CEP and PODIM Conference join forces to empower young entrepreneurs

27. 3. 2017 | BIH - Entrepreneurs, Danube, Kosovo - Entrepreneurs, PR, Slovenian Development Assistance, Youth

The initiative that started as CEP’s program activity in the framework of the official development cooperation of the Republic of Slovenia in 2014, has grown into a region-wide project that supports the young entrepreneurs and youngsters with a promising entrepreneurial idea on their way to the development of the idea and launch of their own start-up company.

Empowering entrepreneurs in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Starting with the young entrepreneurs in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) three years ago, the project named Empowering BiH’s Young Entrepreneurs continues to expand its scope of activities. This year’s itineration included a preparation workshop in Networks Sarajevo, Sarajevo, BiH, (Wednesday, 22 March 2017 – learn more about it here) where young entrepreneurs got a chance to present their ideas, learn how to improve their pitch in front of an expert commission and got a direct feedback from their colleagues. Through the preparation process youngsters finalize their ideas and respond to the call for applications, where we select the best entrepreneurial ideas and offer 20 young entrepreneurs from BiH a 3-day all-inclusive package – visit to Slovenia, transportation, accommodation and participation at the PODIM Conference, free of charge.

Encouraging the start-up environment in Kosovo

Having received very positive feedbacks from the participants in BiH, CEP developed a similar project in Kosovo in 2016. A preparation workshop, titled “Investment and growth opportunities for Kosovo start-ups in Slovenia and the Alps-Adriatic region” will take place in the Innovaton Centre Kosovo (ICK) on Wednesday, 29 March 2017 (learn more about it here), followed by the call for applications for the young entrepreneurs from Kosovo and a 3-day visit to Slovenia.

Reaching out to the Danube region

Having focused predominantly on the countries of the Western Balkans in the previous years, we are now turning to the Danube region as well. As the coordinator of the Priority Area 10 of the Danube Strategy (Institutional Capacity and Cooperation), we have launched a special offer for the Danube region start-ups (selected Danube countries include: Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, Montenegro, Serbia, Moldova and Ukraine). 20 participants from the eligible countries will be selected for the 3-day all-inclusive package trip to Slovenia (read more about it here).

Partnership with PODIM Conference and visit to Ljubljana

Selected participants will attend PODIM Conference in Maribor, Slovenia on 10 and 11 May 2017, participate in the biggest networking event for start-ups in the Alps-Adriatic Region, take part in the PODIM Challenge pitching competition and be presented in the PODIM Start-up Catalogue for the one-on-one meetings with PODIM investors and blue-chip partners.

Following the PODIM Conference, the participants will visit Centre for European Perspective at Grad Jable, where a representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will explain more about the Slovenian foreign policy efforts in the Balkan region and the EU-wide Positive Agenda for Youth that recognizes youth in the Balkan region as essential actors in regional cooperation, friendship and reconciliation. Their visit in Slovenia will conclude with a peek into the Slovenian start-up environment and co-working scene at the ABC Accelerator in Ljubljana. The good practices from Slovenia will help transmit one of the key messages of the project – cooperation leads first to small changes in the start-up environment, but not giving up and raising the voice of youth can lead to the system-wide reforms.

By joining forces, PODIM Conference and CEP offer young entrepreneurs an additional learning dimension in the creative process and empowers them to step ahead and present themselves in front of the investors that can help them transform their ideas into a promising start-up company.

CEP in konferenca PODIM združila moči za opolnomočenje mladih podjetnikov

Pobuda, ki jo je CEP začel v okviru mednarodnega razvojnega sodelovanja Slovenije leta 2014, je prerasla v regionalni projekt, ki podpira mlade podjetnike in mlade z obetavnimi podjetniškimi idejami na njihovi poti od razvoja ideje do zagona njihovega lastnega start-up podjetja.

Opolnomočenje podjetnikov v Bosni in Hercegovini

Projekt, ki se je pod imenom Spodbujanje podjetništva medm mladimi v BiH začel pred tremi leti, sedaj razširja svoje aktivnosti. V letošnjo izvedbo smo vključili pripravljalno delavnico v Networks Sarajevo v Bosni in Hercegovini (sreda, 22. marec 2017 – več o tem na tej povezavi), kjer so imeli mladi podjetniki možnost predstaviti svoje ideje, se naučiti, kako izboljšati svoje predstavitve pred strokovno komisijo ter dobiti neposreden komentar in nasvet s strani ostalih udeležencev. Tekom pripravljalnega procesa mladi izdelajo svoje ideje in se tako bolje odzovejo na razpis, preko katerega izberemo najboljše ideje in 20 mladim podjetnikom iz BiH ponudimo brezplačen tridnevni paket – obisk Slovenije, prevoz, nastanitev in obisk konference Podim.

Spodbujanje start-up okolja na Kosovu

Po zelo pozitivnem odzivu udeležencev v BiH, je CEP podoben projekt razvil tudi na Kosovu leta 2016. Pripravljalna delavnica z naslovom “Priložnosti za rast investicije in rast za kosovske start-upe v Sloveniji in v alpsko-jadranski regiji” se odvija v Innovation Centre Kosovo (ICK) v sredo, 29. marca 2017 (preberite več tukaj), sledi pa ji natečaj za mlade podjetnike s Kosova in tridnevni obisk v Sloveniji.

Širitev na Podonavje

Medtem ko smo se v preteklih letih osredotočali predvsem na države Zahodnega Balkana, se projekt letos razširja tudi na Podonavsko regijo. Kot koordinatorji PA10 Podonavske strategije (institucionalna krepitev in sodelovanje), smo poseben natečaj uvedli tudi za start-upe iz Podonavja (izbrane države v regiji zajemajo Bolgarijo, Hrvaško, Češko, Madžarsko, Romunijo, Slovaško, Črno goro, Srbijo, Moldavijo in Ukrajino). 20 udeležencev iz izbranih držav bo sodelovalo na tridnevni ekskurziji v Slovenijo (več preberite tukaj).

Partnerstvo s konferenco Podim in obisk v Ljubljani

Izbrani udeleženci se bodo udeležili konference Podim 10. in 11. maja 2017 v Mariboru v Sloveniji, sodelovali na največjem dogodku za start-upe v alpsko-jadranski regiji, se preizkusili na izzivu PODIM Challenge ter bili predstavljeni v PODIM Start-up katalogu, namenjenem ena-na-ena srečanjem z investitorji in partnerji.

Po konferenci PODIM bodo udeleženci obiskali tudi Center za evropsko prihodnost na gradu Jable, kjer jim bo predstavnik Ministrstva za zunanje zadeve RS povedal več o slovenskih prizadevanjih na področju zunanje politike na Balkanu in o Pozitivni agendi za mlade, ki na nivoju Evropske unije prepoznava mlade na Balkanu kot ključne akterje pri regionalnem sodelovanju, prijateljstvu in spravi. Njihov obisk v Sloveniji se bo zaključil z vpogledom v slovensko start-up okolje in sodelo (co-working) v ABC pospeševalniku v Ljubljani. Dobre prakse iz Slovenije bodo pomagale prenašati eno izmed ključnih sporočil projekta – sodelovanje najprej vodi do majhnih sprememb znotraj start-up okolja, vztrajnost in angažiranost mladih pa lahko vodita do širših reform na sistemski ravni.

Z združitvijo moči PODIM in CEP mladim podjetnikom ponujata dodatno učno dimenzijo v kreativnem procesu in prispevata k opolnomočenju mladih, da stopijo v ospredje, se predstavijo pred investitorji in s tem spremenijo svoje ideje v obetavna start-up podjetja.