GIST Innovates the Balkans is set to launch a ten-week pre-accelerator training program aimed at supporting science and technology startups from Kosovo, Serbia, North Macedonia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. The initiative is designed around the Lean Startup methodology, which will guide participating teams through effective customer discovery processes to align their ideas with market needs.
Participants in the program are expected to conduct at least 40 interviews with potential customers in the U.S., providing them insights necessary for refining their products for maximum impact. Additionally, the program offers training, mentoring, and resources essential for developing entrepreneurial skills. It also provides opportunities for participants to connect with mentors and engage with investors based in the U.S.
Select teams will have a chance to present their projects to investors during Arizona State University’s bi-annual Venture Devils Demo Day held in Greater Phoenix, AZ. This opportunity aims to give promising startups exposure to potential investment opportunities.
The application window for interested startups opened on January 13, 2025, and will close on April 11, 2025. The training begins with an in-person workshop scheduled from June 2-5, 2024, in Tiranë, Albania. This will be followed by nine weeks of virtual learning sessions.
The program targets Balkan startups seeking mentorship and expertise on penetrating the U.S. market while enhancing their business models. Eligible participants include founders aged between 18-40 years from science and technology sectors within the specified countries.
"GIST Innovates Balkans" strives to instill values such as merit-based competition, diversity of experience, scientific rigor, societal impact of technology, ethics, transparency, and inclusion of traditionally underrepresented groups within the entrepreneurial ecosystem of the Balkans.
More information about this initiative can be found on GIST's official website.