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Mini Accelerator Startup Live is Going on CEE Tour. First Stop is Belgrade

Trending Topics12. April 2019, 08:50

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The European mini-acceleration program Startup Live is going on a tour again. Between May and October, its team will visit eight CEE cities in an attempt to find or catalyze early-stage entrepreneurs in their next venture. The first stop is Belgrade, and it will take place on the 19th-20th of April in the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia.

Last year, six teams participated in the mini-accelerator in Belgrade, and FarmFavor, the mobile-first marketplace for agriculture spare parts, went out as a winner.

For two days young companies, but also people interested in joining new ventures, will be able to get in touch and work on particular projects and be mentored by local serial entrepreneurs.

The acceleration program has already been successful in 40 cities including Vienna, Athens, Berlin, Prague, Copenhagen, Hamburg, Tel Aviv, Sofia, Ljubljana, and Belgrade.

“The history of Startup Live ranks back to 2009 and it was not only the origin of the Austrian startup ecosystem but of many more in Europe”, Paulina Kania, Global Program Manager, told Trending Topics. Some of the best-known Austrian success stories such as Runtastic, mySugr, and Shpock, could be traced back to the mini-accelerator.

Not only founders

The program starts with very quick rounds of informal introduction after which entrepreneurs willing to present their ideas will pitch them in front of the crowd. This is also an interesting opportunity for the audience and the ones that might be interested in joining a team. People with a business background, design expertise, or IT and programming skills are always needed in a complementary team-setting, organizers explain. “We also focus on bringing together local experts in various fields like finance, legal and marketing to support in those areas”, says Kania.

The program will continue with mentoring the newly-formed teams on different matters who will develop their concepts in order to pitch them to the jury on the next day. The ones that manage to convince the jury will also get prizes including tickets for Viennese Pioneers Festival and Workshop on Crowdinvesting Business plan & Financing by CONDA.

Exploring Eastern Europe

Startup Live has already been organized in Eastern Europe in the past years – in Sofia, Belgrade, Skopje, Ljubljana. “Eastern Europe has not only trumped the forecast for general economic growth, but it’s also on the rise for international startup stakeholders and foreign investors. As Startup Live is the first stepping-stone for promising entrepreneurs and startups, positioning ourselves in a thriving region like Eastern Europe is key, “ tells us Paulina Kania, Global Program Manager.