Who We Are, What We Do, Why and How?

 

About Us

 

Start:up Slovenia is an independent open platform of the Slovene startup ecosystem that supports innovative entrepreneurship in Slovenia.

 

We are the contact, coordinator and promoter of the stakeholder network of the Slovene startup ecosystem in Slovenia and abroad. This includes startups, investors, supportive environments, entrepreneurial experts and enthusiasts, both individuals and organizations, who are changing Slovenia for the better with their activities in the startup ecosystem.

 

We are passionate, dedicated and focused on informing, promoting, inspiring, connecting, collaborating and changing, thus paving the way for entrepreneurship to become integral in Slovenian society.

 

The Start:up Slovenia project, which dates back to 2004, is managed by the Venture Factory, with the Slovene Enterprise Fund and the Ministry of Economic Development and Technology partnering for many years. Members of the startup community and other public and private partners are intensively involved in the activities.

 

We invite you to join us as a member of the Start:up Slovenia community, thus contributing to the development of Slovenia into a startup hub that is attractive to advanced thinking individuals. We are also always open to proposals and joint initiatives.

We show all innovative entrepreneurial ideas the way to the top of Triglav (the highest mountain in Slovenia) and announce - only the sky is the limit!

 

 

What Do We Do?

 

In business, problems and challenges are considered the source of new (entrepreneurial) opportunities. The more the individuals are empowered, the more opportunities will be recognized and the more will be seized. That is why at Start:up Slovenia, we are spreading a positive mentality wherein individuals who see problems rather than solutions are attracted.

 

We are developing the Start:up Slovenia programme with the ambition to make it the central platform of the Slovenian startup ecosystem and a window to the Slovenian startup ecosystem for all who would like to work within or cooperate with it.

 

We are convinced that the good reputation of the excellent fitness of the Slovenian startup ecosystem must extend beyond the domestic frontiers and that together we can do more. Therefore, Start:up Slovenia is a founding member of the European Startup Network and the Startup Europe CEE Network. It is the ambassador of Startup Europe for Slovenia and an active partner in European projects.

 

How Do We Do It?

 

• We inform. We are a beacon for the dynamic startup environment. We create content, transmit information and news, prepare events, forums, roadshows and are also have the most influential startup and technology conference in this part of Europe - PODIM. The key tool represents Startup.si, the central website of the Slovenian start-up ecosystem, whose role has also been recognized by the Government of the Republic of Slovenia within the framework of the Action Plan - Land of Innovative Startups, adopted on 21 March 2018.
• We promote, exposing content, running promotional campaigns and helping startups become visible. We provide visibility to the most beneficial ecosystem stakeholders and their programmes. With the Slovenian Startup Award, we reward teams that represent a new generation of Slovenian innovative entrepreneurs with their achievements, actions, reputation and development potential.
• We inspire. We motivate entrepreneurial and entrepreneurially minded individuals and groups to bring needs that arise in everyday life to solutions and then turn them into business ideas. We familiarize them with success stories so they can be a source of inspiration and a role model for their entrepreneurial activity.
• We connect. We support entrepreneurs with business angels, venture capital funds, corporations and the wider support environment, both at home and abroad. In short, all the stakeholders are operating in this supportive environment.
• We work together. We believe that the key to each startup ecosystem breakthrough is the involvement of stakeholders at home and abroad. Only with their involvement in the international environment can startups be given adequate support. Therefore, we co-create the supportive environment so that we actively engage with foreign ecosystems.
• We make changes. We make sure the voices of startups are heard by those who need to hear them. Based on years of experience and knowledge of the startup ecosystem and its needs, we achieve changes with decision-makers.

You have everything you need to build something far bigger than yourself. (Seth Godin, American writer and entrepreneur for the information age).

 

Why Do We Do This?

 

Entrepreneurship is our passion! In the Start:up Slovenia team. We value entrepreneurial efforts and believe that they are the source of positive changes and prosperity of the society. We want entrepreneurship to naturally penetrate the fabric of our society. We believe that the entrepreneurial mindset and activity are the keys to positive changes in Slovenia.

 

Integration Into The International Environment

 

• Start:up Slovenia is also a founding member of the European Startup Network, which brings together 24 national startups into a single voice of European startups so that more of them can start their business, grow and succeed in Europe.
• Start:up Slovenia is a founding member of the Startup Europe CEE Network, which connects startup ecosystem stakeholders, nurtures the entrepreneurial culture and leads ecosystems of Central and Eastern Europe to success. Within the parent network Startup Europe Networks, which includes the Startup Europe Western Balkans Network and the Startup Europe Network Eastern Partnership, we also partner with other national organizations. We connect with the extraordinary minds of Central and Eastern Europe and the Western Balkans to inspire young startups with knowledge and experience. We give a common denominator to opportunities for collaboration between startups in the form of experience and advice. In this manner, we enable growth in the region so it could become the leading innovation hub of the future.
• Start:up Slovenia is the ambassador of Slovenia in Startup Europe. It is a part of the Startup Europe Club, the initiative of the European Commission, and represents combined efforts of hundreds of stakeholders, entities and active participants in technology and startups over the years. The positive impact of this initiative couldn't have been possible without the tremendous support provided by this community.
• Start:up Slovenia is also an active partner in European projects that meet the challenges of developing startup ecosystems and connecting them to provide the best startup and scaleup services to companies. An example of such involvement is the MY GATEWAY project, part of the EU Horizon 2020 programme. MY-GATEWAY aims to strengthen high-tech startups and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Central and Eastern Europe so that they can connect better, gain greater market exposure and have improved and unhindered access to finance and talent.