Science Technology Park Belgrade (STP Belgrade), with the support of the Government of Switzerland and in partnership with the Science Technology Park Niš (STP Niš) and the Science Technology Park Čačak (STP Čačak), announced a new, the third Call for Raising Starts, the first pre-seed accelerator program in Serbia that provides startup teams and companies in the earliest stages of development of innovative products and services with professional, mentoring and financial support up to 20,000 CHF (non-refundable, no equity) for accelerated development and global growth.
Start-up teams of at least 2 members and innovative companies established for no more than two years until the date of announcement of the Public Call may apply to the current Public Call.
Applications are open until December 28, at noon, on the official website of the program.
The event on the occasion of the announcement of the new Public Call for the Raising Starts program at the Science Technology Park Belgrade was also attended by the Minister of Science, Technological Development and Innovation, PhD Jelena Begović.
– Today, a great thing is happening here for our country, because only through the transfer of knowledge, technology, and the development of innovations we can influence the technological development of the entire society. In this, the role of startups is very important, because they, with their innovative approach and entrepreneurial spirit, turn the challenges we face in all areas into concrete products and processes. This requires great courage, and we are aware that the process is long-lasting, laborious, and risky, and that is why the role of science and technology parks is important, they are the first place in terms of support, and this pre-seed accelerator is another opportunity to help startups – the Minister Jelena Begović pointed out, adding that the Ministry will work on further strengthening of the support and creating an ecosystem, in order to support the development of startups and increase the chance for their success.
The Raising Starts program was created through the project “Technopark Serbia 2 – Boosting export through technoparks”, by which the Government of Switzerland supports the further development of innovation and technological entrepreneurship in Serbia.
– Through the first two Calls on the Raising Starts program, 80 startup teams and companies went through very specific business training conducted by top experts, and the establishment of 36 new startup companies in Belgrade, Niš and Čačak was supported, and they received financial and mentoring support in their accelerated development. Even more significant is the fact that more than one-third of these companies received additional funds in the first months of their operations, in order to continue their innovative development, which shows that the program is producing excellent results and that it has filled the gap in financing startups at an early stage. We can already say that Switzerland is very proud of this program and the startups that are developing and growing through it – said Derek George, Deputy Director of the Swiss Cooperation Office in Serbia.
Through intensive lectures and training, startups in the Raising Starts program receive the necessary guidance, knowledge, and skills to overcome obstacles on the way from innovative ideas to readiness to invest and enter the global market. They have up to 20,000 CHF non-refundable (no equity) at their disposal for the development of new products and services, and in accordance with their specific needs, each of the startups receives its own business and technology mentor (local and international experts, startups and investors) with whom they work through 1-1 mentoring sessions.
In addition to training and mentoring, startups also receive special support in the field of intellectual property rights, and they will be provided with access to modern innovation laboratories, mentors, investors, and other startup founders in the network of science and technology parks, which opens new doors and opportunities for them, even after the completion of the program.