Slovenia–Croatia pitching event: Bioeconomy in the spotlight

The event is organised under the BIOEAST Initiative and the BOOST4BIOEAST project, coordinated in Slovenia by Circular Change in cooperation with SI.BIO HUB Slovenia, and will take place in partnership with the 9th International Conference TBMCE 2026.

Co-organised with BIOEAST HUB Croatia, this Slovenia–Croatia pitching event focuses on regional bioeconomy actors and aims to connect them with selected partners for further development and investment.

Useful details

Date: 10 September 2026

Location: Grand Hotel Bernardin, Obala 2, 6320, Portorož, Slovenia

Selected applicants will receive free access to the conference on their pitching day, 10 September 2026. If they would like to attend other conference days, they will need to arrange their own ticket. The pitching program will also include short 1:1 meetings with selected innovation experts.

Deadline for applications: 31.05.2026. Extended to 30.06.2026

Co-located event: The Boost4Bioeast Pitching Event is organised in partnership with the International Conference on Technologies and Business Models for Circular Economy – TBMCE 2026.

Main Stage Programme

The programme will begin at 15:15 with a presentation of SI.BIO HUB Slovenia, followed at 15:30 by the BIOEAST Slovenia–Croatia Pitching Event 2026.

We will welcome selected pitchers from Slovenia and Croatia to the stage to present their innovative bioeconomy solutions to an expert jury and the wider conference audience. The pitching session will be followed by an expert panel discussion, bringing together perspectives from research, entrepreneurship, impact investment, circular economy and the development of bio-based value chains.

Presentation of SI.BIO HUB Slovenia

• Velislav Žvipelj, State Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Slovenia
• Ladeja Godina Košir, Founder and Executive Director of Circular Change
• Alenka Dovč, Senior Advisor, Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia

Pitching Jury

The participating innovations will be evaluated by the following expert jury:

• Ana Belac, Managing Director, Impact Hub Ljubljana
• Vanja Jurišić, Associate Professor, University of Zagreb Faculty of Agriculture & Co-founder of Fibryion
• Tilen Šarlah, Country Manager Slovenia, Feelsgood Capital Slo-Cro

Pitchers

• Simona Kelher
  Organisation: Zavod KNOF, Slovenia
  Innovation pitched: KNOFmowa – Modular Partition Wall from Reused Wood and Surplus Materials
• Jana Šic Žlabur
  Organisation: Associate Professor at the University of Zagreb Faculty of Agriculture, Croatia
  Innovation pitched: ReApple™ – Circular Nutraceutical from Upcycled Apple Pomace
• Vladan Srdić
  Organisation: Partner at Studio 360, Slovenia
  Innovation pitched: VROCHE! – Behavioural Innovation Tool and Card-Based System Using Play and Culture for Sustainability and Bioeconomy
• Darja Malešič
  Organisation: Independent designer/sole proprietor, Slovenia
  Innovation pitched: Corn Dolly – Modular Circular Footwear from Corn Husk
• Alen Hrustić
  Organisation: DIGITAL AGRO (Agrigentum d.o.o.)
  ALGO EKO d.o.o.
  SPARTIUM CONSULTING d.o.o., Croatia
  Innovation pitched: HAWK EYE – Multispectral and Hyperspectral Drone Imaging for PPP Monitoring

Following the pitches, the conversation will continue with a Panel Discussion:

• Prof. Dr. Andreja Kutnar, Director, InnoRenew CoE, Slovenia
• Miha Škrokov, Circular Economy Expert, Anteja /VCG.AI, Slovenia

Join us on 10 September in Portorož to meet the innovators, hear their solutions and take part in the conversation on how we can strengthen the bioeconomy innovation ecosystem across Slovenia, Croatia and the wider BIOEAST region.

Pitching Winner Announcement

The winner of the BIOEAST Slovenia–Croatia Pitching Event 2026 will be announced at 18:00 in Pharos Conference Room.

Everyone is warmly invited to join us for the announcement and celebrate the winning solution with us!

Travel & practical information

Selected applicants will be informed in advance of the event and contacted by the organisers with further information about travel costs.

Travel costs: The organisers will provide partial support for travel costs. Before booking any travel, selected participants will be asked to share an estimate of their travel expenses. The organisers will review and confirm what can be covered. Only agreed travel costs will be reimbursed.

Accommodation: Participants are responsible for organising and covering their own accommodation.

Getting to Portorož: Portorož is well connected within the region. Nearest airports:

• Ljubljana Airport (~1h 30min)
• Trieste Airport (~1h)
• Venice Airport (~2h)

Easily accessible by car from Slovenia, Italy, Croatia, Austria. Distance from larger cities:

• Ljubljana 125 km
• Zagreb 252 km (HR)
• Trst/Triest 33 km (I)
• Benetke/Venice 190 km (I)
• Dunaj/Vienna 490 km (A)
• München/Munich 485 km (D)
• Budimpešta/Budapest 562 km (H)