Ten entrepreneurs selected to receive a total of EUR 50,000 for business development in Start Something of Your Own programme.

Since the competition began, 48 Croatian entrepreneurs have received over EUR 655,000

Zagreb, 15 May 2023 – For the seventh year in a row, the ACT Group’s and Philip Morris Zagreb’s “Start Something of Your Own” programme is supporting Croatian microenterprises and entrepreneurs who channel their work into socially beneficial projects. Ten entrepreneurs were selected for a mentorship programme, followed by a grant in the total amount of EUR 50,000, all to help them grow and develop their business. This year’s chosen entrepreneurs are: Arya Intimo, IDDI, Green Energy Pal, Reducos Software, JouJou, Ri Rock, Red Fork, Tiflotehna, Pakra and Slaven Abdović – BeDry.

Over the next six months, the entrepreneurs will develop their business with the support and mentorship of ACT Group experts, including in the form of business analysis, one-on-one mentoring, webinars, membership in the alumni community, promotional video filming and media visibility work. Following the six-month mentorship programme, the five top entrepreneurs will receive a EUR 7000 grant, while the other five finalists will receive EUR 3000.

The aim of the “Start Something Of Your Own” programme is to empower entrepreneurs looking to have a positive impact on society and the environment, whether they are start-ups or established businesses that are developing new services, processes, business models or additional lines of business. The programme is recognised by entrepreneurs and garners ever more interest every year, with 361 applications submitted this year, of which 30 moved forward to the next round. The most important criterion for choosing the ten winners was their sustainability and potential for making a positive impact on society.

“One of the fundamental principles of our business and transformation is sustainability, which is also an opportunity for innovation, growth and the creation of long-term values. With this in mind, we are extremely proud of our ongoing contribution to empowering microenterprises in Croatia through our programme, and it is a great pleasure to see new jobs being created and new products being developed through the programme, along with investments in new equipment, infrastructure, production processes and facilities. I would like to congratulate this year’s winners, and I am looking forward to seeing this programme continue to contribute to a more sustainable and fairer future,” said Dijana Najjar Raškaj, programme coordinator for “Start Something Of Your Own”.

(Dijana Najjar Raškaj and Ana Brigović)

The “Start Something Of Your Own” project was launched in 2016, with 38 companies having received mentorship opportunities and financial support in the total amount of EUR 655,000 since then, an investment by Philip Morris into supporting entrepreneurs.

Ana Brigović, head of the Programme for supporting impact entrepreneurs “Start Something Of Your Own” at ACT Group had this to say: “The social return on the programme has in the previous years tripled compared to the financial resources invested into the programme so far. The quality of applications keeps increasing every year and we are sorry that we cannot select more winners, as there are some extremely valuable and excellent entrepreneurial projects. We have ten exceptional entrepreneurs, who we are looking forward to working with, and we are excited to have the privilege of following their development and being part of their entrepreneurial journey. The winners will now embark on a six-month accelerated and intensive support programme, where they will work on developing their business and compete for the final reward. The five winners will receive a grant of EUR 7000, while the other five entrepreneurs will be awarded EUR 3000.

Winners of the 7th “Start Something Of Your Own” programme receiving mentorship and financial support

• ARYA INTIMO d.o.o.

Arya Intimo is a shop that sells clothes such as bathing suits and bras for oncology patients who have undergone a mastectomy and provides them with post-operative support.

• IDDI d.o.o.

Roll+ is a digital platform for vehicle rental, providing hardware built into the vehicles and an app for renters.

• Green Energy Pal

Green Energy Pal, made by Enpulse, is a complete ICT system for measuring and monitoring energy consumption and increasing energy efficiency, reducing energy costs and the user’s ecological footprint.

• Reducos Software

This young innovative team from Osijek has developed an advanced software solution for short supply chains. The platform is aimed at family farms and serves as a market for end buyers, logistics solution, inventory and order management system, delivery route optimisation service and administrative system.

• JouJou vl. Nikolina Firm

JouJou produces natural cosmetics such as face and body oils, balms and soaps based on ecological and sustainable production principles.

• Ri Rock j.d.o.o.

Ri Rock manages the Rock Academy in Rijeka, which, in addition to music lessons, also offers STEAM workshops that combine science and art by designing and developing music gadgets, apps and instruments, using innovative technologies in music and old music components and parts.

• RED FORK j.d.o.o.

Red Fork from Varaždin offers a complete solution for managing school and kindergarten kitchens and optimising the nutritional value of menus. Thanks to the dedicated work of the team, 5000 children in Croatia today enjoy healthy meals in schools and kindergartens.

• Tiflotehna d.o.o.

Tiflotehna produces eyewear, space-marking solutions and signage for the blind. Thanks to this company’s signage and space-marking solutions, blind and visually impaired people can move and orient themselves within spaces more easily.

• Pakra d.o.o.

This company from Split is developing a streaming platform for culture and artists that focuses on early-career artists, giving them the opportunity to build a relationship with audiences around the world.

• Slaven Abdović

Slaven Abdović is a nephrologist whose BeDry app addresses the problem of urinary incontinence. Thanks to an online diary that keeps track of urination and liquid consumption, the application enables the cause of urinary incontinence to be detected, with the option to share the data with your doctor.

This article was produced in paid partnership with Phillip Morris Zagreb for https://pokreninestosvoje.hr/ 

May the 15th, 2023 - Croatian banks have been acting as real cash warehouses ever since the country's accession to the Eurozone back in January this year, and they're earning a pretty penny for that ''work''.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, it is only logical that the net interest income of Croatian banks grew because they increased their own interest on loans issued to their clients. Interest on savings however doesn't follow that trend, those figures are still barely above zero, meaning that both margins and earnings are increasing, writes Rijeka-based portal Novi list.

In addition to these usual reasons for bank profit growth, which therefore derive from "core" operations, Croatian banks have had one additional source of income since the New Year, more specifically since the Republic of Croatia officially entered the Eurozone, which wasn't there before, and the same of course concerns the European Central Bank's key rates.

More specifically, we are talking about increasingly high interest rates on deposits held by commercial banks within the central bank, and in Croatia's case this regards the Croatian National Bank. Namely, until the country entered the Eurozone, the rate for depositing liquidity surpluses with the CNB was a firm zero. With this year's entry into the Eurozone, all of the key rates of the "new monetary centre", the ECB in the German city of Frankfurt, began being applied to the domestic market as well.

It's important to explain that the ECB is constantly raising its key rates, which is why interest rates on loans are also always rising. This is what the banks are talking about when they discuss the "deposit facility rate" increasing and this also represents one of the ECB's three key rates, which specifically refers to those funds that commercial banks keep hold of with central banks.

At the time of Croatia's entry into the Eurozone back on January the 1st, 2023, this ECB rate stood at two percent. Immediately following accession, Croatian banks began to receive returns on the money they kept with the CNB.

Surplus liquidity that Croatian banks have kept in their accounts with the Croatian National Bank in the period since the beginning of the year currently amounts to around 14.4 billion euros on average.

In the aforementioned period, the European Central Bank continued the cycle of raising its interest rates that began back in July 2022, and interest rates on overnight bank deposits with the central bank rose from 2 percent at the beginning of the year to 3.25 percent in May. Accordingly, banks operating in Croatia were paid out a massive 85.6 million euros in interest in the first quarter of this year, according to the CNB.

For more, check out our dedicated news section.

May the 15th, 2023 - Is the previously enfeebled Croatian 3 Maj shipyard set to construct a vessel for an American shipping company? A letter of intent has been signed, but we're yet to see how the situation will pan out in a concrete sense in Rijeka.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, in the Croatian 3 Maj shipyard, a letter of intent was signed for the construction of a series of expedition polar cruisers with an American shipping company. This good news for the 3 Maj berths has been unofficially confirmed to Novi list from several sources, but due to the confidentiality clause, all details of this business operation, including the identity of the shipowner, are being kept from the public for the time being.

According to the information at their disposal, this large job, which will definitely put a spring in the step of the Rijeka shipyard, is of such a scale that it would solve the key issue of the survival of the Rijeka slipways, as it would ensure the employment of capacity for several years.

Allegedly, there are four new builds in the game to begin with, and these are cruisers that would be smaller in size and slightly less luxurious than the Eclipse I and II of the Australian Scenic group, but they would also be constructed and equipped in the highest polar class that currently exists for passenger ships.

The preparation and elaboration of all accompanying documentation that precedes the final initialing is now ahead of the Rijeka shipyard, but the intention is that the contracts for the construction of the first new builds from this series of expedition cruisers will be signed by the end of this year. In the months to come, there will be a much clearer picture of this significant business that has knocked on the more than likely very grateful ''door'' of the Croatian 3 Maj shipyard.

As is currently known, the Rijeka shipyard is facing another restructuring procedure or, rather, company reorganisation. There is a previously adopted plan for the shipyard, according to which the activity and some of the employees would be transferred to the subsidiary company "3 Maj Rijeka 1905", which is the most elegant solution to get rid of the burden of current negative capital which amounts to 102 million euros.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated news section.

May the 15th, 2023 - The Rijeka oil refinery has begun producing fuel once again following a five-month pause during which work on the modernisation and the renovation of existing facilities was carried out and completed as part of a wider project.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, as mentioned above, following a five-month-long stoppage during which work on the modernisation and renovation of the Rijeka oil refinery's existing facilities was completed, fuel is now being produced again, as was said on Thursday on the premises of the Rijeka oil refinery in Urinje.

Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Davor Filipovic and President of the INA Management Board Peter Ratatics were both present and taking a tour of the refinery, accompanied by INA management and other representatives of the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development.

The works on the brownfield part of the investment of the Rijeka oil refinery upgrade project, i.e. the upgrade of the existing facilities, have now all been completed, the director of the Rijeka Oil Refinery Upgrade Project, Vedrana Janjic, said at the presentation of the completed works.

In this way, about 76 percent of the total works of the entire upgrade of the refinery, in which about 630 million euros were invested, have now finally been completed. Due to the work being carried out on existing facilities as part of the aforementioned Rijeka oil refinery upgrade project, processing was suspended from November 2022 until now.

The President of the Management Board of INA, Peter Ratatics, pointed out that the completion of the brownfield phase is one of the most important steps in the entire Rijeka oil refinery upgrade project, which sought to fully modernise it and see it it increase its fuel production capacity going forward.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated news section.

May 14, 2023 - As more foreigners move to Croatia and more diaspora return, the need for relocation services is on the rise. Meet a very enterprising (and VERY qualified) Romanian entrepreneur in Split who is helping take the pain out of relocating to Croatia and beyond - Bogdan Petrea from Dalmatica Mobility Group.

When I first moved to Croatia back in 2003, there were not so many foreigners living here permanently. Those that did usually had a Croatian connection, typically marriage, or they were aid workers or military who had stayed on after the Homeland War. 

Times change, and not only are many more foreigners choosing Croatia to live, but they are also starting businesses and offering increased levels of service and professionalism to the Croatian market. It is great to see. 

I met one such expat on my recent visit to Split, a very interesting young Romanian called Bogdan Petrea, who has not only travelled the world, but also organised shipments all over the planet during his career. An expert in his field, he is currently the only person in Croatia who has the prestigious Global Mobility Specialist, Talent Management (GMS-T®) Designation, based in Washington D.C., bringing considerable credibility to his services. 

After living in Split for a year, he decided to enter the market by founding Dalmatica Mobility Group, offering relocation services to and from Croatia and the region. A boutique service using his global experience and connections, based in Split. It was a pleasure to hear him talk with so much passion about what he does, as well as to realise the potential of this market with the rise of foreigners and diaspora moving to Croatia, including the potentially bigger corporate clients such as Rimac and Infobip. 

From full-on home relocations from Croatia to Australia to the delivery of fine art to a yacht in Montenegro, Bogdan and his team are slowly establishing themselves as a professional and diligent outfit, going the extra mile in an industry that can be very stressful for the customer. I asked him a few questions about his project:

1. Why did you decide to base your business in Croatia, and specifically in Split?

After working remotely in Split for almost 1 year, I saw the potential in the moving and relocation market.

Being part of different expat groups, I saw many times the question popping up – “can you recommend a reliable international moving / shipping company?”

That’s when I decided to go for it – it had to be something related to this beautiful area, this is how Dalmatica Mobility Group was born.

2. What is your competitive advantage in the market here?

I consider Dalmatica Mobility Group – being a “boutique” moving and relocation company.

We are not focused on numbers, but we tend more to provide a very detailed and personal service.

Also, thanks to having obtained the Global Mobility Specialist, Talent Management (GMS-T®) Designation, I specialize in the field of global workforce and talent mobility, growing my expertise by being committed to ongoing education.

This certification is issued by the Worldwide ERC - Employee Relocation Council, headquartered in Washington, DC.

3. Tell us about the process of a typical move, from enquiry to delivery

Customers often want immediate offers (pricing), and I am trying to guide each of them into taking the best option possible.

Upon receiving an enquiry, the first step after the initial contact is the pre-move survey. Most customers want to skip this part and receive a ballpark price, but I consider this to be the foundation of a successful move.

The pre-move survey is free of charge, and it helps me to understand each customer’s needs, to make an estimation of the volume they want to move, and give them advice on transportation solutions, customs-related procedures, and restricted items for shipping.

Since technology nowadays helps us a lot, the pre-move survey can be done virtually, and it’s less invasive and more flexible for each individual.

Once the pre-move survey is done, we continue with the pricing by submitting a very detailed and transparent quotation where all the steps are explained.

Each customer has a dedicated Move Manager that will help them in the moving process from start to finish.

Once packing dates are planned, we assign the necessary materials and the packing team along with the agreed mode of transportation depending on where the destination is – that can be a truck, a sea container, or preparation for an air shipment.  

The packing team will carefully and professionally – dismantle the furniture, disconnect standard appliances, and wrap all the belongings with utmost care using quality materials. An official inventory list will be made that we will share with customers after packing.

Where the location allows, we perform the loading directly in the container or truck, but often due to narrow streets and limitations, all this process has to happen via a warehouse. We also offer storage services for customers requiring that.

While the belongings are in transit, we keep our customers informed about the status of the transport, any possible customs inspections, and finally the estimated arrival time at the destination.

At the destination, we allocate the delivery crew, and we set the dates for moving-in, we deliver, unpack, and assemble the furniture that we took apart at the origin.  

Additionally, we offer a wide range of relocation services to our customers – we assist with immigration, finding a home, or even a school for the children, we open utility contracts, and we pick up the phone for them in the middle of the night if needed.

Basically, we go above and beyond to make moving happening!

4. Do you have any client references we can refer to?

Some articles from our website blog:

We’ve managed to move two sculptures, weighing a total of 600Kg, from an art gallery in London, UK directly to the yacht moored in sunny and beautiful Montenegro. The sculptures have been carefully packed in custom made wooden cases and were delivered with no damage whatsoever. Our fine art moving services are suitable for both large and small pieces of art, with a range of bespoke packing options available. From the simple to the elegant, we offer a range of packaging which will meet your safety and storage needs whether you are moving locally or making an international move. Link.

Recently one of our old valued customers requested to move their belongings from Western Europe to Miami USA. Sure, we said…but there is a small problem, the family is already in the US and on top of this, they already had planned an exotic vacation to the Galapagos Islands. As we always find solutions we couldn’t refuse the service. What did the process involve?  The old cleaning lady who still had access to the house, a very thorough planning and of course lots of trust. We packed all goods with the utmost care and the most important piece – a grand piano – was carefully dismantled, packed and crated for the final transportation in the sea container. In the meantime, the family was enjoying quality moments in the Galapagos Islands – what a paradise!! The goods stayed for a while in our storage warehouse until the container was ready and delivered for loading. While loading the goods were recounted to avoid any possible loss or misplacement and eventually secured in the steel container. Container got sealed, pictures were taken and sent to the family for extra peace of mind. After almost a 3 week journey the container arrived in the port of Miami where our trusted US partners did a fantastic job with the customs clearance and subsequent delivery to the final residence. Link.

5. How does Croatia compare to the rest of Europe in terms of bureaucracy for relocation? How would you improve the system?

Being an expat myself, I understand the difficulties of relocating to a new country, especially having to go through procedures like – customs, registration in the city hall, visas etc.

I am comparing this to living and working in Western Europe where most of the processes are done digitally, to coming to Croatia and dealing with services where piles of papers and stamps, signatures and notary documents are still required.

The bureaucracy in the field of relocation still exists, and I would improve the system by changing its basics:

• A more simplified customs procedure
• Digitalization of all processes in public administration related to relocation.

6. Who are your typical clients and target market?

Typical clients – expats and nationals looking to move internationally to or from Croatia, designers and art collectors,  

We also operate in neighbouring countries, and we aim to become the one-stop supplier in the region.

As for our target market – we are interested to partner up with Croatian corporations that relocate employees and are looking for quality services.

Awesome stuff, and I love the fact that the business is based in Split (although they operate anywhere). Nice to see such services are increasingly available in Croatia, bringing worldwide expertise to the relocation industry here. You can learn more about the services of Dalmatica Mobility Group on their official website. 

May 14, 2023 - A move away from quantity to quality in the new Croatian tourism law, reports Morski.hr?

-We are raising quality, we do not want mass tourism. We are expanding the offer, tourists are staying more, the number of overnight stays is increasing throughout the year. We will also invest in health tourism, Minister Brnjac points out.

- We had to make a real reform of Croatian tourism when the pandemic started, there are climate challenges, resources, we started working on a reform of several steps - adopting a strategy for developing year-round tourism, adopting a national plan for secured funds and the Tourism Act, the first umbrella law. It needs to organize the management of sustainable tourism - said Minister of Tourism and Sports Nikolina Brnjac in N1 Studio.

She added that the law primarily applies to mayors and prefects, they make decisions in communities, they must know what kind of tourism they want, they will have to make management plans every four years. Those with a tourism development index of 1 and 2 must submit capacity plans.

- Accounts of sustainable tourism will be made. Through management plans and capacity planning that will be clearly prescribed, the local population must be satisfied with resources, consumption of drinking water, electricity. Natural resources are not inexhaustible - she pointed out.

She emphasizes that sustainability, care for the environment and cultural history have become very important to tourists. Research shows that tourists' first questions are how we plan to change the rules of sustainability, whether we take care of resources. Today, tourists follow destinations, how they take care of their natural and cultural-historical heritage, writes N1.

They have been working on the law for a year and a half in silence with analytics, as it was solved with others, there is no single recipe for all destinations, Brnjac reveals.

- If you have a satisfied local community, then we will have satisfied tourists, they want to see preserved cultural sights, natural resources, they want to enjoy the outdoors. Local leaders will be able to define projects of special importance for the destination according to sustainability criteria - he says.

When asked how the numbers in tourism will grow in the future if the local community can limit the number of tourists depending on resources, Brnjac explained:

- We are raising quality, we don't want mass tourism. Over seven million overnight stays have already been achieved, which is better than in 2019. We are expanding the offer, tourists are staying more, the number of overnight stays is increasing throughout the year. We will also invest in health tourism. We are much more than sun and sea, we have a lot to offer - concluded the minister.

May 14, 2023 - Tragedy in the town of Kostanjevac Riječki, near Križevci, where a 16-year-old died at a party in the early hours. His 17-year-old friend has been arrested, reports Index.hr.

The Koprivnica-Križevci police reported this morning that they arrested one person after the death of a 16-year-old in a restaurant in Kostanjevac Rijeka.

On Sunday around 1:23 a.m., the police acted on a report from the Križevci Emergency Medical Service that they were providing medical assistance to a 16-year-old in a restaurant in Kostanjevac Rijeka. The young man later died after receiving medical help. The police reported that one person was arrested and a criminal investigation is being conducted into the circumstances of the event.

As ePodravina has learned, the 18-year-old girl's birthday was celebrated in the wine cellar, a space that is rented as part of the Joker cafe.

At one point, they had an argument in front of the cafe and got into a fight
There were dozens of young people at the celebration, among them two friends who at one point had an argument and in front of the space, on the children's playground near the slide, they were pushed. One young man, one year older, hit another and the latter collapsed after 10, 15 seconds and never woke up. Everything happened after midnight, around 1 o'clock.

"At one point, the 16-year-old fell and ran out of air. He started to suffocate and everyone was shocked when they saw that they could not help him at all. In about half an hour, the ambulance from Križevci arrived, but the young man could not be saved.

"All of this is terrible, especially for the parents and family of the young man who unfortunately passed away. It was clearly the finger of fate that the festival turned into a tragedy the likes of which our region does not remember," say the shocked residents of Kostanjevac Rijeka.

Emergency workers resuscitated the young man for half an hour, but he could not be saved and he died in the ambulance. Unofficially, it is known that the young man (17) who hit his friend ran away from the scene out of shock, but soon returned. The arrested young man is from Pofuk.

"The two of them came to the celebration together, they were good friends, they drank coffee in a cafe and went to celebrate. This is a great tragedy, we can't believe it, we are all in shock," says the local. The young man who died was from Sudovac, a small town next to Kostanjevac Rijeka.

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May 14, 2023 - Are you a religious tourist looking to visit authenticated miracles in Croatia? Meet the Eucharistic Miracle of Ludbreg.

I first visited Medjugorje in 1987 after I heard of the alleged appearance of the Virgin Mary to six kids who were tending goats on a remote hillside.

Back then, it had one-third of all the tourism beds in the whole of Bosnia and Hercegovina. The town has grown considerably since then, attracting about 1.5 million tourists a year (compare that with 20 million for all Croatia).

ludbregSome 36 years after my first visit, the so-called Apparitions have still not been formally recognised by the Vatican.

Indeed, the Bishop of Mostar over the years has been openly skeptical over the years.

And while there are 1.5 million visitors to a site not recognised by the Vatican, thousands of pilgrims driving down from Central Europe each year drive past a Croatian destination which not only has an authenticated miracle, but one which you can visit daily, even during Holy Mass. And VERY few tourists know anything about it.

A rather unusual tale of three churches, including one that the Croatian government promised to build in 1739, but only got round to in 1994 during the Homeland War.

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