AGENDA

Antti Rahikka - Business Finland

Haris Alibegovic - Google Cloud‍

Rainer Schnabl - Raiffeisen Bank dd Sarajevo

Zsuzsanna Hargitai - European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)

Co-founder of Slush & Mighty Eagle of Angry Birds, kicks off the day with a powerful message on why building a community like Slush is more impactful than building a single company.

Some of the world’s most transformative startups began as student experiments. This discussion explores how founders bridge the gap between academia and entrepreneurship - turning research papers into products, and university ideas into global companies.‍

Damir Vrabac - Co-founder of Valar Labs

Sana Alajmovic - Founder and CEO of Sigrid Therapeutics

‍Amila Akagic - Associate Professor, University of Sarajevo

Moderator Peter Vesterbacka

Edhem “Eddie” Custovic - Partner at Cloud Health VC, takes the stage for a special 5-minute announcement to unveil the launch of their new global fund focused on accelerating innovation in healthtech and life sciences.

From teenage YouTuber to Forbes 30 Under 30 and CEO backed by Google Ventures, a story about bold outreach, relentless belief, and European ambition. His story is a reminder that great companies can be built from anywhere, if you are bold enough to start. He represents a new generation of founders who don’t wait for the perfect moment - they create it.

Din Bisevac - CEO of Buena

🍽️ Recharge and make meaningful connections.

Startups thrive where people connect, collaborate, and build together. This discussion dives into the mindset and structure behind successful ecosystems - how communities form, evolve, and turn cities into startup hubs.

Elis Hodžić - Founders House & Wave Ventures

Sead Ahmetović - CEO & Co-founder, WeAreDevelopers

Jonas Almeling - Ecosystem Hero of Sweden

Every company wants to innovate, few know how. Drawing on two decades of startup and corporate experience, Vuk shares what it really takes for large organizations to move fast, think bold, and build ventures that matter.

Vuk Trifkovic - BCG X

Top investors do not just pick winners - they recognize them. This discussion dives into how world-class investors and former investors turned founders and angel investor read signals, build conviction, and back ideas that others overlook. A rare inside look at how venture capital really works.

Damir Becirovic - Managing Partner at Relentless, ex Index Ventures

Dino Becirovic - Chief of Staff at Aven, ex Index Ventures, Kleiner Perkins

Izet Zdralovic - Partner at Silicon Gardens

Leopold Gasteen - Angel Investor & Founder of AlphaLens

Moderator: Piotr Godzinski - Techstars

Techstars is officially here. Join Piotr Godziński, Director at Techstars, for exclusive announcements, first-hand insights from the inaugural cohort, and a look at how global programs are connecting with local founders to build something extraordinary in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

As capital becomes more global, founders everywhere compete for investor attention - what needs to change for more bold ideas to get funded across the region.

Max Larsson - Partner at Wave Ventures

Izet Zdralovic - Partner at Silicon Gardens

Bruno Lusic - EBRD Venture Capital

Moderator: Iva Rakočević - Senior Investment Manager at Elevator Ventures

Forget theory. Forget slide decks. This is about shipping code and building the future, right now.

Now, founding engineer Emil Ahlbäck, Alexander Wikström, and Emil Fagerholm are flying in to do something unprecedented. They’re not just sharing their story; they're opening up their process and inviting you to build alongside them.

Final words from the Slush team, summarizing the day's key takeaways and looking toward the future of the Bosnian startup ecosystem.