PODIM Challenge 2017
The investment part of the conference with a pitching competition for early-stage startups that are looking for a seed venture capital investment or a strategic partnership with big established companies.
The main prize for the PODIM Challenge 2017 winner was an all-inclusive one-week business trip to the Silicon Valley with a networking programme, organized by the ABC Accelerator in the total value of 10,000 EUR.
PODIM Challenge is open to all startup companies that haven’t yet received a bigger series A investment round and as a rule aren’t older than 5 years. A prerequisite for participation is a valid PODIM startup ticket and an introduction in the PODIM startup catalogue.
PODIM Challenge 2017 blue-chip partnerships
In 2017 we upgraded the PODIM Challenge in partnership with strong blue-chip companies, which are systematically looking for opportunities to synergically connect with startups. In collaboration with them, we covered the following fields:
Kolektor is a multinational corporation with headquarters in Slovenia and a wide network of companies and branches in Europe, US and Asia, which is working in the field of highly specialized industrial production. As one of the leading players in global niches of components and systems for the automotive industry, electricity, engineering and technological systems, they also wish to establish themselves as a leading global provider of solutions for smart factories in the era of the digital industrial revolution. They see an opportunity for rapid growth, also in collaboration with startups, mostly in the fields of industrial IoT – IioT. Iskratel is a leading European provider of info-communication solutions. It boasts with 70 years of experience, 900 employees in the group, their own development and production centres, and local presence in more than 30 countries, mostly in the area of Russia, former Soviet republics in Central Asia and Caspian countries as well as in Iran and Turkey. Iskratel is a multinational corporation ensuring integrated solutions for telecommunications operators and service providers, for transport digitalization, public safeties and energetics, and they are now rapidly preparing for the fourth industrial revolution. They are also looking for new business opportunities in collaboration with startups developing penetrative ICT products, focused on cloud solutions, internet of things, and smart and 5F networks, which enable a comprehensive transition into the digital society. Telekom Slovenije is a comprehensive provider of ICT services in Slovenia. It is recognized as a leading company in introducing and connecting new generations of mobile and fixed communications, system integration and cloud services, and multimedia content. With modernization, development of broadband optic networks and mobile networks of the fourth generation, as well as active participation in European projects for developing the new generation of telecommunication networks (5G), Telekom Slovenije is creating a platform for a transition to complete digitalization, management of devices and services, communications and connectivity between devices, and development of comprehensive smart solutions. More information about how to collaborate with Telekom Slovenije: Zavarovalnica Triglav, with its 116-year business tradition, is the leading insurance company in Slovenia and the Adriatic region. Together with dependent and acquired companies, it does business on seven markets and in six countries, and is among the leading insurance companies in Southeast Europe. Pošta Slovenije is a successful company owned by the government of Slovenia. Together with its seven subsidiaries, it is becoming a powerful corporate group. It is the largest provider of post services and one of the largest providers of courier and IT services. The Group Pošta Slovenije with its 6111 employees is responding successfully to the changes in the markets, by offering new technologically advanced services and at the same time establishing itself as the most important provider of post and connected financial and logistical services in Slovenia and the Alps-Danube-Adria region as well as an important provider of IT services for public administration, business and citizens. Nova KBM is a universal bank with the longest, more than 150-year Slovenian banking tradition. The owners of the bank are renowned international company Apollo, a global operator of investments, and the European Bank for reconstruction and Development. With new owners came a new and ambitious vision - to become the leading bank in Slovenia. Nova KBM has for many years been actively involved with the local entrepreneurial ecosystem, in part as a general sponsor of the PODIM conference. In the period of digitalization, it is becoming more aware of the meaning of partnering with startups, that are bringing advanced technological solutions, that are changing the traditional means of business and communications of users with the bank, to a very strictly regulated and traditional industry of banking and management of financial resources.Materials & Manufacturing – powered by Kolektor
In Materials & Manufacturing area, Kolektor is looking for opportunities to strategically collaborate with startups developing disruptive solutions for industry 4.0 in the following fields:
More information about how to collaborate with Kolektor:
Get in touch with Kolektor Ventures team!
If you wish to meet the team that stands behind Kolektor startup activities and meet it at this year’s PODIM Conference, get in contact with Mateja Lavrič ([email protected]) and Andrej Čušin ([email protected]) or write to them via the contact form on their website.Smart City & Community: Digital Services for Public Safety, Energy and Transport - powered by Iskratel
At this year’s PODIM Challenge, Iskratel’s representatives will thus pay special attention to startups working in the industry of Smart City and Community – Digital Services for Public Safety, Energy and Transport, which entails the following fields:
More information about how to collaborate with Iskratel:
Get in touch with Iskratel!
If you wish to introduce Iskratel to your innovative idea in ICT, cloud solutions, IoT or 5G, contact Roman Kužnar ([email protected]), manager of Iskratel’s startup programme and director of Iskratel’s business incubator RC ICT, who is in charge of the first contact with startups, or visit their website for more information about their startup programme at the address iskratelstartup.siInternet of Things – powered by Telekom Slovenije
Telekom Slovenije sees solutions for telecommunications of the future as the priority areas for strategic collaboration with startups within R&D projects, including:
Get in touch with representatives of Telekom Slovenije!
If you have an innovative idea in IoT and other fields that are relevant for the leading Slovenian provider of ICT services and solutions, and wish to present it to Telekom Slovenije at this year’s PODIM Conference, we invite you to write to Larisa Potokar ([email protected]) who is in charge of first contact with startup teams in Telekom Slovenije. Otherwise the startup team of Telekom Slovenije includes Suzana Leben ([email protected]), director of Strategy and regulations, and Sašo Djoković ([email protected]), in charge of partnerships.Sharing economy: implications for car & home insurance - powered by Zavarovalnica Triglav
The whole Triglav Group knows how important it is to be a reliable and responsible partner that uses modern innovative solutions to offer its customers answers to questions of the future. By constantly upgrading its business operations and services, Zavarovalnica Triglav also collaborates with startup companies, mostly developing services in the field of sharing economy – implications for car & home insurance:
More information about how to collaborate with Zavarovalnica Triglav:
Get in touch with Zavarovalnica Triglav!
If you wish to introduce Zavarovalnica Triglav to your innovative idea in the field of sharing economy and its implications for car and home insurance, you can write to Zoran Miloševič ([email protected]) and arrange an introductory meeting at the PODIM Conference.Mobility & Transportation - powered by Pošta Slovenije
Pošta Slovenije group is successfully answering to the challenges of digitalization by investing in IT and informatization, in packet machines, automated post office, informatization of postmen, cashless mobile payments, electronic services and automatization of logistical processes.
Successful innovation is for them a key source of long-term progress. Thus, they will form a special innovational platform for a faster digital transformation of the company. They are also intensely partnering with stakeholders of the innovational ecosystem, where they attribute a special role to the cooperation with innovative startup companies, especially in the fields of mobility and transport, with a focus on:
More information about how to collaborate with Pošta Slovenije:
Get in touch with the representative of Pošta Slovenije!
If you want to present your innovative idea in the field of logistics or mobility and transport, we invite you to write to Dragan Stjepanović to his e-mail: [email protected] and set up a meeting at this year's PODIM conference. Fintech - powered by Nova KBM
As a partner of this year’s PODIM Challenge, Nova KBM will be especially watchful of fintech startups, with which it plans to strategically cooperate in shaping bank and payment services of the future. It is interested in companies that are guaranteeing advanced user solutions by adding the most advanced web and mobile technologies in these fields:
More information about how to collaborate with Nova KBM:
Get in touch with Nova KBM!
The meeting point for fintech startup initiatives in Nova KBM is the information technology sector, where you can establish contact with Jure Kobal ([email protected]), but you can also turn to Martin Gunčer ([email protected]) from the software development department.
We are inviting all startups to apply for the PODIM startup ticket and PODIM Challenge, no matter their field or industry they work in.
Benefits for startups at PODIM Challenge 2017
Besides the attractive main prize, we also guarantee a number of other benefits for startups with a PODIM startup ticket that will participate in PODIM Challenge:
- opportunity to pitch on the main stage of the conference in front of 50+ investors from all over the world and blue-chip company representatives,
- opportunity to connect with 50+ chosen investors from all over the world and representatives of blue-chip companies from Slovenia and the Alps-Adriatic region who are looking for opportunities to strategically connect and collaborate with startups in their industries,
- pre-organized 1:1 meetings with investors and blue-chip company representatives, which take place for the duration of the conference in the PODIM 1:1 Arena with help of the PODIM startup catalogue,
- a possibility of an additional free startup ticket,
- a possibility of using a presentation booth free-of-charge for 20 most promising startup teams that will submit a PODIM Challenge application (as per the jury’s selection),
- additional benefits for startups from countries of the Alps-Adriatic region, the Balkans and other neighboring countries (these benefits include possibilities of free accommodation or completely free all-inclusive PODIM participation, and are ensured by CEP (Centre for European Perspective) and other Alps-Adriatic region partners):
2017 Award Contributor:
PODIM Challenge 2017 was powered by:
2017 Alpe-Adria co-organizers: Venture Factory, Technology park Ljubljana, KWF, Build!, Friuli Innovazione
2017 Partners: Centre for European Perspective (CEP), Business Angels of Slovenia