Mentors

Emilija Stojmenova Duh is assistant professor at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science of the University of Ljubljana. She is the initiator and coordinator of the national FabLab Slovenia network, a technologically supported platform for innovation, prototyping and invention that promotes local entrepreneurship. Executive director of DIH Slovenia from February 2018 to October 2019 she currently serves as Head of 4P DIH (Public, Private, People Partnership Digital Innovation Hub), whose main aim is to create awareness and provide services to grow digital competencies, share digital experience and case studies locally, regionally and internationally, and support the government to adapt regulation and open its data to foster entrepreneurship. She was head of Demola Slovenia, part of Demola Network, which was recognized by OECD and the World Bank as a best practice example for innovation policymakers. She coordinates several national and European research and development projects in the field of digitisation and innovation for rural development and collaborates with the European Commission within two thematic groups on rural development and digital innovation hubs. 

Emilija’s work is focused on open innovation, co-creation, user-centred design and digitisation for sustainable development. She takes part in an international team of researchers developing a methodology for measuring and monitoring social and economic return on investment of digital products and services through open innovation.

Jožko Rutar, film producer. Having graduated from the School of Economics and Business of the University of Ljubljana he worked as an event organiser and cultural manager for Break 21 festivals and the contemporary dance group EN-KNAP. In 2004 he joined the newly-founded production company STARAGARA. He is an EAVE graduate (European Audiovisual Entrepreneurs, one of the leading training and development providers for producers in Europe) and its national representative. From 2011 to 2016 he served as managing director of Slovenian Film Centre, Public Agency of the Republic of Slovenia. 

Since then he has worked as a film producer, lecturer in film production at the School of Arts in Nova Gorica and a consultant in film development and financing. He works with the European Audiovisual Observatory and Creative Europe – Media programme, and is a member of the board of directors of CEE Animation network. Jožko Rutar is actively involved in the collective management of copyright and related authors’ rights in Slovenia, and serves as president of the expert-consulting body of the collective organisation AIPA and president of the council of public institute Viba Film Ljubljana.

Janja Viher has been in charge of various complex projects in her career, and has experience also in running a municipal administration, development agency, company and institute, both private and public. Having served as director of the Development Agency Slovenske gorice she took the reins of Maribor-Pohorje Tourist Board. For several years she worked with NGOs in the framework of the Slovenian Tourist Board and served as its vice-president, active member of the Regional Chamber of Craft and Small Business Maribor as well as president and vice-president of numerous committees and supervisory boards. Today she is the CEO of Agency SIV, where she works as a mentor to entrepreneurs, and project manager at the Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship Maribor. Janja has experience with smart villages and cities in the context of creativity and innovation building and promotion of stakeholder participation for improved competitiveness and visibility. She has also served as editor of newsletters and social networks for various projects.

Nuša Šolar convinces with her driving optimism, which she invests in every challenge she tackles, creating a productive atmosphere in the work environment. She has been working in tourism for 15 years, specialising in congress tourism, and has extensive experience in communication with key clients, and B2B and B2C sales. Before she went independent in 2019 she was in charge of marketing and sales at Union hoteli d.d. Since 2019, she has served as director of SmartestHR, a company working in HR management and consulting for the hospitality industry.

Robi Rodman specialises in sales process efficiency and customer dialogue management focused on winning new projects or contracts. Having graduated from the School of Economics and Business in 1996 he completed the regular MscBA at the same faculty. After different jobs for different companies and involvement in sales challenges in Slovenia and the wider region, he co-founded a sustainable energy startup and took part in the entrepreneurial training programme Grow organised by the CEED institute. Robi also took part in setting up and running the Entrepreneurship course at People’s University Ajdovščina. Since 2013 he has been providing different services for companies in Slovenia and abroad, from sales development, sales channels and market positioning, to the identification of potential clients or partners, and organises workshops on the effective sales dialogue with customers – teaching how to compel prospects to say “yes” to the offer. Robi is also a certified Mastermind Academy trainer (since 2017).

Anja Sečnik is art director for Slovenian brands EQUA and Goat Story, responsible for the brands’ visual identity. She works on project conceptualisation and art direction in designing visual materials. Since 2018 she has been mentoring a fashion brand through the Kočevje Business Incubator.

Severin Lorenčič is a passionate sinologist, i.e. an expert in Chinese language and culture. His first encounters with sinology were in Slovenia, but he studied also in the east, mainly at Nanjing Normal University. His competences extend to Chinese internet and social networks, such as WeChat, Weibo, Douyin as well as the largest Chinese eCommerce website Taobao. His in-depth knowledge of Chinese culture and society is key to successful business with Chinese companies and final success in the Chinese market.

Niko Slavnič is a passionate entrepreneur with extensive experience in Central and Eastern Europe, possessing the knowledge and creative skills required for business development. His first job was in the family company when he was only 16, and he has been an active entrepreneur ever since, developing different projects and organisations. He graduated from Harvard Business School, University of Amsterdam, CEEMAN’s International Management Teachers Academy and the University of Ljubljana. He shares his knowledge and experience as a lecturer (SSCA - École Supérieure des Sciences Commerciales d’Angers, IEDC - Bled School of Management) and guest speaker at panel presentations and workshops. He has successfully employed his unique blend of business practice and theoretical knowledge in consulting more than 60 dynamic companies in the SEE region as well as the Slovenian parliament. Since 1999 he has mentored thousands of startups in launching their business.

Tanja Kožuh has 20 years’ experience in various jobs and companies, mostly in startup mentoring, company management, strategic development planning, business model development, team building and motivation, and fundraising. Since July 2012 she has served as director of Primorska Technology Park, responsible for developing corporate programmes for startups and scaleups. She mentors and advises startups and scaleups that participate in the SIO-PTP-2018/19 and SIP-PTP-2020-2022 projects (call for proposals by SPIRIT, Ministry of Economic Development and Technology) within the technology park. Between 2013 and 2017 she participated as an assessor in the pre-selection procedure of the P2 call for proposals Start:up Slovenia competition, and in 2016 she served as a member of the national expert committee at the international startup competition CESA – Central Eastern Startup Awards 2016.

Entrepreneur, marketing expert, copywriter, mentor and lecturer in Spirit Slovenia’s programmes supporting women entrepreneurs, head of the Dyslexia Institute and president of its expert council, associate of the Slovenian Third Age University and co-founder of an organic food company. In 15 years as a sole proprietor Petra Bališ has guided numerous Slovenian and foreign clients in their marketing decisions, building their professional competences and showing them a faster way to achieving the goals set. Petra’s primary focus is on digital and content marketing, marketing strategy and brand identity development. In 2011 she founded an innovative company LiberEko d.o.o. (Ekošara), an organic food home delivery service, which she later sold. Her clients include Abanka, Spirit Slovenia (Entrepreneurship Portal), Sodexo, Pro-Implant foundation Berlin, Originate Trieste, Ministry of Public Administration (e-VEM portal), Caritas Slovenia (an international project), Development Agency Sora, Development Centre Murska Sobota and others.

Jasna has more than 20 years’ experience with go-to-market activities and has already launched more than 20 products. She is very fond of the creative and cultural industries – one of her projects at Delo newspaper focused on Miki Muster’s comics, for example, and at ReceiptBank she worked on the go-to-market strategy and growth of mobile apps for freelancers. She enjoys running design sprints and mentoring on how to select and make optimal marketing and sales tools in the shortest time. Currently she is working on a new product with her partners – hands-on e-training at Udemy on what it takes to successfully launch (technological) products through channel marketing. She also runs group workshops Your Professional Brand and LinkedIn, where she advises on building a personal brand and online credibility, how to explore the market and create sales opportunities as a freelancer or founder. She is one of the hosts of the LinkedIn Local initiative Domžale Kamnik, which connects a local community of creatives and professionals.

Nejc Matjaž is a mechanical engineer working at the intersection of the academic and entrepreneurial spheres. As a researcher at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering (2010 - 2014) he developed numerous projects and co-authored four patents. During this time he founded ONDU d.o.o. (2014) with his partner and successfully launched wooden pinhole cameras on the global market. In 2015 he took the reins of Poligon Maker Lab and founded FABRIKAID d.o.o. Since then, he has been helping numerous makers, small companies and global corporations to transition from prototype development to setting up production lines. In the 1:1 mentoring season 2018/19 coproduced by Poligon and CzK he mentored 25 creators on product development and won the highest satisfaction score of all the mentors. As a mentor he can help solve the following problems: 1. How to make a prototype and the minimum viable product (MVP)? 2. Which materials and technologies to use for quality products at acceptable costs? 3. How to prepare products for serial production and how to set it up? 4. How to find reliable production partners? 5. How to design packaging? 6. How to obtain the relevant standards and certifications – CE? Nejc’s key prerogative is to find innovative solutions that simplify and reduce the costs of production processes irrespective of the size of the series.

Event organiser with a diploma in economics. Having worked for a large corporation for 17 years Urša made a decision in 2010 to become an entrepreneur and set up Eventio, an event planning business. Urša is the co-founder of the biggest event dedicated to women entrepreneurs in Slovenia – 500 Business Women, which she and her team successfully sold last year. She has organised more than 100 events, from conferences, international congresses, municipal celebrations, corporate events and social meetings for employees and business partners to opening ceremonies and training sessions. Urša is also a lecturer with a track record of more than 50 lectures on diverse business topics, as well as a business consultant/mentor. In recent years she has been busy mentoring (future) entrepreneurs in growing their business. She focuses on each mentee’s idea and social networks (if any), prepares proposals and matches them with useful contacts.

Lenka Puh is a socially responsible entrepreneur and innovator whose main priority is humanisation of work, and work as a human need and right. In 1989 she founded Jazon d.o.o., a company providing organisations with products and services, since 2005 also a disability company. With a mission to optimise work processes and reduce costs, Lenka, a consultant certified by the German Quality Office standard in the field of ergonomics, offers consulting also on workplace health with an emphasis on inclusive employment. She is the author of standards on the flow of patient records and project manager in the field of the labour market and employment of vulnerable groups, always mindful of sustainable development. Throughout her career, she has been designing innovative projects that integrate reuse and create jobs for people with disabilities. Jazon is the promotor of circular economy in Slovenia and a pioneer in the new definition of human relations, aspiring to create green jobs. In 2014, Lenka Puh became honorary member of the Association of Slovenian Innovators.

Enej Gradišek, MSc in international business, works as the Acceleration Manager at CorpoHub, responsible for the acceleration of business models, strategies, processes and transformations within organisations. He guides companies, both internal and external Startup teams, to do the right/valuable things the right way, helping them to accelerate their business development. He has mentored more than 80 startups and development teams, participated at several innovation weekends and served as a jury member, assessing startup teams for the calls for proposals launched by the Slovene Enterprise Fund. In his work he blends design thinking with lean startup and agile work methods.

With a diploma in mathematics Voranc Kutnik is the co-founder and partner of CorpoHub, agile enthusiast, trainer and speaker. He found his mission in the agile mindset, which he passionately shares at seminars and workshops. He is a believer in agile management methods, which approach people as unique individuals rather than replaceable resources. Voranc works with the technology that shapes our lives. He is a strong believer in the Agile Manifesto, a certified Scrum Master, certified Scrum Product Owner and the only licensed Management 3.0 trainer in Slovenia. He is also the founder and organiser of the Agile Slovenia conference, which serves as a platform through which he wants to raise awareness of the advantages and strengths of an agile mindset

Lecturer and researcher at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering of the University of Ljubljana, specialising in wireless networks and IoT applications. He is the co-founder and head of MakerLab, the first open prototyping laboratory at the University of Ljubljana, and programme manager of the Slovenian FabLab network. The co-founder of several startups and co-author of two successful crowdfunding campaigns on Kickstarter (Lumu and Scoutee). Luka is also a member of several international associations for product development, member of the Start:up Slovenia commission, guest lecturer at professional conferences and mentor to young entrepreneurs.

Together with Tjaša Bavcon and Katja Burger, Jasmina Ferček runs Oloop, a group of artists and designers who have made a name for themselves in different fields of visual creativity: from product design and interior installations to textile art. She runs training programmes, lectures and workshops, integrating design into socially engaged projects. For years, Oloop group have been showcasing their products and projects in Slovenian design exhibitions at home and abroad, gaining international exposure as well as winning prestigious awards and recognitions (Alpine, BIO, Red Dot and others). Their work addresses social issues such as health, ecology, sustainability and the purpose of life in general.

Creative, multidisciplinary textile designer with extensive experience and technical skills that allow her to work on different aspects of product development. Motivated and curious about everything she is quick off the mark when it comes to recognising business opportunities and identifying new trends to develop innovative solutions. Her experience extends to team management, workshop planning, brainstorming meetings, pitching, communicating with clients and building strong relationships with suppliers to ensure they provide the best service.

A graduate in archaeology from the Faculty of Philosophy in Belgrade, today a graphic, industrial and costume designer, stylist. Her other activities include marketing, promotion and consulting. She has been a member of the Association of Applied Arts Artists and Designers of Serbia since 1991, of the Designers Society of Slovenia since 2006 and of the Slovenian Association of Dramatic Artists since 2017. She is committed to studying traces, memories, archetypes and non-verbal communication.

Piera Ravnikar has been actively involved in contemporary art for the last 15 years. She is proud to have been part of Kino Šiška’s pioneer team as an artistic programme manager for nearly ten years. Piera currently runs RAVNIKAR GALLERY SPACE and takes part in projects like MENT Ljubljana, LIMITED EDIT111ONS, Independent Platform NYC and SKALINADA AIR. She holds an MA in history from the University of London and EU Diploma in cultural project management from Association Marcel Hicter, Brussels.

A graduate of industrial design at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design, Ana started to work in service design already as a student. After her first appearance at Ljubljana Service Jam she joined the organising team and together they founded the Servis 8 institute in 2014. She gained experience in service design at Gorenje Design Studio as well as through projects and workshops organised by Servis 8. She continues to build her knowledge in psychology and facilitation, exploring playful approaches to co-creation and learning. She has prepared and conducted more than 40 design thinking and service design workshops, both for the private and public sectors. Her biggest ambition is for her projects to have a positive impact on the environment.

Experience in PR and project management in EU and international organisations. He works as a consultant for Slovenia at United Nations Information Service Vienna and is member of the executive committee of the United Nations Association of Slovenia, and member of the executive committee of the Slovenian National Commission for UNESCO. He is also an associate with the social enterprise Minicity, responsible for finding investors in social innovations. A member of the project office of the Competence Centre for Design Management 2.0 (KCDM 2.0): design management and public relations since 2017, he has also served as mentor at the European Social Innovation Competition, which is run by the EU Commission, since July 2018.