As part of our journey through the European VC and startup ecosystem, it's time to make another stop in the Western Balkans. We have already covered many of the most influential women in the neighbouring countries of SEE and CEE, including Romania, Serbia, and Croatia. Now it is time to take a closer look at the leading ladies of the Western Balkans - including Albania, North Macedonia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Let's meet them and find out more about their inspiring careers.
Rafaela Rica
Founder, Iceberg Communication Albania
Rafaela Rica is an experienced entrepreneur who has been active on the Albanian business scene for many years. She is a founder of Iceberg Communication Albania, where she is responsible for creating, leading, and developing the company's vision, mission, and strategy. It is one of the first advertising agencies in Albania, which has been operating for almost two decades on the field. She also has varied experience serving as a communication and PR expert for many bodies such as the Austrian Development Agency and EU projects, which were parts of the Delegation of the European Union to Albania. On top of her professional experience, she also holds a doctorate in philosophy, exploring topics such as the gender gap in Western Balkans.
Enejda Sheku
CEO, Iceberg Communication
Yet another businesswoman on our list, who is connected to the Iceberg Communication agency. Enejda assumed the CEO position in 2023, and she has been using her 10+ years of business expertise leading the firm. She has a top-notch experience in B2B/B2C and strategic partnerships, developed whilst she was working as an External Expert at the Center for Economic Development & International Relations in Albania and a Project manager at Praktika.ai, a digital platform that facilitates the mediation process regarding apprenticeships and internships between young people and companies operating in Albania.
Dafina Bekaj - Dalipi
Cost Controller, Creative Destruction Lab
Dafina is a well-versed entrepreneur in the field, with many years of experience in accounting, auditing and HR processes. She was a Finance and Administration Manager at Yunus Social Business office in Albania, a philanthropic fund that grows local social businesses with a positive impact on society and the environment. After that, she moved on to assume the position of Cost Controller at the Creative Destruction Lab, a nonprofit organization that delivers an objectives-based program for massively scalable, seed-stage, science- and technology-based companies.
Katerina Trajchevska
Co-Founder & CEO, Adeva
Katerina is not only a highly skilled entrepreneur on the Macedonian business scene but also an advocate for equality and inclusivity, focused on giving back to the community as an ambassador for the Women in Tech Global Movement and a mentor in different programs and initiatives. She was a software developer in two companies before she moved on to start her own company - Adeva, where she currently leads as a CEO. It is an exclusive developers’ network that partners with companies to scale their engineering teams on demand and connect organizations with distributed tech talent across the world.
Vlora Ademi
Co-Founder & CEO, Digicube
Vlora Ademi is a seasoned business leader with over 15 years of experience in diverse industries. She was a Vice President of the Economic Chamber of North-west Macedonia as well as a Senior Consultant for the SME Finance & Development Group at EBRD, where she supported small and medium-sized businesses to grow and become successful. Currently, she serves as the CEO of Digicube, a startup she co-founded. It operates in the digital marketing sector, offering diverse services to increase productivity and generate sales. Vlora has widely recognized for her expertise in education digital transformation and is dedicated to driving innovation and growth in the Balkans' business scene.
Daniela Arsovska
Mayor of Skopje / Former President, Macedonian Chambers of Commerce
Daniela is quite a name to behold in North Macedonia, as in 2021 she became the first woman elected as a Mayor of Skopje since the country’s independence. She has over 15 years of management experience in the private sector and more than 10 years of expertise in International Investment Law and her varied and diverse business experience, especially connected with her guiding the path for other women from North Macedonia to assume high-level positions, granted her the entry on our list. Amongst her professional engagements, it’s worth mentioning Member of the Public-Private Partnership Council, Government of the Republic of Macedonia, Member of the National Council of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Macedonia, President of the Macedonian Women Entrepreneurs Association and much more.
Irena Chaushevska Danilovska
Co-Founder & CEO, Next Billionaires Capital & NewMan's Business Accelerator
Irena is an outstanding professional on the Balkan business scene, a lawyer turned serial entrepreneur and Angel Investor. She has more than 15 years of experience in innovation, startup development, exponential technologies, and business ecosystem creation. On top of that, she is also a PhD candidate in neuroscience, researching the key behavioural and neurological traits of successful startup founders. Amongst her many achievements and professional engagements, it’s worth mentioning she is a co-founder and CEO of one of the first startup accelerators in SEE Europe - NewMan's Business Accelerator. She is also a startup mentor, judge, and motivational speaker at many business and startup events, as well as at universities - Irena was the first Macedonian lecturer from Macedonia invited to Stanford University, USA, where she spoke for: “European Innovation and Entrepreneurship” and “How to launch a startup from a Hackathon”.
Kristina Cvetanov
CFO, Seavus / Executive Board Member, HUT4 Capital
Kristina Cvetanov is a well-versed entrepreneur and strategic advisor with 20+ years of international experience in Finance and General Management. With her business acumen, she is continually motivated to drive growth and profitability in regional businesses. Currently, she serves as CFO at Seavus, a leading software development and consulting company with over 1000 IT experts worldwide and a proven track record in providing successful enterprise-wide business solutions. Additionally, she is an Executive Board Member at HUT4 Capital, a unique investment company that supports emerging technology businesses to flourish with the right infrastructure, expertise, and guidance.
Svetlana Kordumova
Founder & CEO, Pixyle.ai
Svetlana started her career in Skopje as a software engineer in Seavus and later moved on to the Netherlands, to obtain a doctorate in Multimedia and Artificial Intelligence, researching alternative ways to teach machines to recognize the visually depicted environment captured in images, all the while dismissing the annotation process. Her successful academic career led her to found and lead as the CEO of her own company - Pixyle.ai. This startup develops an image recognition software that detects fashion items in images, helping fashion retailers deliver visual AI solutions that allow shoppers to visually search for products and get relevant similar product recommendations on their e-commerce platforms.
Mersiha Mima Mehic
CEO, Kolektiv
Mersiha is an outstanding businesswoman on the Bosnian business scene - an entrepreneur and executive with over 20 years of experience in startups and SMEs. She currently leads as the CEO of a Sarajevo-based company - Kolektiv, a leading recruitment services provider. Before this, she was a COO of Resource Central, an expert recruiter company operating across the whole of Central & Eastern Europe, which she also co-founded. She served as a COO at Youth Employment Services, a non-profit organization providing employment counselling, training, and job placement services for those youth who are at-risk and disadvantaged, as well as an Intelligence Reform Officer at The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.
Amra Zacina
Co-founder & CMO, Ministry of Programming
Amra is an accomplished entrepreneur, who has greatly contributed to the development of Balkan’s startup scene. She has wide international experience, working for consulting firms and marketing advice agencies across Europe. Later she moved on to co-found and lead her own company - Sarajevo-based Ministry of Programming, a tech startup factory, building and developing companies in Fintech, Healthcare and E-commerce sectors. She worked as a Marketing Manager before assuming the CMO position.
Aida Salkić
Founder & CEO, BEYOND Consulting
Aida is yet another highly skilled and experienced Bosnian entrepreneur on our list. She has many years of experience in corporate communications strategy, CSR strategies development and implementation as well as local community management and crisis communication. She worked as a Corporate Communications Specialist in Prevent Group CEE and in 2021 she founded a communication consulting agency - Beyond.
Linda Shomo
Founder & CEO, EasyPay
Linda is a leading businesswoman in the Balkans and currently serves as the Country Ambassador at European Women Payments Network (EWPN) and a Board Member at Albanian IT Association. She is also the Founder & CEO of EasyPay, the leading FinTech in Albania for over 11 years. Under Linda's leadership, EasyPay has become an inclusive digital payment platform with a large portfolio of local services, enabling customers to make real-time online/mobile payments and credit their EasyPay e-wallet with cash or cashless options from their mobile phones or at over 500 agents across Albania.
Irida Bonati
Deputy CEO & CHRO, One Albania
Irida is a highly skilled Human Resources and Administrative Affairs professional with extensive experience in the telecommunications industry. She served as Deputy CEO and Chief Operating Officer at ALBtelecom Albania and currently, she is a Deputy CEO and CHRO at One Albania, a regional leader in Information and Communication Technology.
Blerina Ago
Founder & CEO, Active Albania
Blerina is an accomplished entrepreneur, tourism consultant, and nature conservation activist based in Albania. For many years she has been involved in the tourist industry in the region, driving economic growth and sustainable development through eco and rural tourism products. She was the Executive Director of takenbyalbania.com, where she created the viral campaign "Be Taken by Albania” as well as an Advisor to the Albanian Ministry of Tourism and Environment. Currently, she is a founder at Active Albania, an initiative that provides sustainable solutions for promoting destinations and businesses.
Gaia Montelatici
Co- Founder, Impact Hub Belgrade
We open our list of women from Serbia who contribute to the startup and VC ecosystem development with Gaia Montelatici, a Co-Founder of Studio X Ventures, a VC firm supporting startups from the Western Balkans countries. Gaia is also an expert, mentor, and Co-Founder of Impact Hub Belgrade, an international organization created to support cleantech entrepreneurs, gender-diverse founders, and digital media startups. In the past, she held a CEO position at Venture Growth Accelerator and was a Senior Sector Policy Expert at PM Group.
Natasa Kazic
Head of Product, Ananas
Natsa Kazic used to be a Consultant and a Startup Mentor at Impact Hub Belgrade with a mission to support companies and search for new growth opportunities. She is an entrepreneur with more than 20 years of presence in the Serbian business scene, being experienced in business administration, strategy, and marketing. Natsa is a Co-Founder of 5GTalks and a Head of Product at Ananas E-commerce.
Branislava Gajić-Stanojević
Co-Founder, Infosund
Branislava Gajić Stanojević is an entrepreneur, executive, and startup founder. For more than 20 years she has been connected with Infosund, which is a part of the leading internet company in Serbia, Inspira Group, and part of ALMA Career Group, which includes employment sites in 12 European countries. Infosund is a center for employment and career development, effectively connecting employers with potential candidates.
Anja Varničić
Co-founder, UrbiGo
Anja Varničić is passionate about plants and technology, so it is not surprising that she has co-founded UrbiGo, a startup delivering IoT device for urban gardening, which unifies hardware, software, and botanics to change the form of gardening in urban homes. Anja is a Founder and Manager of the Youth Environmental Association EcoHub, an organisation aiming to spread enviromental awareness across Serbia. In the past, she also gained marketing, content development, and mentor experience.
Ivana Zirojević
Co-founder & CEO, SrediMe
Ivana Zirojević is another impactful woman included on our list as she is a Co-Founder and CEO of SerdiMe, an innovative online service aiming to improve the beauty salon appointment experiences. What is more, Ivana is a Founder of Donesi, a leading online food delivery marketplace in Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina. In the past, she also held a position in the PR department at Zepter International and at the Ministry of Finance and the Economy Republic of Serbia.
Dusica Lukic
Co-Founder, Joberty
Dusica Lukic has more than 10 years of experience, especially in the IT and telecommunication industries. She is a product manager, focused on designing and developing web and mobile solutions. Dusica co-founded Joberty, a workplace community for developers and tech firms, where entrepreneurs can review companies, connect, and find jobs in the tech industry. In the past, she held several Product Manager positions at companies such as Pollard Digital Solutions and Telcom Srbija.
Bojana Knežević
Co-founder & COO of Holodia
Boajna Knežević has vast expertise in sales, operations management, and business development. She is a Founder and a COO at Holodia, a Virtual Reality fitness platform, creating workouts, which are motivating, challenging, and entertaining at same time using the CardioGoals AI workout programs. In the past, she has co-founded and was holding the COO position at My World Taxi, was a Senior Managing Partner at Skandia Consulting Group, and was a Consultant at IAEA.
Marija Ilić
Co-founder, Two Desperados
Marija Ilić’s heart beats for video gaming industry development. She is an experienced entrepreneur, executive, and advisor having more than 15 years of expertise in the games industry. So it’s not a surprise that she is co-founded Two Desperados, a game development company a creator of Woka Woka and Viola’s Quest games, which gathered over 30 million players worldwide. Additionally, Marija is a Mentor at Google for Startups Accelerator program and a Co-Founder and a Board Member of the Serbian Games Association.
Jasmina Ristic
Founder, Horizer
Jasmina Ristic is an experienced female entrepreneur contributing to the development of the startup & VC ecosystem. She is a Founder of Horizer, a designer, developer, and manufacturer of solar modules, energy generation, and storage systems for vehicles. What is more, she is a Business Coach at the EIT Food TeamUp Programme, and an Expert for Entrepreneurship at the European Commission. In the past, she also held the position of Accelerator Program and Corporate Innovation Director at Bridgeway Europe Startup Accelerator and the Marketing Director at Podravka. She has also co-founded two other companies: Farmersmarket.rs and Mapayko.
Ana Pajkovic
Founder, Belgrade for Kids
Ana Pajkovic has more than 20 years of experience, especially in the real estate sector. She is an investor, founder, and entrepreneur. In 2017 Ana has founded Belgrade for Kids, an online platform gathering all events for kids and their parents, supporting the parenting community in Belgrade. In the past, she held a Partner position at Kvadrat Advisors and she co-founded Kidster, a marketplace for parents to sell and buy kids’ goods.
Nađa Jokanović & Nina Milović
Co-founders, Wannabe Media Studio
Nađa Jokanović is a Co-Founder and a CMO at the Wannabe Magazine, a leading fashion, beauty and lifestyle web magazine in Serbia. She is also a Co-Founder of Wanna Media Studio, a digital creative studio. What is more, Nađa is an Editor in Chief at easylife.rs, another lifestyle magazine.
Wannabe Magazine was launched not only by Nađa Jokanović but also by Nina Milović, who is also a Creative Director. Additionally, Nina is an Owner and a Creative Director at NINAMILÁN Studio. It is worth mentioning that Nada and Nina are also the organizers of the Wannabe Digital Award, which is given to the best influencers in 14 different categories.
Dragana Jovčić & Jelena Joksimovic
Co-founders, Uradi Zaradi
Dragana Jovčić together with Jelena Joksimovic has co-founded Uradi Zaradi, a marketplace for those looking for household services. What is more, she is experienced in operations management and business planning having a demonstrated history of working in startup environment.
Jelena Joksimovic is a researcher, scientist, and entrepreneur with several years of experience. Her mission is to prevent public transactions from corruption so she is constantly searching for the best, unsupervised machine learning solutions addressing that issue. Jelena is a Co-Founder of Uradi Zaradi and a Ph.D. Fellow at the Faculty of Information Studies in Novo Mesto.
Tijana Tašin
Co-owner, ZDRA Branding & Co-Founder YoloBook
This list wouldn’t be complete without Tijana Tašin, a Co-owner of ZDRA Branding, a branding agency focused on helping build websites and apps, and a Co-Founder of YoloBook, an IT startup, delivering personalized photo albums, combining traditional products with technology. What is more, Tijana is a CMO at TerraCore Technologies, a developer of platforms and web applications in the field of Fintech, E-Commerce, and Blockchain.
Dragana Djermanovic
Startup Mentor, Google
While mentioning the most influential and impactful women that contribute to the development of the startup and VC ecosystem, we must highlight Dragana Djermanovis, who is a Growth Guide, businesswoman, startup mentor, and expert, having mentored through her career over 1000 professionals. She is a President of the Serbia-India Business Council of the Women’s Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, a Mentor at Google, and a Co-Founder of BeeShaper. For her commitment, she was awarded several times and listed, among others, as one of the Top 100 Female Entrepreneurs in Europe, and received a “Success Flower” award from the Association of Business Women of Serbia.
Eleonora Sergijevic
Co-Founder & CEO, Mojo AI
Eleonora Sergijevic is one of the most active female market players on the Serbian business scene. She is a Co-founder of several companies, including Enqlo, and Swiftty. During the pandemic of Covid-19, she has put her two businesses aside and started Airtech Med, a manufacturer of protecting face shields and clothes. Currently, she is a Co-Founder and CEO of Mojo AI.
Jelena Plavanski
Co-Founder & President, ABAS
Jelena Plavanski is a Co-Founder and President of ABAS, the Association of Business Angels of Serbia. It’s a non-profit organization, created to support the regional VC and startup ecosystem. Additionally, Jelena is an International Partner at the World Business Investment Forum, an Advisory Board Member at the Entrepreneurs Association, a Chairperson at Global Investment Committee of Balkans, and a Speaker during the World Leader Summit in 2020.
Zoja Kukic
Co-Founder, SEE ICT
Zoja Kukic has been actively supporting the growth of the regional startup ecosystem for a decade. She is a Co-Founder of SEE ICT, a non-profit organization creating a community for startups in South-East Europe. What is more, she co-founded Startit, a European regional network organization helping high-tech startup companies grow, where currently she holds the role of President of the Advisory Board. Zoja also launched a dedicated podcast, She Rocks Global, with a mission to empower women around the world. Besides, she is a Google Launchpad Mentor and a startup advisor.
Sanja Popovic Pantic
President, Association of Business Women in Serbia
Sanja P. Pantic has been a President of the Association of Business Women in Serbia for over 20 years now, leading one of the most active national associations of female entrepreneurs in Serbia, where since 1998 she has been involved in nearly 200 projects aiming to strength female entrepreneurship, supporting startups and established companies. She is a researcher, expert, and consultant in matters of female entrepreneurship. Since 2015 she has been a Chair of the Woman’s Entrepreneurship Group within the EU-funded project Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) and is a Researcher at Institute Mihajlo Pupin.
Tamara Čolić Milosavljević
Co-Director, Founder Institute Serbia
Tamara Čolić Milosavljević is passionate about business opportunity creation and development, so it is not surprising that she is a Co-director of Founder Institute Serbia, a pre-seed accelerator program, supporting and strengthening the Serbian startups helping them to scale globally. What is more, Tamara is a European IP Helpdesk Ambassador and a Technology Transfer Manager of the Center for Technology Transfer at the University of Belgrade. In the past, she held the Project Manager position supporting the launch of initiatives like the BOSS platform or CROWDSTREAM at the University of Belgrade.
Danica Niki Radisic
Co- Founder, Virtuosica
When it comes to female entrepreneurs actively operating on the Serbian business scene it is worth mentioning Danica Niki Radisic, a Co-Founder of Virtuosica, a product-driven platform providing tools and support for musicians to reach new and existing audiences. Danica has more than 20 years of experience among others, in public relations, marketing, media, and corporate communications. In the past, she held positions as a Managing Partner at Krazy Fish, an Executive Editor at Thinkruptor, and a President of Women in Tech Serbia.
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Mirjana Perkovic
Founder & CEO, LookStyler
Mirjana Perkovic is the Founder and CEO of LookStyler, a marketplace connecting local stylists with international luxury shoppers. Mirjana is also a Forbes Business Council Member and Forbes Contributor, EIC Women Leadership Business Mentor, and Advisor at Loyal VC. Previously, she also assumed the role of Managing Director at Founder Institute in Brussels.
Tijana Manitašević Vujčić
Co- Founder Strawberry Energy
Tijana Manitašević Vujčić has more than 10 years of professional experience mainly in the IT industry. She is a Co-Founder and Business Development Executive at Strawberry Energy, a developer of solar-powered urban furniture for smart and sustainable cities, operating in more than 50 cities in over 20 countries around the world. Currently, she is a Market Development Lead at HTEC Group.
Natasa Skrbic
Program Director for the Startup Ecosystem, Digital Initiative Serbia
Another active female entrepreneur we would like to include on our list is Natasa Skrbic, a Program Director for the Startup Ecosystem at Digital Initiative Serbia, a non-governmental and non-profit organization with an aim to further develop a strong, competitive digital economy in Serbia. Natasa was an Advisor at UMPS, and a Project Manager at BalkanUp, an organization supporting startups and entrepreneurs across Western Balkan countries. In the past, she has also co-founded her own startup- Filter App, an online platform, promoting the promote cultural events happening in Belgrade.
Marijana Agic - Molnar
CEO & Data Strategist, DATA DO
Marijana Agic Molbar is a CEO and Data Strategist at DATA DO, a company helping businesses to monetize their data by providing support in data analytics processes. Marijana is a marketing and data strategist, an expert in discovering business chances, and a lecturer at FEFA Faculty. In the past, she worked as a Managing Director at GfK, and a Marketing Research Manager at The Coca-Cola Company.
Maja Turkovic
Co-Founder and Board Member, ASOR
“Investing in a sustainable future”- that’s the motto of CWP Global, where Maja Turkovic holds the SVP position. CWP Global is a renewable energy development company, that provides sustainable energy solutions. What is more, Maja is a Co-Founder and Board Member at ASOR, Association for Sustainable Development in Serbia, and used to work as a Managing Director at Wind Power, and a managing Partner at Wind Park Plandiste, being responsible for the development and financing of the projects.
Marijana Savic
Founder, Atina
Marijana Savic is a passionate lawyer and a human rights activist. She has founded Atina, a non-government organization supporting young people and their families, who are victims of human trafficking, and sexual and labour exploitation. Its main mission is to help society to develop and fully respect the rights of women and children. What is more, she is a Founder and Director of a social enterprise project “Bagel Bejgl”.
Marija Grujic
Co-Founder & CEO, Neuroblast
Marija Grulic has graduated from the University of Arts and Design. She started her career while working as a Senior Interior Designer at Zomot. Currently, she is a Co-Founder and CEO of Neuroblast, a company developing a sensory post-rehabilitation device dedicated to everyone suffering from neurodegenerative diseases. Thanks to this special interactive sensor device, patients can exercise continuously during post-rehabilitation at home.
Manja Bogicevic
Founder & CEO, Kagera.ai
Manja Bogicevic is an experienced startup founder and entrepreneur. She is actively operating in Serbia supporting the growth of the regional startup ecosystem in the Western Balkans and beyond. She is a Founder and CEO of Kagera.ai, a tech startup that provides machine learning, business intelligence, data strategy, and risk mitigation services to help optimize production. Manja co-founded Machine Learning Global, worked as a Machine Learning Author at Packt, and was Chief Data Officer at Trounceflow.
Dusanka Ilic
Founder & CEO, Beyond42
Dusanka Ilic has been present on the Serbian business scene for over 20 years now. She is an experienced executive and startup founder. Dusanka has co-founded Kutpoint, and since 2019 she is a Founder and CEO of Beyond42, an online platform helping in organizing virtual events. It helps to expand business networks and create communities across industries and geographies.
Tamara Papic
Co-Founder, Baby FM
Tamara Papic is another woman included on our list of developers of the startup ecosystem in Serbia. She is a Co-Founder of Baby FM, a health tech startup, developing a special monitoring device for parents to control their baby’s temperature, equipped with an alerting system. She is a researcher, experienced media planner, producer, project manager, and
Katarina Mirkovic
Vice President, Program Manager, COO Team, BlackRock Solutions
After graduating from the University of Belgrade, Katarina started her professional career in marketing and sales departments. For the past years, she has been working as, among others, Head of Marketing and Sales Insights at EyeSee Research and Mentor at Case Study Club. In 2016, she has co-founded WOKE, an avatar-based opinion-sharing platform. Currently, Katarina is working at BlackRock Solutions, a global asset manager and technology provider.
Related Posts:
Top 25 Women From VC and Startup Ecosystem In Romania (by Aleksandra Wirth, Vestbee)
Top 30 Women From VC and Startup Ecosystem In Serbia (by Aleksandra Wirth, Vestbee)
Top 100 Women From VC and Startup Ecosystem In Poland (by Aleksandra Wirth & Katarzyna Groszkowska, Vestbee)
