During the time many young people were leaving Croatia, Michael Freer found his place under the sun right here in Split. That was six years ago. Now, in a strange turn of events for him, he became one of the internationals we interviewed as part of our podcast series.

Why strange, you might ask? Well, because Michael can be found in the role of the interviewer in many of Split Tech City’s older videos on YouTube, as he was a Split Tech City volunteer and used to create content in English about Split’s tech community.

Nevertheless, he adapted quickly to his new role, and we had a nice chat about anything and everything Split!

“I chose Split because of the location. At the time I lived in Cambodia, and wanted to move closer to my family who lives in the UK, but still somewhere warmer as that type of climate suits me better.

I looked for places with the sea, the mountains, and a warm to mild climate with lots of sunshine.

I was looking for the best options and Split fit the bill. There are few such cities in Europe! Initially, I came for a few months to see how things go but quickly decided this will be a place where I will stay longer. And here we are!”

Here we were, indeed – sitting in the middle of Diocletian’s Palace and having a chat about the city Michael already considers his. We invite you to watch the podcast episode if you want to know more about Michael’s views on life in Split and how much the city has evolved since he first came here.

Michael is an economist who, after graduating from college, traveled and spent some time in Argentina, India, and Cambodia before his life journey brought him to Croatia and Split.

Aside from the climate and location, another thing that made him stay was the fact Split offered great opportunities for the development of social entrepreneurship, something he is passionate about.

Social enterprises do not prioritize profits, as is the case with standard companies, but they still need to be self-sustaining so that part of their profits can be reinvested for the needs of vulnerable groups and the well-being of the local community.

With that in mind, Michael started Ensoco, a consulting company that helps various social enterprises. He currently has clients from all over the world, which makes him another great example of how it is possible to live in Split and work globally.

In addition to Ensoco, Michael is busy with his work at Digital Nomad Association Croatia, being part of the DonatQR startup team, as well as being involved with the local startup ecosystem and working with Split’s youth in various projects. And those are all the details about Michael and his life in Split that you will get from us.

Watch the podcast episode to find out more!

Photos by: Bruno Dubravec