Bringing U.S. entrepreneurial expertise to the top science and technology innovators in Kosovo, Serbia, North Macedonia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Check below for more information including important dates for this program.
What is GIST Innovates The Balkans?
GIST Innovates The Balkans is a ten-week pre-accelerator training program modeled after the Lean Startup methodology. We will coach teams about how to apply the Lean Startup entrepreneurship methodology and how to do effective customer discovery for problem/solution fit of participants’ ideas. By the end of the program, teams will have completed at least 40 interviews with target customers, gaining valuable insight on how to shape their product for maximum impact. The program will provide innovators with the training, mentoring, and resources they need to build their entrepreneurial skills and bring their ideas to market. The program will provide opportunities for teams to connect with mentors in the US and provide opportunities to interact with U.S.-based investors and companies.
After the training, teams may have an opportunity to pitch their ideas to investors at the Venture Devils Demo Day and visit ASU.
Important Dates
This program accepted 12 teams (2 members per team). The program is open to all science and technology companies led by entrepreneurs and innovators from Kosovo, Serbia, North Macedonia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
- Application window: 13 January 2025 – 28 March, 2025
- 10-week training program: The training will begin with an in-person workshop 2 – 5 June, 2025 in Tirana, Albania followed by 9 weeks of virtual learning.
- December 2025 Venture Devils Demo Day at ASU in Greater Phoenix, AZ
Questions about this program? Email David.Brokaw@asu.edu
More information here