A unique driving force for startups is support and working with mentors with global experience in developing innovative businesses!

At this year’s mentor gathering at STP Belgrade on May 25 and 26, we once again gathered an incredible team of experts and mentors from our programs, who shared examples of support and development from the innovation ecosystem they come from – from Israel, through Slovenia and Austria, to the UK. It has proven to be an excellent approach in generating new ideas on how to support startups and empowering them for new markets and investment opportunities.

We also marked the beginning of phase 2 of the third cycle of the Raising Starts program and matched startups and mentors through very efficient and productive speed-dating and networking sessions. From serial entrepreneurs, successful founders, investors and representatives of VC funds, the feedback that the startups received is invaluable.

Five startups from the community and ecosystem: Invt, Data do, Dresos, Treesury and Remote Santa, had the opportunity to pitch directly to this group of mentors and investors.

Vuk Lau (Silicon Gardens Fund), Todor Bresḫkov (LAUNCHub Ventures), Dušica Lukač (DL Capital Partners Ltd) and Miloš Kujović (South Central Ventures) discussed the changes in the VC market, the effects of the crisis and the collapse of SVB and Credit Suisse, the trends in what companies VCs are looking for, and the maturation of the VC community in the region, at a working meeting dedicated to financing and investments in startups.

We also dealt with finding ways to better and further support science-based startups and held a great meetup about sports-tech startups with our Israeli partner Colosseum Sport.

Empowerment, connections, exchange – we learn and grow together through community!

Connect Days 2023 are organized as part of the project “Technopark Serbia 2 – Boosting export through technoparks” implemented by STP Belgrade with the support of the Government of Switzerland.