accelerator
Startup
Factory
Award-winning Startup Factory is
Croatia’s first acceleration program.
It takes no equity or fees.
In 2022, the best teams / startups were awarded from a fund worth HRK 800.000,00. They continue to receive ZICER’s support.
We accepted projects that haven’t participated in other accelerators and haven’t yet received an investment.
Applications are now closed.
Who could apply?
Teams
Without a registered company
Will be required to register a company with a company seat in the City of Zagreb prior to receiving financial support
2 to 7 team members with complementary skills
Startups
Companies registered less than 12 months ago with a company seat in the City of Zagreb
Majority of the company owned by natural persons
2 to 7 team members with complementary skills
Education
Mentors
Infrastructure
No Equity
PR Support
Networking
Financial Support
Alumni Network
All innovative and disruptive solutions were eligible. Main recommended areas of innovation:
Health and Quality of Life
Energy and Environmental Sustainability
Transportation and Mobility
Cyber Security
Food and Bioeconomics
Education
Robotics
Fintech
Tourism
Data/AI/Space
Applications are now closed.
Startup Factory’s Seventh Cycle
Fall 2022
During the program, teams and startups worked on their tech product development and were guided by the program coordination team and mentors. The program was designed around four intensive 3-day bootcamps. Bootcamps included workshops, industry talks and networking events.
Startup Factory culminated in a Demo Day at Zagreb Connect startup conference. There, the teams pitched in front of a jury and audience, and the top five were awarded a total of HRK 800.000,00: three Stage 1 teams received HRK 100.000,00 each and two Stage 2 teams received HRK 250.000,00 each.
Bootcamp
& demo day
Bootcamp 1 — Validation (Sep 23-25)
- Lean Startup
- Design Thinking
- Sustainable Business Model
Bootcamp 2 — Development (Oct 7-9)
- Product Development
- Business Development
- Brand Development
- Growth Hacking
Bootcamp 3 — Finance & Legal (Oct 21-23)
- Financial and Business Plans
- Intellectual Property and Tax
- Crowdfunding
- Investor Readiness
Bootcamp 4 — Pitch (Nov 4-6) & Demo Day (Nov 16)
- Pitch
- Demo Day – Zagreb Connect
99
teams
195
workshops & industry talks
40
mentors
5,1
M HRK
awarded support
Coordination team

Frane Šesnić
Startup Factory Initiator & ZICER CEO

Željana Barišić
Program
Coordinator

Milica Projić
Program
Coordinator

Ivana Rajković Pavlić
Program Coordinator – Public Relations

Ana Vlahov
Program
Coordinator