As part of the 5th cycle of the RISE program, the second MeetUp event was held on January 22, bringing together young entrepreneurs and mentors, experts in the field of social entrepreneurship. In the inspiring atmosphere of Café Bar 16, participants had the opportunity to meet their mentors, exchange ideas, and spark discussions about developing their business concepts.
The event host, Dušan Jordović from the social enterprise Café Bar 16, welcomed the teams and mentors, sharing the story of how this unique Belgrade café was established and developed. This was followed by a guest lecture on marketing, delivered by entrepreneurs and mentors Milica Ličina and Sonja Dakić, with the discussion and panel moderated by Ivana Stančić from Smart Kolektiv.
Milica Ličina, a business mentor, TEDx speaker, activist, and owner of “Anđeli” and “Hug Bug,” along with Sonja Dakić, a business mentor, creator of the program “LiveWorkLove,” and founder of the social enterprise “Daj Daj,” shared valuable insights. Their practical advice provided participants with actionable strategies to advance their socially impactful ventures.
The event continued with 1-on-1 mentoring sessions, featuring not only Milica and Sonja but also mentors Nikoleta Kosovac, Dragana Jovčić, Katarina Anđelković, Miloš Paunović, Bojana Pražić, Milan Nikolajević, Vladimir Jovanović, and Neven Marinović. Participants had the chance to learn from the experiences of successful social entrepreneurs and mentors, discuss challenges they faced, and receive actionable advice to further develop their business ideas.
RISE – the Regional Incubator for Social Entrepreneurs is a support program for young social entrepreneurs, implemented in Serbia by the organization Smart Kolektiv since 2019. This is the fifth cycle of the free support program for the development of social entrepreneurship ideas. The program is simultaneously running in six Balkan countries with the goal of enabling motivated and dedicated young people to refine their ideas and make the region a better place to live. During the 4-month “ideation phase,” six to eight teams in six countries will build their ideas from scratch to a business model. Along the way, they will receive support from experts and mentors, going through all the important steps in launching a social enterprise. Afterward, two of the best teams from Serbia and a total of 12 teams from the region will receive additional financial and practical support to implement their ideas and improve their business development in the “incubation phase.”
The RISE project is supported by the Agence Française de Développement, European Union (EU), Regional Youth Cooperation Office (RYCO), Franco-German Youth Office (OFAJ), PULSE (Groupe SOS), ARNO, Balkan Green Foundation, Nešto Više, Smart Kolektiv, IEC Tehnopolis, and Yunus Social Business Balkans.
