The first StarTech stars announced - 29 teams and companies receive a million dollars for investments

The Prime Minister of Serbia Ana Brnabić, General Manager of Phiilip Morris for South East Europe Aleksandar Jakovljević and NALED Executive Director Violeta Jovanović presented the checks for the 29 best teams, start-ups and SMEs, ranging from 20.000 to 100.000 $, upon the completion of the first annual competition within the StarTech program.

The most innovative ideas in this competition, implemented by NALED with the Government of Serbia and with the finnacial support of Philip Morris, were awarded funds worth a million dollars.

Thanks to the ideas of the first StarTech “stars”, in not so distant future, the citizens of Serbia will be able to monitor babies' body temperatures via sensors, use packaging and cutlery made of 100% natural materials, delegate the selection of job vacancy candidates to an app, or determine a fair price of a car they plan to buy.

- Since 2016 we started the transformation of our economy and society, to make it based on knowledge, innovation, high technologies and everything that can make us more competitive and bring better paid jobs. Even though we are at the beginning, the results are already visible. We opened 4 science-technology parks, a network of start-up centers and business incubators, to provide an opportunity to young people to develop their ideas. In July this year we had a record export of ICT services, with more than 170 million euros, and it is certain that we will reach the amount of 2 billion euros by the end of the year. We also have planned a comprehensive Start-up Development Strategy, whose development will directly include representatives of businesses. I would like to thank NALED and Phillip Morris for following the Government's mission, and we are eager to see further development and expansion of the StarTech project – said Prime Minister Brnabić.

General Manager of Philip Morris for South East Europe Aleksandar Jakovljević stressed that a company's strength is reflected in the support it provides to the community they operate in.

- Now that the unemployment is no longer on the list of key issues, there are other priorities. One of them, that we can and know how to support is the Government's vision about the transformation from a traditional to digital, export-oriented economy based on knowledge, innovation and high technologies. This is how the idea for StarTech came about, with the intention to allocate five million dollars to help entrepreneurs, businesses and scientists who need support to implement their ideas, forst to improve their own business, and further on the overall Serbian economy.

StarTech program, wortth five million dollars, was launched late last year with the aim to support innovations and digital transformation of busineses. The program's first component involves three annual competitions to financially support around 100 domestic innovators, and along with money they will also receive 3.000 hours of expert support for business development, entry into foreign market, intellectual property protection etc. The second pillar focuses on improving the regulatory framework for innovations, and the third aims to promote the significance of innovation, as well as concrete innovators and Serbia as a good investment destination. 

The first annual competition was published in March 2021, receiving as much as 229 applications. The first StarTech stars come from various industries – from IT and electronics, through food production and machine engineering, to consulting and environment protection.

- Naši najbolji inovatori dolaze iz devet gradova - od Beograda, Novog Sada i Niša, sve do Zrenjanina, Bečeja i Boljevca. Među 29 najboljih projekata čak 28 ima element inovacije što pokazuje koliko su spremni da pomere granice konvencionalnog biznisa. Tu je i pet proizvoda i usluga koji su već namenjeni izvozu, a kao osoba koja više od 20 godina podržava razvoj ženskog preduzetništva posebno sam ponosna na činjenicu da se među 29 odabranih timova našlo čak 16 koje vode žene ili su njihov ključni deo – said NALED Executive Director Violeta Jovanović.

Kandidati koji se nisu našli među pobednicima i svi ostali preduzetnici sa inovativnim idejama dobiće priliku već na proleće sledeće godine da se prijave na novi godišnji konkurs. Informacije o uslovima učešća i aktivnostima u okviru programa dostupne su na www.startech.org.rs. 

Dobitnici grantova

Najviše grantova, ukupno 18, dodeljeno je u Lotu 1 i namenjeni su početnicima u poslovanju za razvoj inovativnih ideja. Dobitnici grantova od 20.000 do 25.000 dolara su: AI software, Baby FM, Bifrost, Canandi, Carvisor Technologies tim, Cooperation Manager tim, Cropt, DIPO RTD, DiaSolutions, INIT Technologies, Kagera, Nsoilab, Neuroblast, PuzzlesCloud, SentiGuide, Stars, The Bracelet Maker i ZenHire.

U Lotu 2 namenjenom podršci mikro, malim i srednjim preduzećima za razvoj inovacija i/ili digitalne transformacije dodeljeni su grantovi od 25.000 do 50.000 dolara, a zaslužili su ih Digital Worx doo, Naissus tehnologije, Omnis design studio, Suncokret doo, Uniplast, Vrška-press i White Lemur doo.

Dva granta od 50.000 dolara i dva granta od 100.000 dolara dodeljena su u Lotu 3 namenjenom podršci mikro, malim i srednjim preduzećima za razvoj inovacija i/ili digitalne transformacije uz izlazak na strano tržište. Dobitnici su Atfield Technologies i HerbElixa, kao i FPM Agromehanika i TechnoNaiss group.

Odbor za dodelu grantova činili su ko-osnivač organizacije ENECA Milivoje Jovanović, direktor digitalnih transformacija u MK grupi Aleksandar Bijelić, senior venture saradnik ICT Hub-a Miloš Matić, prodekan i profesor digitalnih transformacija na FEFA Srđan Verbić, direktor BITF Beograd biznis inkubatora Jovana Vasić, šef odeljenja za razvoj poslovanja instituta Biosens Milica Trajković, viši savetnik za podršku MSP u Razvojnoj agenciji Srbije Mirjana Isailović i direktor Centra za digitalne transformacije Predrag Nikolić.