When the Olomouc developers Vít Zaoral and Ivo Šnyrych started beekeeping a few years ago, they had no idea that it would be the idea that would one day win a startup competition. From the initial need to write down notes about hives and bees, the Beentry mobile app was born – today it is used by thousands of beekeepers and its authors are preparing to expand to Germany and other countries. Beentry has also confirmed its potential by winning the Startup Academy, a development programme for budding entrepreneurs, the second year of which was organised by the Innovation Centre of the Olomouc Region (ICOK).

“We started beekeeping and wanted to keep notes – at first we wrote in a notebook, but we missed being able to keep them conveniently on our mobile phones or on the web. When we couldn’t find anything usable, we thought that as developers we could create the app ourselves. And so the Beentry app was created – originally just for our needs,” says Vít Zaoral, one of the three founders of the PunkHive team behind the app’s development.

Beentry works as a clear mobile and web app that allows beekeepers to keep detailed records of hives, colonies, treatments and honey harvesting. Users can track the history of their interventions, plan actions and archive information. Almost eight thousand beekeepers have downloaded the app in four years, and the number of paying users has exceeded one thousand. This year, the Beentra team wants to expand its user base, especially in Germany, where it sees great potential.

“This year, the Startup Academy received a diverse range of ideas – from AI technologies, innovations in healthcare or veterinary care to innovations with a social impact. Beentry is an example of how a practical need and your own experience can lead to a great product that also has global potential,” says Vladislava Závrská, manager of the startup community at ICOK. The project also convinced the expert jury of the Startup Academy competition. “Beentry has everything a strong startup should have – an experienced founding team, clear added value for users, minimal competition and great potential to scale to other markets. Beekeeping is now popular all over the world, not only in Europe, but even in South America. In addition, the app can be extended in the future to connect with hardware, which brings further opportunities,” summarizes Josef Bouchal from HAVEL & PARTNERS, one of the jury members of the startup competition.

Thanks to winning the Beentry programme, ICOK and the Olomouc Region were also given the opportunity to represent ICOK at the international startup competition in Žilina during Ynovate Fest 2025.

Startup Academy is organized by the Innovation Centre of the Olomouc Region for the second year, and in addition to development and mentoring, it also connects founders with investors and other partners who can help them on their growth path. “Beentry is proof that even a traditional industry like beekeeping can grow into an innovative digital product. And most importantly – behind everything is a real passion for the industry, which the developers have managed to translate into a functional service. This is the DNA of successful startups,” adds Tomáš Dostál, Director of ICOK.

source: ICOK