Start:up Slovenia – the national startup ecosystem platform

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Venture Factory has an important public policy role via the Start:up Slovenia initiative. Start:up Slovenia is an independent open platform of the Slovene startup ecosystem that supports innovative entrepreneurship in Slovenia. The project, which dates back to 2004, is managed by Venture Factory, partnering with the Slovene Enterprise Fund and the Ministry of Economic Development and Technology for many years. Members of the startup community and other public and private partners are intensively involved in the activities.

Slovenian startup of the year 2022

The program was launched with the aim of promoting entrepreneurship in society and contributing to the development of a national startup ecosystem. 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.

  • We inform. We are a beacon for the dynamic startup environment. We create content, transmit information and news, prepare events, forums, and roadshows, and also have the most influential startup and technology conference in this part of Europe - PODIM. Our key tool is Startup.si, the central website of the Slovenian start-up ecosystem.
  • We promote, expose content, run promotional campaigns and help startups become visible. We provide visibility to the most beneficial ecosystem stakeholders and their programs. With the Slovenian Start:up of the Year 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 entrepreneurial-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 a 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.

An integral part of the Start:up Slovenia program is the Slovenian Startup of the Year Award, which we have been organizing since 2007 and where we, in collaboration with the startup community, collect nominations for the best startup each year. 5 finalists are selected by community votes, then a distinguished panel of experts selects the winner that becomes a Startup Ambassador for one year.

One of the key purposes of the Start:up Slovenia initiative is also its advisory function to public institutions to improve framework conditions for startups and scale-ups in the Slovenian ecosystem. Start:up Slovenia’s 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. The Government of the Republic of Slovenia appointed an interdepartmental working group for the improvement of the national startup ecosystem to eliminate these obstacles. This also included successful and reputable startup entrepreneurs, investors, experts and a Start:up Slovenia initiative representative. We make sure the voices of startups are heard by those who need to hear them, especially policy-makers.

If you have the same passion, we are happy to connect and collaborate.

Contact us: info@venturefactory.org.

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