Growpreneur was built through the collaboration of Yunus Social Business Balkans and EU for Innovation, as a flexible and personalized program for all startups. Following the success of the first edition, Growpreneur is preparing for the finale of the second edition on January 27, where 8 finalist startups will be pitching their ideas to the jury of investors. Below you will find an interview with Gerion Treska for more details about this edition.
How was this edition of Growpreneur, what were the initial expectations/objectives, and do you believe you achieved them?
The 2nd edition of Growpreneur was even more dynamic than the first. Through the 1st edition, we learned some lessons which we tried to implement in the 2nd Edition. Since YSBB has been running similar programs since 2013, expectations are always there, in terms of applications, in terms of the types and qualities of ideas, the diversity of founders, the diversity in experts and mentors. In total it is a combination of several factors which present beautiful challenges and promise progress, we are happy for the whole journey of this edition.
What is your opinion about the level of startups on this edition, is there an increase in applications and mainly in good quality ideas compared to the previous edition?
We are a growing entrepreneurial ecosystem and still in the early stages, this makes entrepreneurship hard for those who want to deal with it full time and equally difficult for those who work full time somewhere and also try to start a venture. Consequently, these challenges affect both the quantity and quality of startups not only at Growpreneur but everywhere. However, in this edition, we see an increase in digitalization and use of technology as well as the desire to access international markets. This is a positive signal that we are enthusiastic about!
When can we expect the Demo Day, how many startups are going to be there, and what prices are foreseen?
Demo Day will take place on January 27 at 18.00 at Hotel Tirana International as a culmination of the entire journey of Growpreneur. There will be 8 startups that will present their progress and the potential they hold to investors from different industries. Prices are varied as each investor will have the opportunity to choose the startup in which he wants to invest. So in a way, unlike other traditional forms, there will not be a jury that evaluates but an investor who sees interest and proposes involvement.
Have you noticed more interest from investors, will startups manage to get financial support to develop further?
Our desire is intermediation between investors and startups, not necessarily monetary investment because it is not always the most necessary but "investment" with the right tools to help startups grow and expand in even larger markets.
Until a few years ago, saying "I'm an entrepreneur, I'm building a startup of my own" was considered to some extent as to say I am unemployed, do you think you have managed to change this mentality a bit, to improve it so that more people are encouraged to pursue their ideas?
In fact, people continue to say "I'm an entrepreneur, I'm building my startup", but it is no longer so much about unemployment. Today I know many entrepreneurs who work temporarily full time and dedicate the rest of their time to building their startup. It's a big personal challenge to give up any other source of revenue to get 100% started with your startup. Today I think that through all the actors in the ecosystem or community, we have managed to see positively the fact that entrepreneurs are never out of work because they are always looking for solutions to the problems they encounter or identify. The more we reinforce this, the more we will motivate others to get involved in the entrepreneurial mentality.
What are your plans for the future, when can we expect another edition, for those who have not applied or have not been selected on this edition?
In the spring of this year we intend to start with the 3rd edition of Growpreneur, always according to our plans and ambitions. However, Growpreneur has always left a door open for all entrepreneurs who need expertise selectively, because we understand that in entrepreneurship things move very fast, and needs also appear immediately.
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