While Saturday was reserved for the #InternationalDay of this year’s Split Tech City Festival, one other event took place in the wonderful setting of Bačvice Open-Air Cinema as part of the Festival’s pre-program – the Split Startups Meetup!

To those of you who were (or are) new to this, Split Startups Meetup is organized together with the hardworking team from the Student Business Incubator and is a once-per-quarter event that connects the local startup ecosystem and provides some additional inspiration through its lectures and panel discussions.

The first two editions of the Split Startups Meetup were held in February and May, and the-third-time’s-the-charm was its #STCFestival version!

Because we dedicated the Festival edition of this event to young people and all those who feel that way, our primary focus was set on two core topics: youth and entrepreneurship.

The Festival edition of Split Startups Meetup was also a bit special because it changed its form from the standard: panel discussion + lecture + networking.

We had a panel discussion and a fireside chat followed by the official Festival program, instead!

The panel discussion with the title “Am I Too Young to Be Taken Seriously?” revealed to us the pain points and the benefits of youth in entrepreneurship and business in general.

Our panelists – Ron Brumbarger, Founder of Apprentice University, innovator, and mentor; Blaž Perić, Co-Founder of SmartNest and high school student; Ivana Perić, Founder of RESOLVE and the Acceleration Manager at Silicon Castles; and Suzana Špika, Head of People Operations at Postindustria – had quite a lot of insightful and motivational things to say about this topic.

So, what is the deal with age? Well – it really is just a number!

As Ron said, recalling a story about his 8-year-old employee (Yes, you’ve read that right!!), the more important thing is your mental maturity and willingness to learn and work hard to achieve something. Not the number of candles on your birthday cake.

Under the expert guidance of Michael Freer as the moderator, they also repeatedly stressed the importance of mentoring, asking questions, and daring to try!

This fantastic panel was followed by a fireside chat “Get Ahead of the Game!” where new technologies and their benefits in business were discussed by Mirela Petrović, founder of mAI way, and Antonio Perić-Mažar, CEO of Locastic, who were guided once again by Michael in highlighting the advantages young entrepreneurs can have if they harness these new technologies well.

From staying ahead of the game while technology changes literally every day to how Web3 and AI can improve our lives and what that means for the future.

This team of panelists and fireside chatters was truly something and they fabulously set up the inspirational vibe for the rest of the evening. As for us,… well – the new edition of the Split Startups Meetup is coming up in December and we already have a few ideas.

Stay tuned! 😀

Photos taken by: Bruno Dubravec