Is it possible to build a billion-dollar company from a country with just over half a million inhabitants? The answer is yes.

The vision that the size of a territory does not determine the reach of an idea was the backbone of the inspiring lecture “How to Build the First Montenegrin Unicorn?”, which we had the great pleasure of organizing on October 9th at the Science and Technology Park of Montenegro.

Our guest and speaker was Milo Radulović, the founder of the successful startup MARLEQ. Through an honest story about his own entrepreneurial journey, Milo showed the gathered community what building a global platform looks like in practice—one that today gathers over 30 certified career coaches and serves clients from more than 80 countries worldwide. His experience served as a perfect introduction to the central theme: recognizing the potential of the Montenegrin ecosystem. Taking Estonia as an example of a European leader in the number of investments and unicorns per capita, the participants could hear about what an environment that systematically nurtures and encourages innovation looks like.

Instead of viewing a small domestic market as a limitation, Radulović pointed out that we must embrace it as an advantage, i.e., a catalyst that forces founders to think globally from day one.

His advice for success involves early focus on fast-growing industries that know no geographical boundaries, such as FinTech, artificial intelligence, and green technologies.

Given that strong domestic capital is often lacking in the early stages of startup development, Montenegrin companies must be strategically focused on attracting foreign VC investments. This path is much easier if the community utilizes local benefits, such as competitive operational costs, tax breaks, and the growing presence of digital nomads.

However, technology and capital do not mean much without the right people, which is why merging local talents with foreign experts, while offering equity to employees, is the most important step in creating a winning team.

This valuable meeting was rounded off with a series of practical tips, as well as a very clear message: on the road to success, perseverance, the right mentors, and a strong community that supports you are crucial.

The main advice for entrepreneurs is not to wait for perfect conditions, because they will never create themselves. The right time to build the first Montenegrin unicorn is right now, and the Science and Technology Park of Montenegro remains here to be a reliable support and a place where visions become reality at every step of that journey.