Every journey has a destination and the Demo-Day event held on April 23, 2024 in Tirana was the last step of the 12 startups of the 5th edition of Uplift Albania. Demo-Day is the end of one chapter but the beginning of another in their journey.
In a world of innovation, the European startup accelerator Uplift Albania took the Demo-Day stage to witness their moment of truth, that of tireless efforts, brilliant ideas and sparkling talents under the lights of a wide hall of the “Jordan Misja” Artisic Lyceum filled with an audience hungry for the ecosystem of innovation and entrepreneurship in Albania.
Empowered by the EU for Innovation, Uplift Albania is implemented by ICTSlab within the “Qëndro” project with the support of the Italian Government, UNICEF, Deloitte, SwissEP, Star Venture and other local and foreign actors.
An acceleration program dedicated to early-stage start-ups that supports them to reach their full potential, Uplift Albania has become a pioneer of supporting innovative ventures in Albania culminating in events such as demo-day or known as the final event.
During this activity, honored with their participation the Head of Cooperation from the Delegation of the European Union in Albani, Mr. Hubert Perr, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany in Albania, Mr. Karlfried Bergner, General Director of GIZ for Europe, the Mediterranean and Central Asia, Mr. Carsten Schmitz-Hoffmann, Diplomat and First Secretary of the Italian Embassy in Albania Mr. Sergio Alias and UNICEF Albania Representative Mr. Murat Sahin.
“I am happy because four months were full of emotions, trainings and full of dreams from some dreamers. This is not a cliché, the jury has a tough job ahead of it. Tonight is not about a competition, tonight we have a showcase of success of a 4-month hard work,” said ICTSlab co-founder Mr. Kushtrim Shala.
“We are very proud to support such an event,” said EU for Innovation project manager Mr. Sebastian Berwanger.
Founded in 2019 and shaped by a wide network of founders, experts, investors and industry partners with the mission to support some of the most innovative and inspiring startups in Albania, from the footprint that Uplift Albania has left in the innovation and entrepreneurship community in Albania today there are more than 40 startups graduated from this program.
“For me, this event is the best example of what we should do, and in addition to working with the Albanian government, we should work with young people who have beautiful ideas and help them make these ideas a reality,” said the Head of Cooperation from the Delegation of the European Union in Albania Mr. Hubert Perr.
Firmly believing that innovation is not a destination but a journey that never ends, every year a cohort of 10-12 start-ups are selected to attend an intensive 4-month dedicated and personalized mentoring program where the star-tups explore in detail their business aspects.
“Programs like Uplift are very important in building startups that come from past incubation and support programs. We are proud to help open new doors for Albanian start-ups,” said the German Ambassador to Albania, Mr. Karlfried Bergner adressing the startups of Uplift Albania.
Demo-Day started with the session “Investor Connect – Speed Dating With Investors” during which the startups of the 5th edition of Uplift presented for 7 minutes in front of invited donors and investors such as Julien Coustaury, Eli Zhabevska, Mergim Cahani, Kamen Bankovski, Igor Madzov, Ardian Hoxha, Rezart Lahi and Lorenzo Ait.
“I hope that one of the startups of this Uplift cohort will grow to a level that has a global impact,” said GIZ General Manager for Europe, the Mediterranean and Central Asia, Mr. Carsten Schmitz-Hoffmann.
Beach Master, Future Block, Marigo, Dialogo AI, Nullius in Verba (Niv), Kungul app, Patoko, Cyber Morfosis, Rumio App, Altvista, UnyoCorp-Blite and GreenGuard were the startups selected to attend the Uplift Albania acceleration program .
“Uplift Albania is a testament to success. We believe that education is the key to empowerment and emancipation, while investing in research is the key to sustainable development,” said the First Secretary of the Italian Embassy in Albania, Mr. Sergio Alias.
From Artificial Intelligence to fintech, fashion, e-commerce, agriculture, tourism and cyber security are some of the industries covered by the 12 start-ups selected to attend the 16-week program under the guidance and mentorship of some of the best local and international experts.
“Uplift Albania is a true story of innovation Made in Albania,” said the representative of UNICEF Albania, Mr. Murat Sahin.
For about 90 minutes, Uplift Albania startups started their 3-minute presentations followed by 4 minutes of questions from the jury which consisted of: Mr. Julien Coustaury from Fil Rouge Capital Venture, Ms. Eli Zhabevska from South Central Ventures, Mr. Kamen Bankovski from Planet Nine Ventures and Mergim Cahani from Gjirafa.
A program dedicated to supporting founders and entrepreneurs in their journey, Uplift Albania startups must navigate not only between golden opportunities, outstanding expertise and finding investments but also to raise their profiles not only as innovators but also as individuals inspiring to a wider community.
On January 12, the Selection Bootcamp was held with 20 start-ups competing for a spot while 12 of them were invited to follow the intensive 16-week program of Uplift Albania.
At the end of the Demo-Day, prizes worth 12,000 euros were awarded to the three startups Nullius in Verba, Unycorp-Blite and Patoko.
A study trip supported by UNICEF within the “Qëndro” project funded by the Italian government will be organized on May 8-11, 2024 in Lithuania.
9 startups such as Patoko, FloraTech by Greenguard, Kungul App, Cyber Morfosis, UnyoCorp-Blite, Marigo, BeachMaster, Rumio and Niv have been invited to be part of this study trip which includes “Investment Readiness” workshops.
Meanwhile, Beach Master will benefit financially in the amount of 3,000 euros in credits on the Gjirafa Travel platform.
Uplift Albania is powered by the EU for Innovation, implemented by ICTSlab within the “Qëndro” project with the support of the Italian Government, UNICEF, Deloitte, SwissEP, Star Venture and other local and foreign actors.
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