern Self-Defense. She promotes emancipatory self-defense at conferences and in excluded locations and tries to get it into the curriculum. She teaches to use the voice as a weapon and to avoid violence before it breaks out under the slogan: "If I speak up today, I don't have to defend myself physically tomorrow." She is the laureate of the Františka Plamínková award in the feminist of the year category.

Lenka Molčányiová Pavol Bereza

saxophonist and flautist with musical accompaniment

Lenka Molčányiová is a multi-genre saxophonist, flautist and co-founder of o.z. Beyond Music. She studied baroque music and jazz abroad and continues her studies at the prestigious New England Conservatory in Boston starting in September. She is a member of the jazz band Tibor Feledi Kairos Quintet, with whom she won the Radio_Head Awards and performed at the Bratislava Jazz Days. With her project Baroque Goes Jazz Trio she played concerts at Viva Musica! and City Sounds festivals.

Lucia Ciranová

designer

Lucia is a strategic designer with a background in design research, strategic foresight and sustainable innovation, curious about the intersection of design, technology and human behaviour. She has worked with global brands such as Fjord London (Accenture Song), Google, Adidas, Space 10 & IKEA as well as tech-for-good startups and public institutions in the UK and Scandinavia. She’s currently leading the design unit at the Research and Innovation Authority at the Government Office of Slovakia.

Lucia Morvai

manager

Lucia is the Director of External Relations and Communications at the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) Administrator. As a project manager she was present at the birth of a system, which, shortly after its launch, surpassed all expectations regarding the efficiency of the collection and subsequent recycling of bottles and cans. This system changed consumer behaviour, had an impact on the quality of the environment and became an inspiration for many other countries preparing to introduce their own DRS.

Lucia Záhorcová

psychologist and counselor

Lucia is a psychologist, counselor for the bereaved, university teacher and researcher at the Institute of Experimental Psychology CSPS SAS. Her heart’s subject is forgiveness both in research and practice. She received education in Forgiveness Therapy under the guidance of Prof. Enright at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Through profile odpustenie.sk, she popularizes the topic of forgiveness and related psychological topics. She is finishing a book about forgiveness to one’s own healing.

Lukáš Priškin

entrepreneur

Lukáš Priškin is the founder of the social enterprise Deeply, where they break down prejudices against medically and socially disadvantaged people through quality work, while creating flexible jobs for them in cleaning services. He studied Catholic theology and graduated from the Nexteria leadership academy. During his studies, he founded the civic association Zmudri.sk, which is dedicated to the education of teachers and young people throughout Slovakia. The Deeply project won the Social Impact Award in 2022.

Marek Pupák

photographer

Marek Pupak is a Slovak documentary photographer and the recipient of multiple Slovak Press Photo awards. An alumnus of the Academy of Arts in Banska Bystrica, he specialized in Documentary Directing. Marek´s photographs have been globally showcased, standing witness to the societal moods and the human footprints in public spaces in our modern world. Currently, his most famous project is Blue Grandma, in which Marek immortalizes his special bond with his blue-haired grandma through the lens.

Martin Geišberg

musician

Martin Geišberg is a Slovak playwright, musician, lyricist and singer. He studied theatre dramaturgy at the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava.He is the author of the music for the musical-poetic recital Four Seasons in the Slovak National Theatre based on the novel of the same name by Marian Geišberg. He has given concerts with various bands and performers and also with his own group UMK (Art of Loving Beauty).Geišberg's music combines elements of pop, rock and folk and often reflects on social issues, cultural changes or personal experiences.

Pavel Houdek

self-defense instructor

Pavel is the main lecturer of the network of modern self-defense schools, which offer violence prevention through emancipatory self-defense. Teaching is based on scientific foundations and data on real crimes. He graduated from the Faculty of Law of Charles University, specializing in criminal law and criminology. For years, he has been working in non-profit organizations to help victims of crimes and publicly promotes the elimination of sexual and gender-based violence. He is the co-author of the bestseller Modern Self-Defense.

Veronika Magočová

neurosurgeon

Veronika Magočová is a neurosurgeon at the University Hospital in Košice where she at the age of 28 performed the first brain surgery of its kind in Slovakia, something rarely seen in neurosurgery. As the lead neurosurgeon, Veronika led the team that performed the first deep brain stimulation in Slovakia on a patient with Parkinson’s disease using the so-called frameless method.