The programme Start:up TOUR invites applications from all innovative individuals or teams that have the intention of establishing a new company (can also be a spin-off or spin-out from the existing organization) or a startup company that isn’t older than 3 years, whose business operations or products and services are based on their own knowledge and development, and that have high market potential and ambition for growth. The programme is meant for all startuppers from Slovenia and abroad who wish to launch or develop their own startup company within the fast-growing Maribor startup community.
 
The conditions for participating in the Start:up TOUR programme are that the company submits an application through the application system, lawful status of intellectual property, and participation at the Start:up weekend with DEMO evening.
 

The programme includes 6 key benefits

1. Free startup co-working space

For the duration of the programme, participants of the Start:up TOUR will be able to use free working spaces in the co-working facilities of Venture Factory, business incubator of the University of Maribor, or business facilities of company VEČER, with all the necessary infrastructure in the form of offices and office materials as well as storage space.
 
Startup companies can also use the conference room and multimedia classroom in the Venture Factory space for free.
 
If the startup company’s development is suitable, free use of Venture Factory’s spaces can be prolonged for 11 months. Startup companies can also contend to establish a partnership with VEČER, which gives them all the necessary infrastructure in the company’s facilities.
 
2. More than 20 hours of mentorship support

Startup companies included in the Start:up TOUR programme get at least 20 hours of free consultancy and concrete work with experienced mentors who come from different fields important for startup development.

Mentors can help in the following fields:

• Business model development and validation,
• Product development,
• Building and leading a team,
• Design and user experience,
• Marketing and sales,
• Growth hacking,
• Access to capital,
• Legal, financial and fiscal aspects of business operations,
• Protection of intellectual property, and
• Processes organization.

If we don’t find a mentor suitable to the needs of the startup company on the list of Start:up Maribor mentors, we will try to find and engage the right one together with the company.
 
3. Večer package of services

Within the one-month-long programme Start:up TOUR, company VEČER offers the following services:

• Free use of business space with all the necessary communications infrastructure in the form of office spaces and office material as well as storage space,
• Legal and financial consultancy from Večer co-workers in the media and advertising sector,
• Expert help by Večer co-workers with marketing planning,
• The possibility for Večer to enter the startup company as partner. 

If the startup company decides to establish a special partnership with Večer, it can also benefit from:

• Investments (buying assets, capital investments …) necessary for the development of the company and the startup’s market
• Help developing the market and selling products on the market, namely by helping:
  • Test the product (make prototype and pilot products, test with final users)
  • Finalize the product that actually fulfils the customers’ needs and
  • Make a sales catalogue and other materials
• Marketing support for the startup company in terms of helping find target customers,
• Help connecting with business partners,
• Marketing advice (complete construction of the marketing plan, branding, and marketing communications plan),
• Financial advice (help getting startup funds, including accounting management),
• Legal advice.
• Promotional support to the startup company in the sense of advertising space and news coverage,
• Office space in the business building Večer with the necessary computer equipment and product-specific equipment as well as quality ICT infrastructure.

4. PODIM ticket

The international entrepreneurship PODIM conference is one of the biggest conferences in the Alps-Adriatic region and the leading Slovenian conference on entrepreneurship, gathering all key stakeholders of the regional startup ecosystem in two days of an intense programme. In 2016, nearly 900 participants from 26 countries attended the conference – from Slovenia but also from Austria, Italy, Hungary, Poland, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Germany, Finland, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, USA, Great Britain, Malaysia, India, the Netherlands, Portugal, Israel and Oman.

The promise from organizers for 2017: “In close collaboration with startups and stakeholders of the ecosystem, we will further excel in quality, not quantity, and use a boutique, personalized approach to co-create the most influential startup event in the Alps-Adriatic region. Our guarantee, so that we justify our reputation for an unforgettable epic experience next year, are positive PODIM energy, genuine hospitality, and incredible opportunities for connecting and learning.”

More than 40 globally recognized investors have also participated at the PODIM Conference, and received an attractive catalogue with descriptions of more than 100 startups from the Alps-Adriatic region. Besides connecting startups with investors, we also connected established companies that wish to collaborate with startups.
 
More information about the conference can be found on the website www.podim.org.
 
5. NKBM Package of Services

Partnership bank Nova KBM offers the following services to all startup companies participating in the Start:up TOUR:

• 1 year of managing a transaction account for a legal person under favourable conditions,
• 1 year of free management of a personal transaction account with many benefits.

 
6. Constant consulting support

Write to us at svetovanje@startupmaribor.si to schedule an introductory free business consulting, which is carried out by two experienced business consultants:
   
 

What if the desired mentor isn’t on the list of mentors?

If you know a quality mentor who isn’t on the list of mentors, you can suggest them to us and we’ll try to engage them to help your startup company. Write to info@startupmaribor.si with your suggestion.