Split startups won Milan
Three excellent startups from Split presented their products at the TechChill conference in Milan, negotiated business opportunities with investors, and some even sold their product!
What does every startup love? Meet investors, introduce yourself to VC funds, and make as many contacts and business opportunities as possible. And what does no startup have? Opportunities to participate in conferences that at a certain stage are crucial for their further growth. We made sure that the story didn't end there!
In its startup community - Dalmatia Startup Community, all members are monitored, supported and connected with mentors and investors.
The importance of the community was emphasized by Slaven Damjanović, who has been a member since the very beginning: "Given that 2 other startups from the local Dalmatia Startup Community were presented at the conference, I can say that the mutual cooperation, support and exchange of experiences during the trip was excellent. Although we have known each other for a long time, the few days we spent together allowed us to delve deeper into some topics and help each other with our experiences. It is these accumulated experiences that are the true value of our local community, and the exchange of experiences and mutual help can only facilitate product development and successful reaching of users, and ultimately success in running a startup.''
A local community worth its weight in gold
It offers members a sea of possibilities because it often brings to Split key individuals and organizations that startups want to meet, and also allows startups to go to foreign conferences with the aim of international expansion. They are smart young people, so they make the most of every opportunity, and the real example is Ivan Jukić, who leaves nothing to chance, and after the conference, many Italians have already installed his application on their mobile phones.
Magnet for investors - ScanEat
One of the founders of the ScanEat startup, Ivan Jukić, confirmed to us that communication with some key people he met at the conference has continued and is going in the right direction.
"Our projects have crossed the borders of the Republic of Croatia and thus we were able to get fresh ideas that can help us in further development. The most I can say about ScanEat, especially now that the first impressions have settled, is that contacts with various potential collaborations and partnerships were made at the conference. They were initially interested in the very idea of the project, but were mostly surprised by how much ScanEat actually reveals about the food we eat and how useful it can be. The conversation would often lead to the problem we solve for anyone who wants to improve the way they eat and how useful an app like this can be for people with allergies and intolerances, so much so that two investors asked us when we are coming to the Italian market and that this is the app they want to have on their phone because they themselves have to watch their diet. I was proud of how our project solves a real problem for people and they recognize it".
The most visited stand at the conference - DotYouSpot
DotYourSpot has the formula for the biggest booth crowd. These young and successful entrepreneurs presented their latest product e-Dozer and won over the audience! They made every restaurateur's dream come true, and that's why we won't be surprised when we see the products of the Croatian startup in Milan's bars and restaurants.
The founder of the DotYourSpot startup, Zlatko Kovačić, shared his impressions from the conference:
"Being a part of events like this and having the opportunity to connect with people who share similar visions and ambitions was priceless. For a startup like ours, which is in the phase of expansion and growth, these kinds of opportunities are essential. Digital Dalmatia supported us through various stages of our development. At the very beginning, their educations and incubators like StartIT were key to shaping our vision and direction. Now, when we have become more mature and ambitious, opportunities like this one in Milan, one of the European centers of innovation and business, have allowed us to see firsthand how our idea resonates on the global market. It was a step forward in creating an international presence and understanding how to best position our product”.
As Zlatko concludes: "This opportunity was not only about business; it was about learning, growing and understanding the market on a deeper level”.
Super useful but unattainable
The founder of Glamos startup - Slaven Damjanović referred to the fact that although conferences are really useful for startups, it is not easy to allocate funds and time to go.
"Despite the many advantages, attending conferences can be expensive, which is why startups don't attend every conference that is held. Costs include travel, accommodation, and registration fees, which can be large, and which not everyone can afford due to other expenses that are often a higher priority. Therefore, it is important to carefully select conferences that best suit the goals and needs of the company, and TechChill proved to be a very useful and interesting conference with a diverse audience."
The startup scene in Split is growing every day, and the Dalmatia Startup Community constantly "pushes" Dalmatian startups to participate in international conferences and competitions in order to break into the world market. Members of the community have already won enviable places at competitions in Zagreb, Rimini, Israel... and now they have also made a name for themselves in Milan.
"I also see a strong potential in the presentation of our projects under the auspices of the local startup ecosystem, through which I would like to congratulate this kind of undertaking and organization for local startups. I think that without a good organization of hard-working people in Digital Dalmatia, all of this would be more difficult to achieve, and the very fact that they encourage startups to take that step forward and go public is worthy of praise," concludes Ivan.
