Levente Tóth, Széll Kálmán Public Policy Fellow
Levente is a fourth-year undergraduate student at Corvinus University of Budapest, where he studies International Business Economics in English. His academic path has been shaped by a strong interest in the intersection of finance, entrepreneurship, and public policy. His studies have also taken him abroad: he spent an exchange semester at the Stockholm School of Economics, where he studied startup-related courses in an international environment. Alongside his university studies, Levente has actively sought practical experiences that connect business, innovation, and public affairs. He previously worked as a Finance Intern at Morgan Stanley in Budapest and currently works as a Business Development Associate at WiredSign Zrt., a Hungarian contract lifecycle management company, where he contributes to building the company’s financial model, advising on business strategy, conducting customer interviews, supporting fundraising activities, and coordinating external partners. He has also completed several startup, venture capital, consulting, and M&A-focused programs, including the Hungarian Startup University Program, Niveus Startup Valuation Course, Wolf Theiss M&A Course, and Deloitte Consulting Course, where he received a “Best-Performing Student” award.
Levente’s interest in public policy and international relations began long before university. He served as a selected member of the U.S. Embassy Budapest Youth Council, where he advised Embassy diplomats on youth-related issues, supported civic projects, and helped organize events. He is also a graduate of the YBG House of European Affairs and Diplomacy Program and has been involved in other academic communities such as the Pacioli Finance Club BCE and the Corvinus Case Track Community. Previously, he was selected as the Hungarian participant in the Benjamin Franklin Transatlantic Fellowship Program, a four-week leadership and diplomacy program in the United States, which deepened his understanding of U.S.–European relations and civic leadership.
In the future, Levente hopes to contribute to the development of Hungary’s startup ecosystem and help Hungarian companies scale internationally. Outside of his academic and professional interests, he enjoys running and attending in-person entrepreneurship and startup events.
“Through the Széll Kálmán Fellowship, I hope to better understand how American public institutions, investors, entrepreneurs, and industry organizations cooperate to support innovation and economic growth. During my time in Washington, D.C., I am especially interested in learning how public policy shapes the venture capital environment, how public–private partnerships can support startup growth, and how successful institutional models could later be adapted to Hungary.” – Levente Tóth