Young entrepreneurs, mompreneurs, serial entrepreneurs, high-school entrepreneurs, and supporters
from academia, the private and civil society sectors came together to celebrate entrepreneurship in all
of its forms and sizes. Yes, Global Entrepreneurship Week was marked again in North Macedonia,
culminating in the biggest national entrepreneurship campaign in the country so far.
This year, #GEW2022 occurred from 14 to 20 November across cities and towns all over the country.
In numbers, more than 55 organizations organized their activities and events dedicated to advancing
entrepreneurial education, inclusion, policy-making, and building partnerships in the entrepreneurial
ecosystem. The synergy among all of the stakeholders and the before-mentioned organizations resulted
in the successful implementation of 50 events and activities. More precisely, the local partners together
with Startup Macedonia, the GEW host in North Macedonia, organized 29 live/in-person events and
activities and 21 online/virtual events and activities. We acknowledged the best practices from the
previous years when GEW happened online, so this year we made sure participants could follow some
events online yet return to the physical space at the premises of startups, up-and-coming cafes and
restaurants, high schools, colleges, start-up accelerators, and incubators.
The GEW team worked tirelessly to present a quality and diverse program, featuring a wide range of
activities, including panel discussions, debates, founder nights, competitions, hackathons, webinars, info
sessions, workshops, and many more. All of the efforts were directed at encompassing all the various
aspects of entrepreneurship with a focus on green technology and startups, youth entrepreneurship,
and mompreneurship. Partners from this year’s GEW included representatives from academia and the
private and civic sectors. Some organizations ran the extra mile and offered regional landscape overview
of the ecosystems, engaging entrepreneurs and soon-to-be entrepreneurs from the Balkans. An example
of this was Aspire Balkan’s Demo Day, featuring female entrepreneurs from North Macedonia and
Kosovo, who presented their innovative business ideas. Furthermore, the domestic organization
Proefekt Inovo promoted its partnership with members of the Slovenian entrepreneurial ecosystem for
getting funding from the European Union in North Macedonia.
Startup Macedonia Association is one of the key players in the Macedonian ecosystem, actively working
on digitalizing the ecosystem and connecting all relevant partners in one platform that was promoted
during GEW 2019; as well as on improving the regulatory framework for startups leading the Law on
Trade Companies amendment concerning the convertible loan to enable Business Angels better
investment opportunities; creating a mentoring platform to enable startups adequate support and
mentorships and leading many other initiatives.
This year, Startup Macedonia organized the flagship event dedicated to green entrepreneurship. The
organization worked with more than four high schools from diverse areas of the country on the Green Entrepreneurship Challenge, where students were tasked with finding innovative solutions that promote
a green economy. The event was supported by one of the biggest Macedonian commercial banks –
ProCredit Bank. Other events for promoting youth entrepreneurship were Junior Achievement
Macedonia’s Innovation Camp and the Youth Entrepreneurship Day at NOVA International School where
students presented their business ideas and innovative marketing strategies.
One of the most popular event/activity themes was entrepreneurial education. The organizations
initiated discussions on the importance of developing critical thinking, and emotional intelligence of
entrepreneurs, start-up marketplaces, and dual higher education, as well as, the reasons for lacking a
tech unicorn in the Macedonian ecosystem, the effects of high inflation and the post-COVID-19
economy, the and the impact of freelancers on the ecosystem. The development of social businesses
was another area that attracted a lot of attention from participants with events that highlighted the use
of design thinking methodology, and more.
Moreover, the GEW 2022 program presented a practical aspect, offering tips, tricks, and insights for new
entrepreneurs. To illustrate, organizations assessed whether a strategy is more vital than execution, the
role of human resources (HR) in startups, gave advice on start-up development and getting to new
capital and investments, rural entrepreneurship, future of work, how to attract and retain employees in
startups, and more. The social enterprise Co-Creators alongside its partner from Albania – Light of Hope,
accented the importance of being inclusive over exclusive when it comes to entrepreneurial efforts.
The South-East European University Tech Park promoted its New 700 Accelerator, outlining the focus
and co-investment policy of the accelerator. Similarly, a job and networking fair was organized in
Strumica, providing an opportunity for getting acquainted with new jobs in the ecosystem and meet
potential partners.
Each day of GEW ended with a ‘Drink with Entrepreneur’ event where attendees had the opportunity to
meet an entrepreneur, hear their stories, ask questions, and network with stakeholders from the
ecosystem.
Within GEW 2022, Startup Macedonia recognized and gave an award to the Startup of the Month –
FitKit. This is an innovative wellness and fitness application that helps people be the best version of
themselves, be active, and physical, and enjoy benefits from the fitness industry.
Furthermore, participants had a chance to meet popular and globally-recognized entrepreneurs like the
Swiss EP expert, Zach Coelius, who is currently an early-stage technology investor and advisor. His
notable investments include Cruise Automation (bought by GM for $1B+), Branch Metrics, SkySafe, and
over two dozen other startups. He ran Triggit from 2005 to 2015, growing it from 4 to 60 employees and
over $30m in revenue.
To sum up, North Macedonia’s GEW was the country’s largest entrepreneurship initiative yet. The single
driving force was promoting and advancing entrepreneurship, motivating young people to become
innovators, and bringing together stakeholders from all areas to exchange contacts, ideas, and
cooperation opportunities. The program was rich in content and inclusive while tackling some
challenges that will be subject to further exploration from the partners.
Thank you! Until next time…
