We are introducing the six finalist start-ups that placed into this year’s finals for the Slovenian Startup of the Year! Every year, the title Slovenian Startup of the Year is earned by a startup that convinces the expert committee with their team, product and potential for successful business operations and growth, as well as represents the new generation of Slovenian innovative entrepreneurs with their achievements, actions, reputation and development potential.
Six startup companies will compete for the title Slovenian Startup of the Year, namely three nominated companies in the earliest development stage – the so called “young challengers” from the Start:up Slovenia competition – and three companies nominated by active stakeholders of the Slovenian startup ecosystem.
Members of the evaluation committee will choose the winner on 5 May 2017. The Slovenian Startup of the Year 2017 will be announced at the gala ceremony at the end of the first day of this year’s PODIM Conference, taking place on 10 and 11 May 2017 in Maribor.
The main awards that the Slovenian startup of the year will receive this year are personal consultation by Marvin Liao, partner of the elite American accelerator 500 Startups, and an all-inclusive package for the Pioneers Festival in Vienna.
The three “young challengers”:
1. AgiliCity, developing Modular, an advanced tool for planning spatial development of cities
Problem
Every week, cities gain 3 million new residents, all while facing immense technological, economic and social changes that make urban development even more difficult. Despite these challenges, obsolete and rigid planning instruments, which haven't changed much over the last century, are still used by municipalities to steer their spatial development. These hundreds of pages long text documents and maps lack the flexibility to respond to the dynamics of cities. Instead of promoting it, they hold back city development.
Solution
This is why the team developed Modelur, an innovative CAD solution that transforms lengthy and complex documents into an interactive 3D solution. With this solution, urbanists can quickly and easily create many viable urban design alternatives, all conforming to the same rules of urban development defined in the city’s plans. With Modelur, the job can be done faster, more accurately, and with fewer mistakes.
Team
Behind Modelur is an experienced multidisciplinary team consisting of Jernej, Žiga, Martin and Sigi. They started developing the software more than 5 years ago.
Since establishing the company in February 2017, they won the award for Best innovation of University of Ljubljana and sold more than 100 software licenses to early adopters worldwide.
Product one-liner
At AgiliCity we make urban planning simple!
Contact
startup@modelur.com
2. Potenza Innova with the innovative hygienic tampon TampoRelief 2/1 for quick, safe and effective period pain relief
Problem
Studies have shown that every seventh woman experiences severe period pain, which is similar to the pain of giving birth. It heavily decreases the quality of life and work effectiveness for 10% of women. In Slovenia alone, this results in 11 million working hours lost per year. There is no dedicated solution available that would be developed exclusively for period pain. Instead, women are currently using oral painkillers, which have serious adverse effects and are therefore not suitable for all.
Solution
TampoRelief is an innovative hygienic tampon with an active substance at the tip. It is the first solution developed exclusively for period pain. With a 2-in-1 approach delivering similar results, quicker effects without side effects, TampoRelief will become a market leader in relieving period pain.
Team
They are a strong and well-balanced team of two experienced startuppers and two young entrepreneurs. Having rich in-house experience from research, regulatory and pharmaceutical sales, already developed sales channels and a wide range of important contacts, they are prepared for quick development of the company.
Product one-liner
We are giving women 10% of their life back.
Contact
irena.znidarsic@potenza-innova.si
3. OptiBar, developing tools for improving connections between restaurants and their suppliers
Problem
Nowadays a lot of people go into the bar or restaurant business, because they perceive it to be very simple. But the reality is far from that. Poor HR leads to an industry employee fluctuation rate of 70%, with 60% of owners filing for bankruptcy within the first year. This high turnover in bar ownership and high employee fluctuation pose several challenges for suppliers – including absence of an efficient communication channel, lack of control over the distribution network and low satisfaction levels with suppliers.
Solution
OptiBar is a web and mobile platform that helps bars improve their quality and opens a direct two-way communication channel between bars and their suppliers. For bars, it enables more efficient internal communication, effective scheduling and virtual training. For suppliers, it offers a cost- and time-effective solution that gives them better control of marketing and their distribution network, as well as enables them to convert bar employees into brand ambassadors.
Team
The co-founders, Dean, Jaka and Matic, have already worked together on a few projects and have experiences from Silicon Valley and EU. The team is a balanced mix of passionate young ambitiousness and experienced knowledge.
Contact
dean@optibar.si
The three companies nominated by active stakeholders of the Slovenian startup ecosystem:
1. Fastcast, a company for effective talent and location management
Problem
When it comes to casting, producers and recruiters have a hard task. Recruiting human resources for appearances in films and commercials is still one of the most complex processes in the entire entertainment industry, despite all the available technology. It is expensive, slow and very stressful.
Solution
Fastcast is building a modern web platform for commercial film production - a marketplace for recruitment of talent and hiring filming locations worldwide. It enables producers to access a talent database, simply request suitable candidates, and share the results with their clients as well as team members. With their platform, they managed to cut the average execution time of a casting project from 7 days to 5 hours. The team started working on their MVP three years ago and so far, they have grown the product into a regional “sensation” in the film industry.
Team
The core team consists of industry experts David, Jošt, Rory, and Eva. Together they share more than 20 years of industry experience. Their knowledge makes them fit to deliver the best product for the industry. And they have proven that on many previous projects among which some were awarded with the prestigious Oscar and the MTV award.
Contact:
Info@fastcast.si
2. 45HC, a platform for simple container booking and management
Problem
Smaller importers that annually transport up to 100 containers are usually not interesting for big logistic companies, which is why in their search for transport solutions, they often face a complex ordering system and higher prices, have less choice, and need to wait longer to receive an offer.
Solution
The web platform 45HC.com for easy container booking allows companies to book container transport in only 60 seconds. All transport costs of different ocean carriers, insurance costs and other costs of related services are completely transparent. They already gained the trust of 170 companies from Austria, Germany, Slovenia, Croatia, Hungary and Greece, which prefer their solution over the competition.
Team
The team consists of the co-founder and CEO Štefan Kukman, Primož Kopač, Janez Kranjc and several other employees covering sales, IT, marketing, operations and media relations. Their years of experience in the logistics industry and external industry consultants are of great help in the development of the platform. Last year they received an investment from Business Angels of Slovenia, they won at EBAN Winter university in Zagreb, and are currently discussing potential cooperation with several interested parties.
Slogan
Everyone can ship! With us it’s always quick, easy and fun.
Contact
info@45hc.com
3. VIAR, developing solutions in the field of virtual reality
Problem
A teacher, a journalist, or a corporate learning coach … people in these multi-billion dollar industries see an enormous potential in virtual reality, but for 98% of them creating engaging interactive VR content is just too complex.
Solution
Viar360 is the most intuitive white label publishing platform that reduces the time, effort and knowledge required to create highly engaging interactive virtual reality experiences from 360 videos and photos.
It allows non-technical users to create interactive stories and publish them to their own existing mobile apps, websites, or social platforms. Once published, Viar’s built-in analytics track usage & user behavior.
Viar360 is being used by some of the top US universities, agencies and corporations.
Team
VIAR has 3 co-founders and is powered by a team of 9 employees. The team has deep knowledge about the VR & AR industry and decades of experience in technical development and computer graphics. Together they grew VIAR from a small office in Celje to an international business with clients all around the globe Their products are being used by companies like Disney, Microsoft, Samsung, or Bosch from USA to New Zealand.
Product one-liner
Viar360 – the PowerPoint of Virtual Reality
Contact
dejan@viar.si
