Cristian Dina

Tekpon

CEO @ Tekpon AI Summit & Tekpon Awards

Co-Founder

Chief Revenue Officer

Chief of Staff

Account Executive

Website Manager

Social Media Manager

Forbes

Forbes 30 under 30

SaaStock Local

City Leader

SaaStock

I was a jury at the SaaStock Global Pitch Competition, where the winning startup got an investment of $500.000.

It was an opportunity to show off your up-and-coming SaaS in front of the region’s most influential VCs and funds and the wider SaaS community.

Jury

Startup Wise Guys

Alumni SaaS Batch

carVertical

Affiliate Marketing

Co-Founder & Managing Partner @ Tekpon | City Leader @ SaaStock | SaaS Podcast Host

We rise by lifting others!

Cristian Dina is the Co-Founder of Tekpon and the CEO of Tekpon AI Summit.

His work has positioned Tekpon as a trusted software buying platform used by thousands of companies worldwide.

As the CEO of Tekpon AI Summit, he's bringing together over 1,000 B2B SaaS and AI leaders, solidifying his impact on the artificial intelligence and software community.

Cristian has personally interviewed 300+ industry leaders and authored the best-selling book King of Networking, establishing himself as one of the most connected and respected voices in the ecosystem.

At just 23 years old, Cristian was named Forbes 30 Under 30 2025, representing a new generation of tech builders, bold thinkers who move fast, build with purpose, and create real impact.

Founding Member - Right Hand to CEO

> Strategic support
> Building and nurturing relationships

Tekpon acquires TNW (The Next Web) brand from The Financial Times

Tekpon has acquired 100% of the TNW media and events brands, which cover and convene the European technology ecosystem, from the FT.

The transaction is Tekpon’s largest investment in media and events so far. It broadens the company’s reach across SaaS and AI and strengthens its role in the global innovation landscape.

TNW’s brand and editorial standards will be maintained, while its events and digital platforms will be integrated into Tekpon’s wider strategy.

The FT will continue to own and operate TNW Spaces, Amsterdam’s dynamic tech hub, offering private offices and coworking spaces that support a thriving community of startups, scale-ups, and innovators.

Alexandru Stan, Founder and CEO of Tekpon, said:

'TNW is one of Europe’s most respected technology brands. Its legacy, its community, and its influence have shaped the European tech scene for nearly twenty years. This acquisition accelerates our mission to connect the global SaaS and AI ecosystem and supports Europe’s position in the next decade of innovation.'

Tekpon will begin working on TNW branded initiatives immediately. Plans for 2026 include an expanded TNW Conference, new SaaS and AI program tracks curated by Tekpon, cross-regional executive programmes, and specialised gatherings for founders, executives, and investors.

The acquisition is part of Tekpon’s long-term plan to build an international ecosystem connecting software, media, events, advisory, and innovation.

For more information:
Tekpon: contact@tekpon.com
Financial Times: pressoffice@ft.com

CRO @ TNW | Co-Founder @ Tekpon | Forbes 30 under 30

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Big day for us

We finally announced the acquisition and the reaction has been incredible

And then this arrived

A full chocolate crown of a cake from the SaaSiest team

A small gesture that actually means a lot

Plenty of moments where you realise how much a strong community matters

Seeing partners celebrate with us like this reminds me why we do what we do

Thank you SaaSiest for the surprise 🩷

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It doesn’t matter if you land at 2 AM

If you’re flying in for Tekpon AI Summit, we take care of you ✈️

At Tekpon, leadership is service, not status.

When brilliant minds travel thousands of kilometers to join us, we show up

In person. No matter the hour.

👉 Flying in and need a ride? Drop a comment or DM.

👉 Are you a Romanian founder or executive and want to help bring global SaaS and AI legends to Romania?

🤝 This is your chance to welcome them and connect before the summit even begins.

This is how we do things at Tekpon AI Summit, together, from the very first step off the plane ✈️

CEO @ Tekpon AI Summit | Forbes 30 under 30 | Co-Founder @ Tekpon

Thank you for the great welcome in Amsterdam

Ash Lomberg, Krish Subramanian, and the entire team

Chargebee has the most beautiful office we've ever seen

How could it would be to organize an event here 👀

BREAKING: TNW has a new Editor in Chief

Meet Ana-Maria Stanciuc

She was behind the editorial standards that helped Tekpon build trust with readers and top companies. Content that was structured, honest, and useful. No noise.

If you followed Tekpon and read our Magazine, you have already seen her work. Clear thinking, strong editorial judgment, and zero patience for empty content.

She knows how to say no to fluff, how to push for clarity, and how to keep standards high, even when that makes things uncomfortable. Especially then.

Working with her is intense, direct, and very real. That is also why the best ideas survive the process.

Now it's official. Congratulations, Maria 👏

We just hired Cezar on Monday, and what does he do in his first day off?

It's Saturday and he's picking up guests from the airport, arriving for Tekpon AI Summit 

Not because someone asked or because it was expected

But because this is what leadership looks like at Tekpon 

You serve first. You take initiative.

Most companies wait months to see if someone is a cultural fit. We saw it in five days :)

Cezar turned a simple airport pickup
into a powerful first impression of Romania
and a meaningful connection with one of our speakers, Angeley Mullins

This is the standard we operate on. This is the culture we protect

And this is why Tekpon keeps growing as a global community

Bcause people like him don’t wait for titles to lead

If there's something that I learned about hiring is that the most important trait is hunger

As Cristiano Ronaldo says it, 'hunger is the most difficult'

The secret to our events?

We love what we do

We love connecting people and love people

That's why our company motto is 'We rise by lifting others'

Thank you all for joining Tekpon AI Summit ❤️

See you all in 4 days at Tekpon AI Summit

Our unofficial "Chief Compliance Officer" has inspected all Tekpon AI Summit badges

He concluded they are extremely comfortable

If you’re joining us, please know:

Your badge has been rigorously tested for softness, durability, and nap-compatibility

We work hard. But this guy clearly works smarter

Full house for Day 3 at UiPath  

Krzysztof almost missed his flight to make it for the workshop

He teaches us how to do pricing in the era of AI

Make sure you're adding him on LinkedIn

From the bottom of my heart, thank you everyone for joining Tekpon AI Summit  

Still need to process everything that happened

Yesterday we announced Tekpon AI Summit London, June 2026

Will you be joining us?

Thank you for believing in our mission and supporting us ❤️

Why we keep a Business Formal dress code at Tekpon AI Summit

Some people ask why the summit follows a business formal dress code

The short answer is that we are hosting global AI leaders, investors, and operators who fly in from all over the world.

A formal look helps us:

→ Set the tone for meaningful exchanges
→ Keep a focused and respectful environment
→ Build a sense of occasion for speakers and attendees

Step into a room full of people who are here to build the future

See you all in 5 days. And be ready for the pictures 📸

Most AI conversations start in the wrong place.

That is why Sara Maldon, Head of Business Automation & AI at Make, stood out.

This session reset how many of us think about AI in real companies.

The message was simple and much needed.

AI does not start with agents, it starts with automation that actually works.

The sales automation example made it clear. Remove manual work, save hours every week, and give people time back to focus on what humans should actually be doing.

That is how AI earns its place at work.

Sara, thank you for raising the bar on how we talk about AI in practice 👏

Tekpon Co-Founder Cristian Dina named in Forbes 30 Under 30

Read the full news now on Tekpon 👇

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n8n Amsterdam community meetup

Amazed to see what a great and active community they've built 

Huge congratulations Tino Zwirs, Stefano Manese

Look for these beautiful flags when coming to Tekpon AI Summit

See you in a few hours

Print is here to stay

Executives attending the Tekpon AI Summit left with more than business cards

They left with Tekpon Magazine under their arms, reading it on planes, in lounges, and bringing its stories into their own teams

This magazine celebrates the people building the industry: founders, innovators, and leaders whose work moves markets forward

In a world overloaded with digital noise, print creates moments of focus and reflection

Tekpon Magazine builds a bridge between the summit and the everyday work of executives around the world

Only available in print

Read the latest Tekpon Magazine tomorrow

Featuring Jeko Kolev, the founder and CEO of Nextoria 

See you all in 16 hours

Kazik inspired us to create Tekpon AI Summit

For his keynote, he had 'only' 160 slides

But the value was immense

He also shared a 1 year Perplexity subscription for the attendees

Want to scale fast with proven growth frameworks and custom AI agents?

He's the person you should reach out to

Todd Paris is flying all the way from the US to teach how AI search visibility really works

He will show why top Google pages rarely appear in AI answers. Less than ten percent overlap.

The gap is real and it is reshaping how brands get noticed.

What we'll learn tomorrow:

✅ How AI engines pick their sources
✅ Why GEO and SEO tell different stories
✅ What brands must change to stay visible

Thank you IQRush.ai for supporting the event. You can head to IQRush.ai to take their AI Readiness quiz 🚀

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