Of all the many conferences I have attended in Croatia, none came close to the energy of Poduzetnicki Mindset (Entrepreneurial Mindset), which took place on this day two years ago in Zagreb.
Only positivity was allowed into the building, and some of Croatia’s most successful entrepreneurs gave up their time to share their stories in person. They included two men who had recently been included in the Financial Times list of Top 100 Digital Champions of Europe, Nenad Bakic and Mate Rimac.
One of the highlights for me – apart from the excellent presentations – was seeing high school students, rather than politicians, in the front row, having their mindsets stimulated by some of Croatia’s finest. It was a fascinating day, showcasing the incredible potential of the Croatian private sector.
Two years is a long time, and the pandemic has been a major factor in everything over the last 18 months. But one thing is for certain – the Croatian entrepreneurial story is moving forward, the energy of that 2019 conference increasingly evident in the private sector.
One of the highlights of that first conference was listening to Rimac Automobili CEO Mate Rimac, who gave a fascinating presentation not only on the incredible rise of his company since 2010, but also looking at Slovakia as a case study for the impact on the economy of the car industry. Rimac gave a detailed overview of the Slovakian car industry, and how its annual exports were already greater than Croatia’s combined annual exports.
And we all know what Rimac has been up to in the automotive industry in recent months. Mate Rimac will also be taking part in this year’s Entrpreneurial Mindset 2021, which will take place at Algebra University College at Ilica 242 in Zagreb on September 28.
Rimac will not be the only Croatian global success story to be presenting at Entrepreneurial Mindset 2021. Since that first conference, Croatia got its first startup unicorn, Infobip, one of several Croatian companies making great strides on the world stage. Silvio Kutic, co-founder of Infoip, will also be among the speakers.
Conference partners Algebra MBA Business School have also organised a valuable Leadership Talent tournament. Selected talents, from managers to experts, will participate there in a case-study competition where they will represent their companies as selected cross-functional teams. They will fight for scholarships for Algebra MBA education worth more than 100,000 kuna. This innovative business simulation, on the topic of Intrapreneurship and the creation of an ecosystem that encourages Leadership at all levels of management, is an opportunity for teams to become aware and start building the necessary personal and team competencies. Applications are open from August 23 here.
Changing the mindset is one of the biggest battlegrounds in moving Croatia forward, and the Entrpreneurial Mindset initiative is already reaching its target audience of the entrepreneurs of tomorrow, with its very own Entrpreneurial Mindset for Youth conference which took place earlier this year – coverage in the video below.
For more information on the event, and to register, visit the Poduzetnik dedicated website page.
