Today in Maribor an International Conference on Entrepreneurship and Innovation – PODIM started. PODIM is the largest start-up, entrepreneurial and innovation conference in the Alpe-Adria region. CEP has in cooperation with Ministry of Foreign Affairs enabled 50 young entrepreneurs from BiH and Kosovo to participate at the intensive programme for free, while they will also be able to meet with investors, supporters and various successful entrepreneurs.
Young entrepreneurs have competed for the participation via tender through which they have presented their innovative ideas. The jury received a total of more than fifty different ideas, out of which 18 best were selected. Among them there are various technological IT ideas, applications, platforms for social networking, integration of tourism providers, home electronic appliances, as well as designer handbags, folding bike, 3D printer and battery charger, which is filled during cycling. Close to seventy different speakers, experts and gurus will on the conference discuss the hidden groundbreaking forces of startups and explore how startups can revolutionize business and its environment. Successful startups can with its innovation and speed reach into all aspects of private and business life. Sometimes they can even turn upside down the whole functioning of society, together with industries.
CEP already carried out a similar project last year, and as it was very well accepted by Bosnian youth, this year it was expanded to include also young startups from Kosovo. In both countries the interest of youth for entrepreneurship is increasing, while they often face obstacles in reaching foreign markets due to the non-membership in EU. Therefore, such conferences and meetings are of outmost importance for them, as they get an opportunity for a direct contact with investors, potential partners, as well as young people from the region who are facing similar problems.
Project will be enriched by an additional programme day held at Jable castle, and concluded with a visit to ABC Accelerator in Ljubljana.
The project is funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia in the framework of its International Development Cooperation.
SPODBUJANJE PODJETNIŠTVA MED MLADIMI IZ BiH IN KOSOVA
Danes se je v Mariboru začela mednarodna konferenca Podim, ki velja za največjo start-up, podjetniško in inovacijsko konferenco v Alpe-Adria regiji. CEP je v okviru sodelovanja z ministrstvom za zunanje zadeve RS 50 mladim podjetnikov iz BiH in Kosova omogočil, da se brezplačno udeležijo intenzivnega programa, srečajo z investitorji, somišljeniki in različnim uspešnimi podjetniki.
Mladi so se za udeležbo potegovali preko razpisa na katerem so predstavili svoje inovativne ideje. Žirija je prejela skupaj več kot petdeset različnih idej, izmed katerih je nato izbrala 18 najboljših in najbolje predstavljenih. Med njimi so različne tehnološke IT ideje, aplikacije, platforme za socialno mreženje, povezovanje turističnih ponudnikov, domačih elektronskih naprav, kot tudi dizajnerske ženske torbice, zložljivo kolo, 3D printer in polnilec baterij, ki ga polnimo med kolesarjenjem.
Blizu sedemdeset različnih govorcev, strokovnjakov in gurujev bo na konferenci Podim razpravljajo o skritih prebojnih silah startupov in odkrivalo kako startupi revolucionirajo poslovanje in njegovo okolje. Uspešni startupi s svojo inovativnostjo in hitrostjo posegajo v prav vse pore zasebnega ter poslovnega življenja. Včasih celotno delovanje družbe, skupaj z industrijami, obrnejo na glavo.
CEP je podoben projekt izvedel že lani, je pa letos zaradi zelo dobrega odziva med mladimi Bosanci, k sodelovanju povabil še kosovske startupe. V obeh državah je zanimanje mladih za podjetništvo vedno večje, jim pa nečlanstvo v EU velikokrat predstavlja oviro pri uveljavljanju na tujih trgih. Konference in podobna srečanja so tako za njih izrednega pomena, saj dobijo priložnost neposrednega stika z investitorji, potencialnimi partnerji, kot tudi mladimi iz regije, ki se srečujejo s podobnimi problemi.
Projekt se bo zaključil z dodatnim dopoldanskim programom za mlade na gradu Jable, ki ga bodo udeleženci sklenili z obiskom pospeševalnika ABC v Ljubljani.
Projekt je financiran iz sredstev za mednarodno razvojno sodelovanje Ministrstva za zunanje zadeve.
