Čadež: Belgrade Has the Opportunity to Become a Hub for Creative Technologies and Fast-Growing Companies

The arrival of the Web Summit from Ireland to Portugal about a decade ago made Lisbon visible and recognized as a tech hub in Europe. Belgrade also has a huge opportunity to become a hub for creative technologies and new fast-growing companies with Expo 2027, said Marko Čadež, President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia (CCIS),  in Lisbon.

"It seems to me that we have been successful and recognized so far, and this is just the beginning of what we’ll achieve by 2027," said the CCIS President to journalists after visiting Lisbon's Unicorn Factory, one of Portugal's most successful startup ecosystems, together with Jelena Begović, Minister of Science, Technological Development, and Innovation.

According to Čadež, Lisbon and Portugal achieved great success in developing innovative technologies when the Web Summit came to them.

"Serbia is also actively working to seize the opportunity that Expo 2027 provides, which could be our trigger for Belgrade to become a hub for creative technologies and new companies," Čadež stated.

Minister Begović expects that Serbia could have its first "unicorns"—startups worth at least a billion dollars—in the next three to five years. She highlighted that the goal of visiting Portugal’s leading platform for startup support was to see how this country and Lisbon became one of Europe’s most prominent innovation ecosystems.

José Mota Leal, Director of the Unicorn Factory in Lisbon, explained that this startup ecosystem encompasses a collection of projects and programs, having supported and developed hundreds of startups so far and that the doors are open for collaboration with Serbian young companies.

"Currently, we have six Portuguese unicorns and 13 unicorns from various countries that chose to operate in Lisbon," said Mota Leal.

At this year's Web Summit, the world's largest exhibition of innovative companies in Lisbon, Serbia is represented by 60 startups until November 14, which, as highlighted by the CCIS President, makes us one of the four countries with the most startups at this global event.

With the support of the Government of Serbia and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia, our country has, for the first time, its own "island" at the Web Summit, where all domestic startups will be presented to the world, along with a special Serbian pavilion that will serve as a hub for exchanging ideas in innovative technologies over the next four days.

Čadež: Next Year, We’re Bringing 120 Startups to Lisbon

On the occasion of the official opening of the Web Summit, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia, in collaboration with partners, organized a Balkan Night in Lisbon—a reception for members of the Serbian delegation, startups, and guests from our region.

"Next year, we’ll have 120 startups in Lisbon, moving from the Serbian Startup Island to the Serbian Startup Continent," announced Čadež.