Ferfl’s Startup Weekend, hosted by Cene Štupar – CILJ at NLB’s Center for Innovative Entrepreneurship, has come to a close. This year’s fourth season offered 66 participants the opportunity to learn how to refine their ideas, test them with potential customers, and acquire basic entrepreneurial skills.
Twenty-seven participants presented their ideas, and then 15 were selected to be developed in teams over the course of the weekend, following the principles of Lean Entrepreneurship. Tomaž Stritar, an expert in social entrepreneurship, served as the event’s host, moderator, and facilitator throughout the weekend, and there were also numerous other lectures on the topic of entrepreneurship. Bogdana Rejc (Data) explained the legal and formal structures of business operations to the participants, while Matija Goljar (Ustvarjalnik, Štartaj Slovenija) gave a motivational talk on entrepreneurship and shared tips for effectively presenting a business idea; we laughed during a laughter yoga session with Monika Radič and learned about finance and pricing with Dr. Marina Letonja (Gea College).
Participants came up with the following ideas: Center for Personal Growth, Heartfelt Corner, Hungry Skin, Personal Care for Seniors, House of Horrors, Smart Regions, Visionary Bird, SiPark, Little Ganesha Yoga, World of Children’s Imagination, Dream Stop, Svedrčki, Healthy Escape, Virtual Assistance, and Magic Factory.
At the Ferfl Startup Weekend, we were joined by mentors who helped the teams develop their ideas: Tita Destovnik (Gostilna dela d.o.o.), Jože Gornik (Zavod Nefiks), Manja Munda (SKLAD 05), Lan Hvastija (Optiprint d.o.o.), Živa Lopatič (Zadruga Buna z.o.o.), Janez Grašič, Anita Hrast (IRDO Institute), Anja Šerc (VIVA Institute), Ana Pleško (Simbioza Genesis so.p.), Mateja Dobovšek (Dškatla), Dr. Marina Letonja (GEA College d.d.), Tadej Černivec (IPRC d.o.o.), Marko Savić (Ljutomer School), and Nataša Rupnik (Zavod Zola).
The weekend concluded on Sunday, when participants had to convince the expert panel of the success of their ideas through “pitches” (3-minute presentations). The expert panel consisted of: Rechelle Narat, Energetika Ljubljana d.o.o., Dr. Brigita Jamnik, Vodovod-Kanalizacija d.o.o., Mateja Duhovnik, Ljubljana Parking Lots and Markets Public Enterprise, d.o.o., Melita Oven, M.A., City of Ljubljana, Department of Preschool Education, Gregor Sakovič, Center for Innovative Entrepreneurship, NLB, d.d., Nataša Makovec, M.A., GEA College d.d., Roman Medved, M.A., Regional Development Agency of the Ljubljana Urban Region, Tjaša Milošič Kovačič, Tiko Pro, d.o.o., Anamarija Meglič, Institute for Intergenerational Cooperation, Ypsilon.
The expert panel decided that the most compelling ideas from Startup Weekend were those presented by the teams “Svedrčki” and “Srčni kotiček.” First place went to the Srčni kotiček team, led by Janja Srčnik, who is developing the concept of a packaging-free store and creating a significant social impact by reducing waste. Second place went to the Svedrčki team. Ana Peskar and her team organize activities and workshops for children, where, in a safe environment and with the help of “Simet” the master craftsman, they learn how to use various tools.
