Startup Academy graduates' meeting from the Western Balkans has brought together new businesses

Are only large enterprises opening up new jobs? Not necessarily. New businesses (start-ups) can also create jobs where 30 such companies have witnessed this by example, which have enabled employment, directly or indirectly, of approximately 100 workers in the Western Balkans region. This is an extraordinary result, where entrepreneurs are still facing hardship to start a business, mainly because of the lack of support mechanisms and poor capital sources of high-risk enterprises. This made the amount of $1.8 million of investments, which have collected start-up, or are in the process of gathering, even more valuable.

Founders of 30 Successful Starts From the Western Balkans Attended Development Programme Startap Academy, Found recently. The programme consists of training in areas that are most important for developing start-ups (gathering funds, presentation of products, retail and development strategies) and Demo days, when entrepreneurs can present their projects before the jury and create new connections during the <x1 conferences. Sarajevo Unlitified “and “Podium””. Startap Academy was organised by the Open Regional Fund for South-East Europe through the “Foreign Trade Promovation” implemented by the German International Co-operation Organisation GIZ, which was initiated by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Co-operation and Development (BMZ).

In September 2019, manifesto “was held in Vienna Alumni Startup Academy Event”, which has brought together for the first time all programme participants, and has enabled them to exchange experiences, success stories and failures and strengthen the support of their counterparts the Start-up regional stage. Part of the programme was and participation in the “1 Million Start-unps Conference” event, where many participants were able to play an active role as panelists, present their ideas and share their business stories.

Mateja Zivadinovic, initiator of the Start-Upi volunteer, a platform that effectively organises volunteers, described his experience this way: This programme allows us to strengthen ties in the region, and find common entrepreneurial goals and learn from each other. Such meetings are indeed necessary to create regional co-operation and enable learning in examples of good practices, both in the Western Balkans and beyond. Through the programme, we have acquired access to entrepreneurial knowledge and practical skills, very useful, and in support of the entrepreneurial community. “

Selma Prodanovic, a leading expert at the Startap Academy, often called by the media, the most influential lady on the Austrian Start resort, said the programme's results were impressive: The progress Start-urpas have made since holding the academy is extraordinary. They not only individually improved their performance in the sense of applying and creating contacts with investors, but they also formed a group of entrepreneurs supporting each other. More importantly, they will inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs. ”

In the future, the GIZ will continue to support cross-border networking of entrepreneurs and start-ups through the Regional Open Fund, the Foreign Trade Promoting Project, respectively.