Two evenings at the Bačvice Open-Air Cinema on September 5th and 6th brought inspiration, knowledge, and connection. Another edition of the festival once again showed just how much our community is growing and getting stronger.

The impressions are still settling in, so forgive us if it’s hard to fully put into words the energy we felt from you during those two days. Below is our best attempt:

Day One

The pre-program opened with the panel “IC, EM & AI: Whoever Survives, Will Prompt?”, where Jelena Jelušić, Goran Pugar, Antonio Krističević, and Ivo Krka discussed the new roles artificial intelligence is bringing.

Next came Izet Ždralović and Michael Freer with “Lessons from Photomath and Microblink”, taking the audience into the heart of startup challenges and investor logic.

The third panel, “Does AI Sell Better, or a Copywriter?”, featured Nebojša Grbačić, Bruno Oršanić, and Dunja Ivana Ballon, who in their sharp and unique way pitted machine results against human creativity.

The main program was opened by Pinija Poljaković and Toni Trivković, who recalled the very beginnings of the Festival and his collaborators Romana Ban and Antonio Šerić. He also shared motivational messages with the young people in the audience—lessons that could inspire them not only in business but in life.

After the official opening came the panel “The Future of Work and Education: Stay in Tech or Herd Sheep?” where Monika Mikac, Jelena Jelušić, Duje Senta, Izet Ždralović, and Pinija Poljaković spoke about education and the skills of the future.

The audience had the chance to vote, and we must admit—it was a close battle between sheep and laptops in the air!

Toni Vitali – The Frugal Islander gave the lecture “25 Financial Lessons You Must Know by the Age of 25”, sharing practical money advice and opportunities we can all use.

Then, in “It’s Not All About Cramming (School 3.0)”, Irena Orlović and Pinija Poljaković emphasized the importance of curiosity and competencies.

The evening concluded with Nemanja Živković and his talk “Let Them Eat Logo: What Are You Serving Through Personal Branding?”, stressing that authenticity is the foundation of building a personal brand.

The first day wrapped up with dancing and networking to the beats of DJ duo Brutti Nonni.

Day Two

The day opened with the DUMP panel “Is That Diploma Worth Anything?”, questioning the value of degrees compared to practical skills—a hot topic among young people, especially in the IT industry.

First on the main stage was Paul Bragiel, the legendary Silicon Valley investor, in an engaging fireside-style conversation with Michael Freer that actively involved the audience.

Then Kristian Kamber, Stjepan Zelić, and Michael Freer took the stage with the panel “Global, Yet Ours”, showing how Croatian startups can go global—just as theirs did.

We send a big hug to Lea Sorić from CroAI, who unfortunately couldn’t attend, but who organized the panel and contributed gifts for the goodie bags. Lea, you were missed!

Before the next speaker, the always-original Michael Freer gave a surprise rap intro.

Marsel Čuljak then inspired the audience with “Ice, Ice, Business: From a High School Idea to Global Success”, sharing his journey from a teenage idea to worldwide achievement.

Continuing with the theme of transformation, Dominik Metličić delivered “From Uber’s Steering Wheel to Business in Fifth Gear”, recounting his own business evolution.

The festival closed with Jasmin Alić and his lecture “From Likes to Leads, or How to Master the Inbound Game”, offering concrete advice on turning attention into business results.

He also handed out fantastic prizes to the audience members who rushed to the stage, while EPAM distributed rewards to visitors at their booth.

The second day ended with relaxed socializing accompanied by DJ Pepi Jogarde, followed by the official afterparty at Versi bar with Vanillaz—the perfect close to two unforgettable days. As promised on our Festival landing page, those afterparty photos stay in private folders, while the memories remain in our hearts. 😉

We must also thank our amazing young volunteers—Nikolina, Mariela, Karlo, Niko, Viktor, Vid, Rino, Luka, Lucija, Borna, Marko—thank you! And to the team from Iž: we can’t wait to see the final result of that dance, you truly made us smile.

A Heartfelt Thank You

Finally: thank you all! First, to our main partners this year: RaST from the Split Technology Park, Agilo, Bitcoin Store, and EPAM Croatia. Then to our festival supporters: Travel Soft, Studena, Lumer, Prostoria, Format, CroAI, Ballon House Split, and The Split Collective. Also, our community partners: CroAI, HUKI, and Kripto Dnevnik.

We didn’t go hungry thanks to Grego’s from Omiš, and we didn’t go thirsty thanks to the breweries Mandrill, TapB, and Prostor.

Thanks also to the audience, the speakers, the whole production team, Goran and Tihana from the cinema, the DJs, Bruno, Karlo, and Julio for every frame, Ante and Mateo for countless landing page tweaks, Željko for bravely guarding the equipment from unwelcome night visitors…

Even to the lady living at the location, a regular guest, who helped out on Sunday morning.

Although the main event may not take place at the same location next year, rest assured—we’ll come up with something excellent. After all, YOU are the ones who make Split Tech City Festival what it is. And this year, together, we once again lived up to the title of the most relaxed business conference in the region.

Thank you—and see you at the next event!

Your Split Tech City Team