BoostMeUp Program Winner Develops Solution for Patients with Hydrocephalus
The grand finale of the fifth edition of the national pre-acceleration program, BoostMeUp – Montenegro Pitching Competition 2026, was successfully held this weekend in Podgorica. In the presence of representatives of the investment community, partners, and key stakeholders of Montenegro’s innovation ecosystem, eleven selected teams presented their ideas, culminating months of work through an intensive mentoring and development program. The top three-ranked teams received valuable financial awards and additional support for further development of their ideas and market entry.
The winner of the BoostMeUp 5.0 program, team VicIT, was awarded €15,000. They are developing a system for real-time measurement of intracranial pressure in patients with hydrocephalus. Thanks to this support, their next step should be fabrication, enabling the product to reach the market as soon as possible and help patients with this medical condition.
The second-placed team, SAMST, won €10,000 for a smart solution for monitoring and preventive analysis of the condition of power transmission poles (power lines). The system tracks temperature, vibrations, and electromagnetic radiation, and uses AI analysis to detect potential failures and anomalies.
Third place, awarded €7,000, went to the team Black Mountain Brigands, who will use the funds for further development of their historically grounded video game, Tribute in Blood, set in 18th-century Montenegro. By combining local history with universal themes, the game has the potential to position itself as a competitive product on the international market.
The winners were selected by an expert jury composed of Filip Ilić, Tanja Kuzman, Nebojša Bjelotomić, Valentina Radulović, Katarina Lalović, and Milutin Pavićević.
They chose the top three teams from a competition that also included SHARP, Ugosti.me, Fasade X, Senatus AI, VirtuGuardians, ATW2, Stanarko, and BAU Signal. Throughout the multi-month process, all teams participated in intensive educational workshops and mentoring sessions. They had the opportunity to improve their products and services, test them on the market, develop sustainable business models, and prepare for pitching to investors. Through collaboration with domestic and international experts, participants also strengthened their presentation and strategic skills. In addition to the competitive segment, the final event included a lecture session by Maja Anđelković from the World Bank on startup development in domestic and international markets.
“BoostMeUp is the flagship program and the culmination of the annual work of the Tehnopolis business incubator, through which we are building a system where startup success is not accidental, but the result of structured support, mentorship, and development. This year’s fifth edition confirms our orientation toward industry principles: a balance between technology and the human factor, sustainability, resilience, and inclusivity, along with strong alignment of innovation with Montenegro’s Smart Specialisation Strategy and global sustainable development goals,” said Željko Lučić, Head of the BoostMeUp program and Manager of the IEC Tehnopolis Business Incubator.
The BoostMeUp 5.0 program is implemented by the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center Tehnopolis as the lead partner, in partnership with the Science and Technology Park of Montenegro, the University of Montenegro, ICT Hub Belgrade, One Montenegro, the Electric Power Company of Montenegro, and the Central Bank of Montenegro, with the support of the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation and the Government of Montenegro. Through the joint efforts of these institutions and organizations, BoostMeUp continues to build a strong and sustainable innovation ecosystem in Montenegro, creating space for the development of ideas with the potential to enter the global market.
“Ten years ago, the idea was born that Montenegro could build a stable innovation system in which entrepreneurship, technology, and creativity would have their home. Today, through programs like BoostMeUp, Tehnopolis not only supports startup development and company competitiveness, but actively builds an ecosystem that connects knowledge, people, and opportunities – from Montenegro to Europe and the world,” said Jelena Popivoda, Communications and Community Development Manager at IEC Tehnopolis, speaking about the work of the institution marking its decade of existence.
Over the past five years, BoostMeUp has grown into one of the key platforms for the development of innovation and entrepreneurship in Montenegro. To date, more than 70 teams have participated in the program, significantly contributing to the development of the domestic startup ecosystem, as well as to the international visibility of Montenegro as a country of innovation.
