Jan Cifra
Operator · Strategist · Investor
Operator, strategist, and investor based in Bratislava. I work with founders and boards across Central Europe on strategy, leadership transitions, and scaling technology businesses through inflection points.
What I'm reading
All notes →GameStop — an $11B meme-stock relic — trying to acquire $45B eBay is either Ryan Cohen's boldest pivot or the most elaborate way to destroy shareholder value since the NFT marketplace era.
The DOD's Anthropic fallout has a silver lining for everyone else — Nvidia, Microsoft, and AWS just filled the gap. When the government diversifies its AI vendors after one contract dispute, that's less a procurement story and more a warning about single-vendor dependency at the highest classification levels.
Nine months ago Anthropic was worth $61B. Now supposedly $900B — a 15x jump while still burning cash and chasing OpenAI. Either AI is the greatest wealth creation machine in history, or this is the most expensive game of valuation chicken ever played.
About
I take on executive leadership roles, independent board seats, and senior advisory work across Slovakia and the wider Central Europe and DACH region. My focus is technology, SaaS, and e-commerce businesses at inflection points — scaling, leadership transitions, restructuring, or preparing for an exit.
Earlier I spent six years scaling a CEE web hosting group — WebSupport, Active24, and Webonic — from a single brand into a multi-country operation, before becoming CEO of Dedoles, one of Central Europe's fastest-growing e-commerce brands. MBA from Vlerick Business School; Executive Program in Strategy and Organization at Stanford GSB. Independent board member at Vacuumlabs and SAPIE, the Slovak alliance for innovation.
Based in Bratislava. I work in Slovak, English, German, and Czech.
Investments
Alongside operational and strategic work, I invest in early-stage and growth-stage companies in Central Europe — primarily technology, SaaS, e-commerce, and digital infrastructure. I look for founders who want more than capital: a hands-on partner who has run a P&L, scaled a multi-country operation, and sat on both sides of the table.
Services
I work with founders, boards, and investors who need senior strategic and operational experience — not just advice.
Experience
20 years across software, cloud services, e-commerce, and consulting in Central Europe — from service desk to CEO. Currently leading Dedoles, with board roles at Vacuumlabs and SAPIE.
View full experience →Contact
Founders, boards, investors, and partners — happy to hear from you.