The European bank for reconstruction and development (EBRD) is looking to support and collaborate with high-potential, innovative, and growth-oriented startups that meet the EU criteria for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and are based in one of the six Western Balkans (WB6) countries. These startups should demonstrate the potential for rapid scaling and attracting investments. They will be supported through a range of tailored advisory instruments, in line with their specific business needs.

The program seeks registered private companies that meet the following criteria:

• Proven innovative technological solution or business model;
• Large market opportunity;
• Strong competitive advantage;
• Less than 10 years since company registration;
• Proof that the company is majority-owned by citizens of the countries where
• the EBRD operates;
• Significant revenue growth within three years of starting operations.

Program phases:

• Application deadline: by February 25, 2025.
• Preliminary selection notification / Pitch invitation: March 7, 2025.
• Company pitch sessions and final selection: End of March / beginning of April 2025.

Application process:

More information about the program and the application link can be found on the website:: https://www.ebrd.com/starventure/overview. The application must be submitted by February 25, 2025 (end of the working day).

Before filling out the application, make sure that your company’s financial data (official or in an open format) and the pitch deck (PDF format) are ready for upload. Please ensure that the form is filled out as accurately as possible.

Additional Information:

Once companies make it to the shortlist, they will be invited to deliver a pitch presentation to an international panel of experts and investors in the final selection round. Therefore, it is important for applicants to provide as much detail as possible in each section of the application and clearly explain why and how their company, product/solution, and strategy have the best potential for leveraging and scaling within the identified market opportunity.

For tips on how to deliver the perfect 5-minute pitch, as well as how to prepare the pitch deck as part of your application, we have prepared the following presentations:

https://vimeo.com/522333873/97d41ed428

https://vimeo.com/521896436/15e613ac07

For additional information and clarifications, please contact Dejan Tonić at [email protected].