The young Albanian, Kevin Sekniqi, co-founder and Chief Technology Officer at AvaLabs, speaks on Top Channel about his mission to discover and support new talents in Albania. The prestigious media presents Kevin as the next Albanian who has found extraordinary success in the “Land of Dreams” beyond the ocean. Although only 30 years old, this did not stop the Albanian genius from co-founding one of the most successful startups in America, in the field of Blockchain, the technology behind cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. As a founder and CTO at AvaLabs, the prestigious American magazine Forbes named Sekniqi as the most influential leader in the field of Finance in its “Top 30 under 30” edition. According to him, the entrepreneurial spirit is innate, but the city where he spent his adolescence, Shkodra, gave him the freedom to dream, and he says he would not change it for anything.
“The time in Shkodra with the freedom I had to explore what I enjoyed exploring has been very important for my development and I wouldn’t change it for anything. With the experience from the past and the success story, Sekniqi is ready to open the door of opportunities for all young Albanians. “Very often I am saddened to see how that great brain of Albania leaves and does not have the opportunity to invest for the future. I know extremely talented people in Albania who are starting some startups. It is very clear that the best talents in Albania are in the same class and category as those in America. I would love to see Albania as a champion in technology in the Balkans and Europe.” His next project is linked to his desire to connect with young people and Albanian startups in technology and beyond. After years of experience and success in the USA and in leading global ecosystems like Silicon Valley, Kevin brings to Tirana the K4S6 Startup Fund. The project aims to influence the further development of the Albanian startup ecosystem by supporting and nurturing innovative ideas. The team is led by a group of Albanian and Albanian-American entrepreneurs passionate about supporting the brightest minds Albania has to offer. This fund has a unique two-tier approach, namely the Startup Track and the Fellows Track, focused exclusively on the Albanian-speaking market. Young people and startups through these programs will benefit from substantial funding. Startup Track: Funding varies from $25,000 to $250,000 depending on the seriousness and maturity of the startup. Fellows Track: Funding is a fixed fee of $5,000 per year, guaranteed for two years, where students primarily have the opportunity to fully explore their idea, with an option for renewal for an additional two years if there is significant progress towards materializing an idea. K4S6 is not just funding. This is just the first step. As young people or startups will work to build their product, create their team, or explore new ideas, they will be offered advice, mentoring, presentations, and new acquaintances to help them expand their professional network and open new perspectives for building new businesses with the possibility of growing internationally. This program has just started and information on application criteria is listed on the website: https://www.k4s6.io/ As digital payments and artificial intelligences are changing everyday life for people around the globe, Albania has the opportunity to become a pioneer in development according to Albanian talent “I think with startups I will try to bring influence, capital to develop the new generation in the technological field, but not only there, also in industry or science are the most important fields to develop the state and I would very much like to contribute in this part.”
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