The “Elevator Pitch” conference, showcasing the best entrepreneurial ideas of young people, was held on 21.06. in the hall of Hotel Srem in Sremska Mitrovica. The competition featured 50 young participants from the Srem region and Tuzla Canton, who attended training sessions on transferable skills, financial literacy, and entrepreneurship over the past 10 months. After the training, they created their business ideas and plans with the help of mentors.
The Center for Youth Work from Novi Sad, in partnership with the Youth Association “UM” from Sremska Mitrovica and partners from Bosnia and Herzegovina, is implementing the project “One-stop-shop service for youth entrepreneurship and cross-border partners” is a training program designed for young people who want to improve their knowledge and skills and are looking for a job or want to start their own business. Regardless of the profession young people plan to pursue, financial, entrepreneurial, and transferable skills are integral parts of every job, and the “One-stop-shop ” model is created accordingly.
At the event, 20 business ideas were presented. The participants were greeted by Uroš Veselinović, Assistant to the Mayor of Sremska Mitrovica, Martin Klauke from the EU Delegation to Serbia, Sanda Šimić from the Ministry of European Integration, Ivan Topalović from CZOR, and Stela Dukić from the Youth Education Center in Travnik.
Following the introductory speeches and the screening of a short film, the young entrepreneurs presented their business ideas. The jury, consisting of Marijana Grabić, Darko Radičanin, and Ismet Sokoljanin, evaluated the ideas, awarding three business ideas from Serbia and three from Bosnia and Herzegovina. The winners will receive additional mentoring support in preparing their business plans, starting their businesses, and seeking funding.
In addition to the business idea presentations, a panel titled “Successful Entrepreneurial Stories” was organized, featuring Andrea Todorović, Marjan Cvetković, and Dragan Kovačević, successful entrepreneurs from Serbia. They shared their experiences, challenges, and advice for future young entrepreneurs.
