During 2025, the CODES project has been marked by the implementation of a cross-border startup support program involving Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, and Montenegro. The program began with the development of a pre-acceleration program jointly designed and implemented by the project partners: the City of Zadar, INTERA Technology Park Mostar, IPC Tehnopolis Nikšić, and BIT Center Tuzla.
Following the publication of a public call, 24 teams with business ideas from the three countries were selected to participate in a five-day bootcamp in Mostar. The program included training in business modeling, finance, marketing, and related fields, as well as intensive mentoring. The bootcamp concluded with a pitching competition, after which 12 teams continued working within a three-month pre-acceleration mentoring program. Upon its completion, the five best teams were selected to enter the final, six-month validation phase.
In the final phase of the program, selected innovative solutions from various sectors are being developed. The Brain Busters team from Montenegro developed Pub Quiz, a digital platform for organizing and playing pub quizzes that introduces automated scoring, multimedia content, and regional competitions. From Tuzla comes the Girl Thing team, which, through its solution Wattsy, is developing a smart system for monitoring and managing electricity consumption, to increase energy efficiency and safety.
INTERA Technology Park supports two teams during the validation phase. SkyGuard is developing an autonomous system for monitoring agricultural estates using drones and AI analytics, with the goal of reducing theft and increasing security in agriculture, while Desfolio is developing a SaaS platform for digital management of tourist tours and improving communication between tour operators and tourists. With the support of the City of Zadar, the startup Dijaspora Servis is also being developed—a platform that connects the diaspora with verified local service providers, enabling safe and efficient resolution of administrative, legal, and logistical needs in the home country.
All teams are currently in the final phase of the validation program, during which they work intensively with mentors on testing market readiness and preparing for market entry. As the final step of the program, the teams are preparing to participate in the PODIM Conference, one of the largest startup conferences in the region, where, thanks to the CODES project, they will have the opportunity to present their ideas, connect with investors, and open new opportunities for future growth.
The developed cross-border pre-acceleration program is one of the key results of the CODES project, and the project partners will continue to jointly develop and implement it even after the project’s completion, to provide long-term support to startups in the cross-border area.
The CODES project is co-financed by the European Union through the Interreg VI-A IPA Programme Croatia – Bosnia and Herzegovina – Montenegro 2021–2027.
