Belgrade Startup Founder 101

After years in one industry, you know problems that outsiders never see: the workarounds, the manual steps, the things everyone complains about and nobody fixes. That knowledge is the hardest part of a startup to copy. This is a hands-on workshop. You will name one problem from your own industry, check whether AI makes it solvable now, and leave with a short list of people to talk to next week to test it. Register now and bring one problem you have seen for years.

❯ What You'll Learn:

• How to list the problems in your industry that people already pay to work around
• How to judge whether AI makes one of them solvable today
• Why domain experts have an edge over technical founders in the first months
• How to write the problem in one sentence a customer would agree with
• Who to talk to next week to test it, and what to ask them

❯ Who Should Attend:

• Professionals with 5 or more years in one industry
• Domain experts who have spotted a problem but never started a company
• People without a technical background or a co-founder
• Employees thinking about building something of their own

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No slides to hide behind. No endless introduction. No “we’ll get to the business model later.” Just you, your startup, and a room full of founders, mentors, and people who know what makes a pitch land. At Startup Pitch Night, selected founders will pitch live and receive immediate, no-fluff feedback from experienced mentors. We’ll break down what works, what doesn’t, and what needs to change before you step in front of an investor, accelerator, customer, or partner. And even if you don’t pitch, you’ll learn by watching others get challenged in real time. Founder Institute Serbia and Innovation Factor are bringing the startup community together for an evening of pitches, feedback, learning, and connections.

❯ Guest Speakers include:

• Dušan Obradović (Cofounder & CEO, Bold International Group)
• Djordje Filipovic (Founder & CEO, 30Hills)
• Dejan Tonić (EBRD Associate, Regional Coordinator of Star Venture Programme for Western Balkans, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development)
• Nicolas Rabrenović (Co-Founder, Edda)

❯ Who Should Attend

• Early-stage founders preparing to pitch investors, accelerators, customers, or partners;
• Founders who already have a startup but struggle to explain why anyone should care in 180 seconds;
• Idea-stage entrepreneurs ready to test whether their story actually resonates;
• Founders preparing for fundraising, Demo Days, accelerators, or investor meetings;
• Anyone who wants to learn what makes investors and experienced mentors lean in — or switch off;
• Startup enthusiasts who want to watch founders get real-time feedback and learn from every pitch.

❯ What Will Happen
A startup can take months to build. An investor may decide whether they are interested in less than three minutes.
That is why the ability to explain your company clearly, quickly, and convincingly is not a “nice to have.” It is part of the job. At Startup Pitch Night, you’ll get the chance to:

• Test your pitch in front of a real audience;
• Receive direct feedback from experienced mentors;
• Learn from other founders’ mistakes and strongest moments;
• Improve how you communicate your problem, solution, traction, market, and ambition;
• Meet other founders, mentors, and members of the Serbian startup ecosystem;
• Build confidence before the conversations that really matter.

### One Room. Three Minutes. No Place to Hide.

You can spend weeks polishing a deck. But eventually, someone is going to ask:
“So, what exactly are you building?”

This is your chance to make sure you have a great answer.

Come pitch. Come listen. Come meet people.

Organized by Founder Institute Serbia, in collaboration with Innovation Factory

APPLY HERE: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfOnnXphozx9Tz1-9TH580m3ShR6C_OsxlUncfLTknS_osOtg/viewform
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You have years of experience in your industry and a problem you keep noticing, but you have never built a company. What usually stops people is the order: what to do first, what can wait, and what to skip.