Behind us is the second edition of the international university startup competition - STup!2021. Last two days, Split has been the global epicenter of student entrepreneurship. At the Faculty of Economics, University of Split, more precisely in its Grand Amphitheater, transmitted live via a virtual platform, a competition of startup teams connected to their home universities was held, and 33 startup teams representing 16 universities from 10 countries around the world were showcased. Startups representing the following universities attended the competition: universities of Split and Zagreb (Croatia), GEA College and University of Ljubljana (Slovenia), Universities of Mostar, Sarajevo and Banja Luka (BiH), University of Belgrade (Serbia), Universities of Cadiz, Granada and Malaga (Spain), Pennsylvania State University (USA), University of Gdansk (Poland), University of Latvia (Latvia), University of Malta (Malta) and the Indian Institute of Information technologies in Allahabad (India). In addition to the competition, the event included 5 invited lectures by eminent experts from the world of entrepreneurship. And this is what it all looked like - in this order:
At the grand opening on behalf of the organizers and partner institutions, all those present were addressed by prof. Maja Fredotović, Ph.D. Dean of the Faculty of Economics, prof. Leandra Vranješ Markić Ph.D., Vice-Rector for Science and Innovation, who spoke on behalf of University of Split and the European University of the Sea (SEA-EU) and Ela Žižić, Head of City of Split’s Department of Economy, Crafts and Tourism.
The introductory speeches were followed by a section "Judges on stage" in which members of the expert jury presented institutions and companies from which they come and opportunities they offer to everyone who was present. They were: Gergo Gulyas (Startup Campus Budapest), Michael Chaffe (Wolves Summit), Arjan Goudsblom (Preneurz.Amsterdam), Iva Rakočević (Kavedon Capital London), Sara Korchamoros (cLAB Ventures), Andreas Spechtler (Silicon Castles Salzburg), Paulina Bialek (Expara IDM Ventures), Diana Florescu (Grai Group) and Renata Brkić (Feelsgood Capital).
On Friday, first day of the competition, all participants held their presentations, divided into 4 groups, according to areas in which the teams operate. The teams had 5 minutes for the presentation and additional 5 minutes for jury questions. To enter the finals, the following day, two best teams from each group were selected. The fact that only nuances and one or two points difference in the overall score decided on who goes to the finals shows how big was the competition in each group.
Between presentations, on the first day two lectures were held. Paulo Andrez, business angel and president of “Toys R Us Iberia Holdings”, gave the first one, on “Risk mitigation for startups” in which he talked about risk reduction techniques for those who invest in startups. Matt Kurleto, CEO of Neoteric, gave the second lecture, on "Developing startup ecosystem" in which he clearly highlighted all factors important for the successful transformation of a small startup into a large, global company.
Just before announcing the finalists, on behalf of WorldChicago, the institution that supported the event, its program coordinator Jabari Smith joined in and talked about the opportunities for training in various sectors WorldChicago offers.
At the first day’s program end, 8 finalists were announced: PS 1925 (India), Maccabi Agritech (Croatia, Zagreb), Alumnio (Slovenia), Windward (Croatia, Split), EasyPass (Serbia), AymoLive ( RH, Split), Calvaria (BiH) and Dock.me (RH, Split).
Andreas Spechtler from Silicon Castles opened the second day, talking on "How to avoid mistakes and become investor-ready", which covered the cycle a company goes through in preparation for making an investment to develop a new product/service, expand business to other countries, etc.
The final presentations were given in this order:
1. WindWard (RH) - a platform for automation and optimization of organizing sports regattas
2. Maccabi Agritech (RH) - innovative microcapsule in which nutrients and bioactive substances with controlled release are injected (optimization of fertilization and plant protection in agriculture)
3. Calvaria (BiH) - a platform for connecting medical students with experienced mentors
4. Alumnio (Slovenia) - development of innovative aluminum alloy with excellent characteristics applicable in automotive and shipbuilding industries
5. EasyPass (Serbia) - a platform for combining supply and demand in the education sector (lectures, tutorials…)
6. Dock.me (RH) - system for optimization and advanced anchoring in marinas
7. AymoLive (RH) - live video platform for artists (singers, painters, dancers…)
8. PS 1925 (India) - optimization of applying pesticide to fields using drones
After presentations, jury members started deliberating on winners, and Diana Medimorec from Amazon Web Services gave a lecture on "Innovation and customer obsession in Amazon". At 12:30, Nikola Pavešić, director of the startup ecosystem at Infobip, joined the broadcast and talked to the moderator about how Infobip, from a startup, became a global giant that launched its own program to help and educate startups, "Infobip Startup Tribe"...
After a difficult task, the jury made its decision:
1st place - Alumnio (Slovenia)
2nd place - Dock.me (RH, Split)
3rd place - Maccabi Agritech (RH, Zagreb)
The winning team Alumnio won $ 17,500.00 in active credits for the use of Infobip products and services, Dock.me $ 15,000.00, Maccabi Agritech $ 12,500.00, and all other finalists secured $ 10,000.00 active credits each. Partner Wolves Summit provided the winning team with a ticket covering travel and accommodation costs, and tickets for the Wolves Summit 14 edition to be held October 19-21 in Wroclaw, Poland, for all other finalists. EU Startups secured tickets for the EU Startups Summit 2022 in Barcelona for the first three teams. Amazon Web Services awarded the first-place team $ 1,000.00 in active credits to use AWS products and services. In addition to these awards, finalists also won licenses to use digital tools such as Cuttles, IdeaBuddy and Freedcamp.
Stup!2021. fully justified expectations of all involved stakeholders, the competition contributed to networking startup teams with representatives of business institutions and investment funds that were present in Split. Split once again stood out among entrepreneurial events and activities.
Confirmation of the quality work of the Student Entrepreneurship Incubator at the Faculty of Economics in Split is the signing of cooperation with Startup Campus, an innovation center and startup incubator based in Budapest and London, which develops programs and prepares startups for internationalizing business and preparation for investments. This cooperation will significantly strengthen local entrepreneurial community and open new opportunities for companies based in Split.