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Description
CRO STARTUP (NUTS code HR05) is an NGO, founded with the mission to strengthen startup community in Croatia and put Croatia on global startup map.
Project:
Croatia is in 42nd place in the Global Innovation Index 2022 out of a total of 132 countries and in 27th place out of 39 European economies. Among the biggest weaknesses of Croatia are low level of scientific cooperation between universities and industry, low level of cluster development, and the underdeveloped business environment. The stagnation that has been happening for the last 10 years needs to be reversed.
Project Activities:
WP 1 – National Innovation Event with Hackathon focused on Green Industry and Blue Growth. Events will be held in Zagreb, Osijek, Rijeka, Split, hackathons will be held in Zagreb and Split. Two most promising ideas will be selected for further development.
WP 2 –Business Development and Business Capacity Building:
Execution of the entrepreneurial program with R&D elements
2 selected hackathon teams (Zagreb/Split) participate in 6 months entrepreneurial program with R&D elements. Project team members and mentors follow their progress and support them. 2 hackathon teams attend at the end one-week bootcamp. After finishing the program, Smart Innovation Norway will make report on definition of next steps to raise the TRL status end readiness evaluation to perform these steps for both hackathon solutions.
Execution of the investment readiness program
The 2 selected hackathon teams will participate simultaneously in 6-months investment readiness program with an online investment readiness tool. Project team members and mentors follow their progress and support them.
Smart Innovation Norway is responsible for entrepreneurial program with R&D elements and its implementation. Project Promotor is in charge of the investment readiness program and investor meet up
Summary of project results
The project aimed to address Croatia''s stagnation in innovation, highlighted by its 42nd position on the Global Innovation Index 2022, and the urgent need for dynamic change. It tackled challenges such as limited university-industry collaboration, underdeveloped business ecosystems, and the need to foster a culture of innovation through events, hackathons, and R&D programs focused on Green Industry and Blue Growth
The project organized four startup events across Croatia, including two hackathons in Zagreb and Split, where two innovative ideas—Delismart and Tsunami Flow—were selected for further development. The project also launched an e-learning platform, held investment readiness checks, provided individual R&D advice through Smart Innovation Norway, and conducted a bootcamp in Norway to train and mentor two companies, whose solutions were selected during hackathons, helping them advance their solutions.
The project resulted in the selection and development of two innovative solutions: Delismart, addressing food waste, and Tsunami Flow, focusing on early detection of extreme sea levels. These outcomes benefited the two winning teams by providing access to e-learning, mentorship, and networking opportunities, enabling them to refine their ideas and increase their investment readiness. Additionally, the project impacted Croatia''s startup ecosystem by engaging 937 participants, 25 hackathon teams, and 8 investors, fostering innovation and supporting early-stage ventures in Green Industry and Blue Growth sectors
Summary of bilateral results
Through mentorship, project promotor helped selected companies to refine their ideas and increase their investment readiness. The partnership was successful.