CEO/Founder, HUBBIG

Experienced in the logistics and freight forwarding industry with strong sales professional but focused on gamechanging in the freight forwarding industry. Building the largest marketplace where logistics providers will meet their new clients.

Director/Founder, Altpro

Zvonimir Viduka, M.Sc.E.E., is the founder and the director of company ALTPRO. ALTPRO has originated from Technology park Zagreb, and today it has 25 years of experience in research, development and production of safety and signalling equipment for rolling stock and infrastructure. One of the earliest Croatian start-ups has grown in the company which exports its products in almost 48 countries and one of the few companies in the world which can provide complete solutions for all kind of railway applications.

Zvonimir Viduka is one of leading technical innovators in Croatia and recepient of numerous awards in fields of innovation and enterpreneurship.

RPA Architect/CoFounder, Robotiq.ai

„Darko works in Robotiq.ai as RPA Architect and is one of the company co-founders. His primary focus is on creating Robotic Process Automation (RPA) platform that is based on application of artificial intelligence. During his 15 year career in IT he held various positions ranging from software development to enterprise presales and marketing. As a partner in InfoCumulus he led the Microsoft Dynamics CRM implementation practice. InfoCumulus was recognized as one of the fastest growing IT companies in Central Europe and was consequently sold to Croatian system integrator. Before InfoCumulus he worked in Microsoft Croatia as enterprise presales engineer and was part of Microsoft Academy for College Hires (MACH), an educational program for aspiring young employees. Darko holds master's degree in computer science from Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture, University of Split.“

CoFounder, Beyond Seen Screen

Highly motivated professional with wide-ranging skills. Currently on position of COO of Beyond Seen Screen. On previous job worked at position "ROW Support Team Lead" in the company which business is creation of software for broadcast. With management skills and creative way drives business, demonstrates concern for the growth and development of the healthy support process.

On previous positions showed management skills in running cinema operations as deputy cinema manager. Oversaw not just employees, but took care of various additional and financial tasks. Trained radio presenter and technician, worked as a radio journalist, television presenter, manager of a video store with retail.

On creative side wrote and published (prose and poetry) in the magazines, worldwide published a collection of poetry, also takes part in various competitions, both literal and multimedia.

www.linkedin.com/in/miroslavzaric

Chief Product Officer/Founder, AMODO

Gorjan Agačević is a digital expert with a successful 15 years track record in the fields of Digital Marketing, Software development, Customer Engagement and Insuretech.

Over the years, Gorjan has worked as a digital consultant for Volvo Car Corporation and a digital strategist for several international consumer brands (Nike, Molson Coors, etc.).

As the Chief Product Officer and founder of Amodo, he provides strategic direction for product development and Innovation Management of their main product Driver Copilot (a digital platform that enables stakeholders in the connected insurance sector to create and distribute new products and services). The platform is currently used by some of the largest insurers and car distributors in the world (AIG, BNP Paribas, Baloise, Porsche Bank, etc.).

Gorjan is an experienced speaker, often speaking at international Insurtech and digital marketing conferences. He is also the organizer of Internet Things Croatia, a bi-monthly Meetup group with over 1.000 members, and an active member of the croatian startup community, usually in the role of a mentor or a lecturer on the topics of customer engagement, product-market fit, presenting and pitching.

Director General, Ruđer Bošković Institute

Dr. David Matthew Smith is a prominent and respected scientist in the field of chemistry. He has published 56 scientific articles indexed in the Web of Science (WoS) database, which have been cited over 1437 times with an associated H index 19.

He assumed the position of Director of the Ruđer Bošković Institute (RBI) in March 2018. Prior to this position, he was the Head of the Division of Physical Chemistry (at the IRB) since March 2016, and from April to October of that same year he was also a special advisor to the Minister of Science, Education and Sports for Research and Development.

He was the winner of the annual Croatian Academy of Sciences "Lavoslav Ružička" award for 2008, as well as many other scholarships and donations. These include a post-doctoral fellowship in Munich from 2001 to 2004, a return fellowship in 2005 in Zagreb and a donation of a computer cluster from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. In addition to his regular work at the RBI, from 2009 to 2017, he was also a visiting professor of the Cluster of Excellence 'Engineering Advanced Materials' at the Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen - Nürnberg - FAU in Germany.

A native of Australia, but also a naturalized Croatian citizen, Dr. Smith began his scientific career at the Australian State University (ANU) in Canberra, where he graduated chemistry and economics in 1994 and completed Honours in chemistry 1995. He was the recipient of the Dean's Chemistry Award for Best Doctoral Thesis in 2000 and after completing his PhD, he took up a post-doctoral position at the RBI. From the beginning of his career at the Institute, he has advanced through all levels of vocation, from post-doctoral fellow, through and Research Associate to Senior Scientist, including the positions of the leader of the Group for Quantum Organic Chemistry (GQOC), Assistant Director for International Cooperation and Projects to Divisional Head.

Important domestic projects as principal investigator include a project funded through the European Social Fund project to support the professional development of young researchers, worth 2 million kuna, a Croatian Science Foundation (CSF) project COMPSOLS- MOLFLEX worth 900,000 kuna and a CSF project for the training of new doctors of science worth 480,000 kuna. Dr Smith was also the leader of an FP6 project (2007-2010) worth 380,000 euros and a work package within the FP7 InnoMol program, valued at 4.7 million euros.

Dr. Smith is a permanent reviewer of many prominent scientific journals and a lecturer on Computer Chemistry at the Postgraduate School of Medical Chemistry at the University of Rijeka, as well as a mentor to postgraduate, doctoral and graduate students. He is also a member of many commissions, including for monitoring Croatia's participation in the European Union's Framework Programs for Scientific Research and Technological Development and the Commission for Strategic International Projects at the IRB. He has also participated in 32 plenary and invited lectures at prestigious international scientific conferences and institutions around the world, and has also been the organizer of numerous conferences, symposia and other educational events.

Vice Dean for Research, University of Zagreb, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing

Nikola Mišković is a Full Professor at University of Zagreb, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing where he is currently Vice Dean for Research.

His research activities are conducted within the Laboratory for Underwater Systems and Technologies (LABUST, https://labust.fer.hr/). He participated in 14 European projects (H2020, FP7, DG-ECHO, INTERREG) out of which he coordinated FP7 CADDY, focussing on the development of the first underwater robot for interaction with divers; H2020 aPad, devoted to commercialization of an autonomous surface vehicles developed in LABUST, and H2020 EXCELLABUST devoted to increasing LABUST excellence in marine robotics. He also participated in 4 Office of Naval Research Global (ONR-G) projects (coordinated 3), 2 NATO projects, and 7 national projects (coordinated 3). He published more than 70 papers in journals and conference proceedings in the area of navigation, guidance and control, as well as cooperative control in marine robotics.

Vice-rector for Innovation, Technology Transfer and Communication, University of Zagreb

Miljenko Šimpraga, Ph.D.

Miljenko Šimpraga was born in 1958. He graduated in 1983 from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Zagreb, where he works as a full professor. He lectures four subjects in integrated undergraduate and graduate study programs and three subjects in postgraduate programs.

He has published 78 scientific, 39 technical and six other papers, 39 scientific abstracts on 16 Croatian and 23 international conferences, three studies and two programs. He has been a project manager on four projects, a consultant on one project and a partner on 11 scientific research projects.

At the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, he served as a head of an institute, a head of a department and an assistant dean. In 2014, he was elected the vice-rector for Innovations, Technology Transfer and Communications at the University of Zagreb.

In the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts, he is a member of the Scientific Council for Technological Development and the Committee on genomics and proteomics in oncology, Category for medical science. He has received 5 awards and 14 acknowledgements for his work in the country and abroad.

Professor, University of Zagreb, Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Technology

Prof. Nenad Bolf, PhD, chem. eng., is the Head of the Department of Measurement and Process Control at the Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Technology, University of Zagreb. He is the holder of the Measurement and Process Control, Process Modelling and control, Plant Automation, Advanced Process Control and Artificial Intelligence Methods in Chemical Engineering courses.

His areas of interest include modelling, diagnostics, process control, and optimization, with special interest in advanced process control and artificial intelligence methods. He is an advisor for process control and control loop optimization in numerous projects with the process industry.

For the five years he is editor-in-chief of Chemistry in Industry magazine.

Lawyer, Vukmir and Associates

Mladen Vukmir was born on September 15, 1960 in Zagreb. After completing the law education at Zagreb University Law School, he obtained Master of Intellectual property degree at Franklin Pierce Law center in Concord, NH, USA. He spent two years as a trainee and one year as an associate at Hanzekovic & Radakovic Law Offices in Zagreb. He was a visiting lawyer at: Fenwick & West Law Offices in Palo Alto, USA; Monahan & Duhot Law Offices in Paris, France and Pavia, Ansaldo & Verusio Law Offices in Milan, Italy. In 1991 he founded VUKMIR & ASSOCIATES law firm. In 1992 he acted as an expert advisor to the Croatian State Intellectual Property Office (CSIPO) Zagreb, Croatia, at the time of its founding. Subsequently he was appointed a patent and trademark agent, admitted to practice before the CSIPO, Zagreb, Croatia. He advised on preparations for the Manual on Technology Transfer at UNIDO, United Nations Industrial Development Organization Vienna, Austria in 1993 and provided liaison to Licensing Executives Society (LES) ad hoc Committee for the Manual on Technology Transfer.

VUKMIR & ASSOCIATES is a partnership specialized in commercial corporate and intellectual property law. In intellectual property VUKMIR & ASSOCIATES cover broad area of specializations including trade marks, copyright, media, entertainment, computer and software and general IT law, domain names, patent drafting and litigation, technology transfer law, unfair competition, IP mediation and arbitration. Within this field, the firm acts as a patent and trademark agent and works on developing IP strategies and marketing identities for local clients. The firm has important expertise in the fields of competition law, advertising law and consumer protection law as well. Moreover, the firm litigates IP infringement cases and is strong in anti-counterfeiting and anti-piracy practice. Work in the commercial law field related to intellectual property includes the drafting and reviewing of licensing and distribution contracts, securing the monetary transactions via IP liens etc.

Mladen Vukmir is a member and a national secretary of the Croatian Branch of the Association International pour la Protection de la Propriété Intellectuelle (AIPPI); International Bar Association, (IBA), (Committees L, R, S X); Computer Law Association (CLA); Global Advertising Law Alliance (GALA); International Trademark Association (INTA), (ADR Committee, International Panel of Neutrals, Law Firms Outreach Subcommittee Chairperson); Licensing Executives Society (LES) and Union Internationalle des Avocats (UIA). VUKMIR & ASSOCIATES is a member to additional international organizations.

Mladen Vukmir wrote numerous articles and lectured on various topics on Intellectual property also as an adjunct lecturer at the University of Zagreb Faculty of Law postgraduate courses. His present position is a founder and partner of VUKMIR & ASSOCIATES, arbitrator on the Panel of Arbitrators in domestic disputes under the Permanent Arbitration Court at the Croatian Chamber of Economy, panelist on the WIPO UDRP Domain Name Panel under the World Intellectual Property Organization Arbitration and Mediation Center, neutral on the INTA-CPR International Panel of Neutrals under the International Trademark Association and CPR Institute for Dispute Resolution and the Honorary Royal Danish Consul General in Zagreb. Mladen Vukmir also served as a consultant to various domestic and international organizations such as the Croatian Government (Ministry of Science and Technology), the World Bank and the European Commission (CARDS 2002 programme).

Technology Transfer Coordinator, Innovation Fund Serbia

Mladjan has created a portfolio of programs under Technology transfer facility of the Serbian Innovation Fund. Programs of TTF that he manages currently, offer funding and technical assistance for innovation projects coming from public and private sector with strong focus on commercialization.

His extensive project management experience gained with international organizations such as the World Bank, EU European Patent Office and Shell is a result of solid hands on experience and exposure to a wide range of activities in the field of renewable energy, financial forecasts and economic evaluations of R&D projects including the specifics of the patent system and IP management.

Mladjan holds a professional doctorate in engineering from Delft University of Technology in process design and catalysis. He is a father of four children.

Professor, University of Zagreb, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture

Dr. sc. Bojan Jerbić, Professor

Dr. Bojan Jerbić is a professor at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture, University of Zagreb, Department for Robotics and Automation of Manufacturing Systems. He teaches courses in the fields of industrial automation and intelligent robotics.

His scientific research is focused on the area of artificial intelligence, particularly on development of intelligent control models for multi-agent robotic systems, medical robotics, human-robot interaction and roboethics.

Thanks to the numerous interdisciplinary research projects in the field of industrial and medical robotics, he developed one of the most advanced laboratory for applied robotics and autonomous systems in Europe. Today, his work is most recognizable for the project RONNA – neurosurgical robotic system, which has been operating regularly at Clinical Hospital Dubrava for three years.

Managing Director, Abilito Capital SRL

Mihai Sfintescu is a startup enthusiast with 25 years of successful track-record in venture capital, private equity & investment banking (M&A).

Currently, Mihai supports the European start-up ecosystem as Jury Member of the European Innovation Council and mentor in several start-up & scale-up programs. Mihai also acts as advisor on mergers & acquisitions and private equity / venture capital portfolio management.

Until end 2015, Mihai led 3TS Catalyst Romania, a venture capital fund dedicated to Romania which made 10 successful investments. Between 2007 and 2015, Mihai Sfintescu was a Partner at 3TS Capital Partners, a leading private equity and venture capital firm that has made investments such as 2checkout (then Avangate), a global challenger in IT sector, and Regina Maria (then Unirea Medical Centers), a local leader in healthcare.

Prior to 2007, Mihai was an investment banker specialized in M&A, at his own firm Abilito Capital and as Director of CA IB Romania (now part of UniCredit Group).

Mihai Sfintescu has an Executive MBA from the University of Washington (USA) and ASEBUSS Bucharest, and MS from the University Politechnica of Bucharest.

Assist. Prof., ANKICA KOVAČ, Ph.D., MEng. AE.

University of Zagreb, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture
Department of Energy, Power, and Environmental Engineering

Ankica Kovač is Head of Power Engineering Laboratory, in Department of Energy, Power, and Environmental Engineering at the University of Zagreb, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture in Croatia. Her scientific research includes renewable energy sources and hydrogen economy, i.e. hydrogen technologies including hydrogen production, storage, distribution, and utilization in fuel cells. She authored and co-authored numbers of scientific papers. Ankica is a Guest editor of international scientific journal titled International Journal of Hydrogen Energy. Ankica designed first Croatian hydrogen powered bicycle and first Croatian hydrogen refuelling station. Because of its original and innovative design, hydrogen refuelling station is protected as intellectual property on national (trademark) and international level (design). She also organized Croatia Mirai Challenge on the route from Zagreb to Brussels, a project which objective was to raise awareness of importance of hydrogen based mobility. It was the first time that hydrogen powered vehicle was driving on Croatian roads.

Ankica is a Member of Executive Committee of The Technology Collaboration Programme on Advanced Fuel Cells (AFC TCP), as main representative of Republic of Croatia. She was awarded with Croatian Woman of Influence Award in a category of Leadership and Innovation.

Senior Research Fellow, The Institute of Economics, Zagreb

Zoran ARALICA holds a Senior Research Fellow position with the Institute of Economics, Zagreb. His major fields of interest include innovation and R&D, industrial policy and foreign direct investments. His research is focused on evaluation of the use of technology and science, deindustrialization and creativity. He was a researcher in a number of national and international projects regarding RDI.

He was:

• Coordinator of the project, Strengthening scientific and research capacity of the Institute of Economics Zagreb as a cornerstone for Croatian socioeconomic growth through the implementation of Smart Specialisation Strategy, 2016-2018 (H2020-TWINN-2015)
• Member of team of the project ‘Innovation policy learning from Norway in Western Balkans’ (2011 – 2014);
• Coordinator of the project ‘Evaluation of the Tax Incentives Aimed at Stimulating R&D Projects in the Business Sector’ commissioned by the World Bank (2011);
• Member of coordination body for preparation project Regional Strategy for Research and Development for Innovation for the Western Balkans (2009–2010).

Partner, South Central Ventures

Domagoj Oreb is active in early stage and VC financing in the CEE region for almost 20 years. He gained experience in international corporations as well as in SME 's. In addition, he personaly had few strat-ups.

Domagoj started his professional career in consulting (Cap Gemini Ernst&Young) and lated moved to Siemens Buisness Services. He was CEO of Rudjer Innovations, technology transfer and seed investment company.

Domagoj is consultant for World Bank on innovations, technology transfer, R&D commercialization and the restructuring of public institutions. He is currently Partner in South Central Ventures (SCV), managing ENIF VC fund. He graduated at University of Zagreb (Croatia) and MBA from IEDC (Bled, Slovenia).