COPS Solutions

🧠 Why do some ideas make it and most don't?

That's the question Dan Wood has been chasing for years – through a civil engineering degree, a decade as a Captain in the British Army's Parachute Regiment, a career in FinTech systems design, and eventually founding INSO. Innovation. Solved., a global innovation consultancy.

At the 7th edition of the Venture Builders Meetup, Dan takes the stage for a keynote – "What Good Ideas Need to Survive", followed by Q&A, networking and refreshments.

👉 https://cops.solutions/2026/04/what-good-ideas-need-to-survive/

See you there!

What Good Ideas Need to Survive | COPS Solutions We're back for the seventh edition of Venture Builders Meetup, this time with a keynote from Dan Wood, founder, innovator, and someone who has spent years figuring out why some ideas make it and most don't. Dan has worn a lot of hats: civil engineering degree, a decade as

Next Monday, Atlassian officially stops selling Jira Data Center to new customers. Here’s what’s coming next. ⏳

The Data Center end-of-life timeline is now in motion:

🟦 March 30, 2026 – End of new license sales. No new customers can purchase Data Center. No new Marketplace apps.
🟦 March 30, 2028 – End of sales to existing customers. No renewals, no expansions, no Marketplace apps.
🟦 March 28, 2029 – End of life. Data Center subscriptions expire and your environment becomes read-only.

If you’re already on Data Center, your costs are going up (15–30% price increases, 1-year contracts only) while the platform is winding down. If you’re evaluating options for the first time, Data Center is no longer available to you as of next week.

Either way, the question is the same: what’s your plan?

At COPS Solutions, we help organizations move from Jira to YouTrack by JetBrains – and here’s why teams are making the switch:

💰 Real cost savings
🚀 On-premises stays an option
✅ Built for dev teams

We take care of the migration:
• Data, workflows, and user mapping handled end-to-end
• Minimal disruption for your teams
• Expert onboarding and configuration support

Let’s talk before your next renewal.

🚀 Applications are now open for the Women in Tech 2026 accelerator.

The program supports women entrepreneurs building technology-driven startups, offering mentoring, expert education, and access to investors.

We’re proud that COPS Solutions is joining this year’s edition as a program partner, supporting innovation and the growth of the startup ecosystem.

📅 Applications are open until March 31, 2026
More info & applications: https://vupi.cz/women-in-tech-2026/

Great to be back at another event organized by the Netherlands-Czech Chamber of Commerce. As a member, we can confirm one thing consistently: their events are always top-quality, and Tuesday, March 3 was no exception.

This time, the discussion focused on The 2026 Energy Security Scenarios, presented under the patronage of Shell, a valued NCCC partner. The session explored how the global energy system may evolve amid geopolitical pressure, rising energy demand, and the accelerating role of AI.

Shell’s scenarios (Archipelagos, Surge, and Horizon) offer strategic perspectives on balancing energy security, economic growth, and decarbonization.

If you are interested in learning more, check out the NCCC community, which has a lot to offer.

We’re pleased to welcome Ira Saul Rubenstein to COPS as Senior Business Development Advisor 🤝

Ira brings deep expertise in strategic business development, with a strong background in finance and consulting. He advises our team on partnerships, market opportunities, and growth strategy, helping translate vision into executable business outcomes.

At COPS, Ira works closely with leadership on high-impact initiatives where strategic perspective and experience make the difference 🎯

Welcome to the team, Ira!

Beyond the screen. 🧡

We had the opportunity to work on new websites for the NCCC - Netherlands Czech Chamber of Commerce and the Creative Heroes Award Czech Republic

In both cases, the work was less about design itself and more about understanding people, their needs, and the role the website plays in their everyday reality. We spent time on structure, content, and clarity so the websites feel approachable and easy to use.

The two projects are quite different, yet they share something important. One project is about connecting people and businesses across borders, the other is about what comes from within individuals and how their creativity shapes the world around them.

Thank you, Wiegert Smallegange, for the trust and for the opportunity to be part of projects that carry meaning well beyond the digital space.

Expanding beyond the Czech market and building scalable SaaS products requires more than just technology; it also requires a strong understanding of the international context and institutional dialogue.

Our CEO, Ondřej Dvořák, recently attended the annual meeting of Czech exporters, which was dedicated to trade diplomacy. As regular participants in trade missions organised by the Svaz průmyslu a dopravy ČR / Confederation of Industry CZ and Ministerstvo zahraničních věcí České republiky, we consider such platforms to be an important part of our approach to developing business, particularly when entering new markets.

💡 Startup speed + corporate credibility = FinTech spinoff.

Last week, participants in the Executive Summer School, organised by the Holland Fintech Association, had the opportunity to hear from experts in the FinTech industry. At the event, Miroslav Hyrman shared his expertise on building and scaling FinTech spinoffs, i.e. startup projects created by 'spinning off' from large corporations.

👉 And what exactly did the audience take away from his lecture?

💬 In fintech, it's not enough to have a good idea.
Even the best product can be a 'zombie' if it's not regulated. In other words, you could have a functional app that customers would love, but which simply shouldn't exist in the real world because it doesn't comply with legal and security regulations.

💬 Speed is not the enemy of security - if you're smart about it.
One technique is called Concierge MVP: instead of programming a complex banking app, provide the service manually to a small number of users initially to see what works best. This allows you to validate the idea without investing millions of dollars and gain a deeper understanding of the client.

💬 Compliance and security should not be an afterthought.
In successful teams, on the contrary, lawyers and security experts participate in sprints alongside developers and product managers. This means development is compliant from the outset, which paradoxically speeds up the entire process.

💬 Data isn't just for reporting - it's a compass.
LTV:CAC? Fraud rate? These are not buzzwords; they are decision-making tools. For example, one startup pivoted from an expensive B2C model to a B2B2C model in time, saving not only its runway but also its viability.

🧭 If you're interested in FinTech innovation, spinoffs and strategic scaling, we highly recommend following Miroslav Hyrman and the projects around Holland Fintech. If you're starting something similar yourself, let us know — we'd love to exchange experiences with you at COPS Solutions