Startup ambitions in the field of Artificial Intelligence

The most important issues at the largest conference in the area dedicated to information technologies and business were whether Serbia has the potential to become a regional "Digital Hot Spot" how to manage data in modern times, what business leaders can expect, and what the key trends in digital transformation are.

Sinergija 21 was hosted in a digital format, and registered Sinergija 21 attendees were able to follow dynamic debates, presentations, and case studies online using the Microsoft Teams platform.

During the panel discussion of the "Startup ambitions in the field of artificial intelligence", the AI startup ecosystem and how to reach firms in Serbia that would be unicorns, i.e. worth several billion dollars on the market, were discussed. Why venture funds are vital, what the job of the AI institution is, and why we lack the Unicorns that currently exist in the environment are explained by:

• Dr. Dubravko Ćulibrk, Director of the Institute for Artificial Intelligence;
• Davor Sakač, Director of TS Venture Fund;
• Vladimir Banić, Company "Informatika" AD
• Marko Marjanović, a Microsoft architect

Innovations and abilities in the application of new technologies and knowledge are the foundation for the effective transformation of contemporary life, and the Institute for Artificial Intelligence of Serbia plays a significant role in the development of the AI ecosystem in Serbia.

"Funds that wish to invest must have something to invest in, which means you must have some protected intellectual property that you will provide as part of something or as a product. I believe we need to put in a lot of effort here. We have good engineers, and our objective is to establish a really global environment in which we can build technologies ", according to Dr. Dubravko Ćulibrk, Director of the Institute for Artificial Intelligence.

Davor Sakač, Director of TS Ventures Fund, adds that 2021 will be a watershed moment for the whole ecosystem. "The state has seen the opportunity for us as a country to catch up with the rest of the world and Europe, which is also just getting started. Why don't we have a Unicorn yet? I believe he just did not appear ", Sakač added.

Domestic corporations also support startups.

"Startups may realistically test themselves on the real market, to try along with us, with our help, to see to what degree business models are viable and how they can adjust them in order to meet specific client problems," says Vladimir Banić of the firm "Informatika" AD.

According to Marko Marjanović, architect at Microsoft, our startup environment is developing, and it is well recognized that quantity breeds quality. "When we talk about quality, quality is knowing the demands of end users and identifying what needs to be fulfilled with the end user, and from that, excellent ideas are produced," Marjanović says.

This year's digital Synergy 21 highlighted the trends of the near future, what changes await us, and what we have to prepare our businesses for the post-mobile and post-Cloud age.

The complete panel of "Startup ambitios in the field of Artificial Intelligence" is accessible at the following link.