On 19 December 2025, the Online CreaTech Start-up Mentoring and Investors Pitch Event was successfully held within the framework of the CreaTech project, as part of Task 6.2 – Start-up Mentoring. The event brought together start-ups, mentors, investors, students, consortium members, and other interested stakeholders from both academic and non-academic environments.
The event opened with welcoming remarks by Prof. dr. Jaka Vadnjal (EMUNI University), who highlighted the importance of structured mentoring and strong links between start-up teams, investors, and the wider innovation ecosystem. This was followed by an investor-focused session led by Katarina Matejčič, who shared valuable insights into the investor perspective and outlined key elements investors look for in start-up projects, including a clear value proposition, market orientation, and a strong, committed team.
The core of the event consisted of start-up presentations, during which participating teams presented their progress and experiences gained through the CreaTech mentoring process. The following start-ups were featured:
- AAB College – LOCUS shpk
- University of Tirana – Orjeta Rucaj (Ori-Artizan)
- University of Bedfordshire – Rites of Way
- University of Patras – eNVy softworks MIKE
- EMUNI University – Nika Ravnik
Each presentation was followed by a short Q&A session, enabling constructive feedback and knowledge exchange among participants. The event concluded with final remarks from the investor(s), summarising key observations and offering practical recommendations for further start-up development, followed by closing remarks from the organisers.
Overall, the event reaffirmed the value of mentoring, investor engagement, and cross-institutional collaboration in fostering innovation and entrepreneurial capacity within the Cultural and Creative Industries. It also reinforced the role of the CreaTech project in supporting emerging start-ups and strengthening entrepreneurial skills in higher education.
More information:
https://crea-tech.eu/
https://eit-hei.eu/projects/createch/
https://emuni.si/createch/
