The event, organized jointly by the BURCH University, and the Representative Office of the German Economy in BiH (AHK BiH), has brought some of the most distinguished regional and global names in the world of startups. Eric Brotto, a well-known UK startup expert and blogger at www.thembaisdead.com, and Branimir Muidža, president of the Foreign Investment Council of BiH were members of the jury at the conference, and British Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Edward Ferguson, was one of the prominent participants. Speakers and panelists enjoyed the great attention of present participants, mainly university and high school students, and gave them useful tips on how to develop their potential in opening startups.
Students had the opportunity to hear about the experiences of German entrepreneurship, successful startup examples, their peers’ viewpoint, the role of the state and the current academic opportunities. The part that attracted the most interest was the competition of six teams of students who presented their startup ideas. Their presentations and ideas were evaluated by an expert jury, and the competition was conceived as a presentation in front of a real investor in startups. They presented their projects in very short periods of time, which was supposed to prepare them for the business environment after graduation. The winning team was also awarded with a prize at the award ceremony.
Vice Rector at BURCH University and President of the Conference, Nedim Čelebić, said on this occasion: “This conference will certainly fuel the startup debate. I hope that this will be discussed mainly by young people, but also by those who make decisions on establishing new businesses. The success of this event can only be measured by the number of concrete ideas and moves after it.”
Eric Brotto also commented: “The competition ideas at Start Me Up were really high quality. Of course, they need some work, but the sheer talent of teams was impressive. I look forward to seeing the impact these companies will have in the coming years!”
The conference as a whole was a rich source of information for any startup, and a starting point for a young person with the intent to take the risk and step into setting up their own business.
