The startup community in Žilina grows and there is a lot to build on!

Already the fourth meeting of the Startup Forum (not only for Žilina) was held on March 22. It brought many interesting information, new contacts and inspiration to the participants for the development of their business ideas. We ended the program full of innovative energy with joint networking in the New Synagogue. Throughout the whole event we were accompanied by Vlasto Kocián, CEO of the Innovation Centre INOVIA.

How was it going on the forum?

Let’s start with some statistics. More than 60 event attendees said they consider themselves:

  • startupist 40 % (21 people)
  • entrepreneur 38 % (20 people)
  • startup fan  36 % (19 people)
  • investor 15 % (8 people)

In the “other” category there were also names such as: employee, potential startupist, technical consultant, innovation consultant, and even 1 passionate visitor of banquets. 😊 Interesting combination, what do you think? The Startup Forum is really open to everyone, so you shouldn’t hesitate to join!

A viable community needs good foundations and regular gatherings. Thanks to the common vision of the CEE Startup Network, the determination of the director of the INOVIA Innovation Centre – Vlasto Kocián and the entire team, dreams are becoming reality. We managed to organize an event that had the right energy thanks to interesting speakers, active guests/program participants and topics that resonate in the startup community. All these facts signal that Žilina rightly belongs on the innovation map of Europe.

The program itself was diverse and we believe that it satisfied the expectations of every participant.

Examples of good practice should not be omitted

The program in a nutshell ◼

  • sharing the INOVIA vision when building an innovation ecosystem (Vlasto Kocián)
  • INOVIA Akcelerátor and its startups, get to know their inspiring stories (repetito.sk, spream.co , atcrystals.com, brainee.eu)
  • benefits of No Code solutions (Slavo Tuleya)
  • interview with Vlado Huček (Devonic Former) and Samo Arpáš (Herbovka) – two founders of startups
  • discussion on the possibilities of financing startups (Slavo Tuleya, Michal Nešpor, Vlasto Kocián)
  • how INOVIA Accelerator also helps existing companies
  • valuable networking

Stronger community = stronger ecosystem = more successful projects

INOVIA Startup Forum is a regular open event organized with the intention of building a community interested in startups. Our goal is mutual enrichment and help, inspiration and motivation through sharing successes and failures, and feedback on thoughts and ideas. This was the spirit of the entire event, which was opened by Vlasto Kocián with a presentation on the vision of the INOVIA Innovation Centre.

Turn your dream into a business

Vlasto Kocián as moderator and speaker of the event

The second speaker was Slavo Tuleya, an unofficial “No Code Influencer” from Kiuub, who spoke about the benefits of No Code solutions. The topic is so interesting that we immediately included it in the program of the upcoming Startup Forum in May. Follow us so you don’t miss the deadline.

Are you wondering what Slavo’s key message was? Visit his profile to read more: lnkd.in/egnPRjiJ.

In a spontaneous discussion, Michal Nešpor from Crowdberry together with Slavo Tuleya clarified the possibilities of financing startups.

Vlasto Kocián, Michal Nešpor, Slavo Tuleya

Attention was also paid to the presentation of the Accelerator as a tailor-made service. Not only for startups, but also for existing – established companies. What can it bring you? After all, startup thinking into everyday life! Thanks to an active participant, Michal Vavrík, a video recording was created in which you can hear (in addition to the enumeration of INOVIA services) just about the contribution of the Accelerator (from 2 min 45 sec).

The official part of the program was followed by valuable networking. Spontaneous and partly organized at the same time. Our startupists created a space in the form of mini stands. The participants could talk to the startup authors about the details of their startup idea and fill in the missing information.

And how does Vlasto Kocián see it?

“It’s a great feeling to see young startups discussing together with experienced entrepreneurs, investors and experts. Such meetings allow everyone to get the necessary information and valuable contacts. So the startup community in Žilina exists and there is a base to build on, which is great news for building a startup ecosystem.”

Photo gallery

Acknowledgment

Finally, we thank all the startups who presented their projects and thus shared not only their successes.

The delicious catering was prepared by Fricko Brothers, and the various decorations on the tables, which attracted our and your attention, were created and arranged in detail by Basha.

We thank Peter Sukeník for the atmosphere captured in the photos.

Friends, we feel good about it! And we continue.

Invitation to the next meeting

Even more info?

You can find everything about what INOVIA does for startups on the website: INOVIA Startup Forum.

The workshop was implemented as part of the project called Building cross-border capacities for sustainable support of innovative business in the Žilina Region, which was approved for implementation within the Interreg V-A Cross-Border Cooperation Program Slovak Republic – Czech Republic, Small Projects Fund.
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