Western Balkans Investment Readiness Startup Program

Join Western Balkans Investment Readiness Startup Program & learn what it takes to close an investment process in under 6 months!

Who are we looking for?

After successfully raising 5M+ for participants of the 1st Investment Readiness Program its our pleasure to open the 2nd call for tech startups from the Western Balkan region who are ready to raise their 1st External round of funding from Angels, Regional Accelerators and VCs.

All participating startups should meet the following criteria:

The startup is developing tech products in one of the sectors below
The Founding teams of the Startups are based in Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Bosnia & Herzegovina or Serbia.
The Startup plans to close its funding round in Q3 or Q4 of 2023
The Startup is ready to commit at least one person (if not more) for a period of 4 weeks for up to 2 hours a day (a total of 8 hours per week) to participate in the program, mentoring, and masterclasses
Interested in presenting Live in the MatchIN forum and discussing funding with over 50 investors

Track 1: Angel/Accelerator Track (€50K - €200K) Product is pre-launch or launched and tested with clients Targeting the markets of Western Balkans and having global Aspirations The Startup is searching for investment in equity between €50K and €200K	Track 2: VC Track (€200K - €2M) The product is launched on the market with several paying clients Targeting the Global Market and seeing the Balkans only as a Testing Ground The Startup is searching for investment in equity larger than €200K

Focus

We are looking for tech startups operating in one of the following verticals and sectors (not exclusively):

Business & ICT

AI & Analytics & Big Data

Fintech & Insurtech

Smart Cities & Home

Industry 4.0 & Proptech

Transport & Logistics

Planet & Sustainability

Healthcare & Wellbeing

Food & Agritech

Timeline

Feb 27, 2023

Applications open

Apr 10, 2023

Applications close

Apr 11, 2023

Top 50 selection

Apr 16 - May 12, 2023

Individual Mentoring & Advidory Program

Apr 16 - May 12, 2023

Masterclasses each Wednesday

Jun 12, 2023

Meetup with Investors

Participation Benefits

Masterclasses

Work with experienced experts and get honest feedback on your work

Investors

Talk with investors and find out what they want before meeting them live

Community

Meet peers from all over the region and be a part of the regional founders network

Advisors

Engage with mentors and Advisors who know how to close an investment

Proffessional Deal Room

Well prepared deal room ready for due diligence

Free Credits and Special deals form Partners

Free tickets to MatchIN Investor Forum Ohrid 11-12 May 2023

Selection Committee & Investors

Meet Selection Committee and Investors who will be bringing their industry and market knowledge to support participants' business development!

Ardian Hoxha
Chapter President, Keiretsu Forum SEE
Ewa Chronowska
CEO, Vestbee & Partner, Next Road Ventures
Vojta Rocek
Partner, Presto Ventures
Alexandru Bogdan
CEO, ROCA X
Csaba Kakosy
Managing Partner, Day One Capital
Onur Can
Senior Investment Manager, APX
Tatjana Zabasu Mikuž
Managing Partner, South Central Ventures
Enis Hulli
General Partner, 500 Emerging Europe
Martin Garaj
VC Associate, J&T Ventures
Martin Jankoski
Junior Investment Manager, Constantia New Business
Michael Mizrahi
Director of Innovation & Entrepreneurship Development, Azrieli College of Engineering Jerusalem
Cristobal Alonso
Global CEO & El Patron, Startup Wise Guys
Stephane Gantchev
Partner, LAUNCHub Ventures
Max Gurvits
Board Member, Bulgarian Private Equity & Venture Capital Association
Edi Demaj
Co-Founder, KODE Labs
Eli Velasquez
Managing Partner, Investors of Color Network
Mirela Yordanova
Network & Community Manager, Seedcamp
Chris Wehbe
CEO, Lendable
Mateja Lavrič
Managing Director, QLECTOR

Evaluation Criteria for TOP 20 decided by a Selection Committee and Investors in the:

TEAM: Comitment and ability of a team to execute the vision
BUSINESS MODEL: Is there a compelling business model and stable revenue stream?
PRODUCT: Does the company have an innovative technology/product/service?
MARKET: Is there a clear demand for the product and market size?
UVP: How unique is the startup's overall offering?
TRACTION: What are the current stages of the product, pipeline, and partnership?
MATCH: Is the company a potential fit for engaged investors?

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NEST is a Venture Advisory studio From SEE connecting tech founders with global Aspirations to investors and Markets. Keiretsu Forum is the world's largest network of angel investors, i.e. capital and financial resources, with 53 chapters on 4 continents. The Keiretsu Forum investment community includes private investors providing start-up and venture capital. Keiretsu Forum SEE envisions connecting the Balkans as a single market and joining entrepreneurs and Investors from 9 countries.