The Belgrade Crowdfunding Convention 2018 brought crowdfunding experts and enthusiasts from across Europe and the region together in Belgrade on 25 September 2018. Over one day, 22 speakers shared their experiences and explored where crowdfunding is heading, from current trends to its future potential.

Drawing on inspiring examples from Serbia and the wider region, the Convention showed how crowdfunding can drive the growth of entrepreneurs, small and medium-sized businesses, non-profits and the creative industries.

It was organised by Brodoto together with the German-Serbian Initiative for Sustainable Growth and Employment, the Social Inclusion and Poverty Reduction Unit of the Government of Serbia (SIPRU) and the Heinrich Böll Foundation.

Watch the full conference here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EWFRXecMJU

Programme

09:00–09:30 Registration
09:30–10:00 Opening ceremony
10:00–10:30 Keynote: Crowdfunding in Europe – the future of crowdfunding and the role of an enabling environment (Oliver Gajda, European Crowdfunding Network)
10:30–11:00 Coffee break
11:00–11:30 Keynote: Secrets of a Successful Crowdfunding Campaign (Pascal Condamine, Indiegogo)
11:30–12:30 Panel: Crowdfunding in Serbia – state of the sector
12:30–13:30 Panel: Crowdfunding in Europe – from rewards to equity
13:30–14:30 Lunch
14:30–15:30 Panel: Rewards-based crowdfunding in the region – the campaigners’ perspective
15:30–16:00 Talk: Blockchain and ICOs in service of social change
16:00–16:30 Coffee break
16:30–17:30 Panel: Equity crowdfunding in the region – building the ecosystem
17:30–18:00 Closing and networking

Speakers

Keynote speakers

• Oliver Gajda, Executive Director and Founder, European Crowdfunding Network. Entrepreneur and strategic consultant who has worked since 2012 to shape better regulation for crowdfunding and alternative finance in Europe.
• Pascal Condamine, Project Evangelist Europe, Indiegogo. Helps entrepreneurs across Europe, the USA and Asia run the most successful campaigns possible on Indiegogo.

Policy and ecosystem

• Jasna Atanasijević, former Director of the Public Policy Secretariat of the Republic of Serbia. Lead researcher on the study of rewards-based crowdfunding in Serbia and its legal framework.
• Nenad Psunović, Government of Serbia. Director of the IT and Entrepreneurship Team in the Prime Minister’s Cabinet, President of the Serbian Venture Network and organiser of the Belgrade Venture Forum.
• Nedeljko Milosavljević, Director of the Center for Technology Transfer, University of Belgrade. Sees crowdfunding as a way to bring early-stage technologies closer to the market.
• Nathan Koeshall, Co-founder and Director, Catalyst Balkans. His foundation launched Donacije.rs, a local platform for donation and rewards-based crowdfunding.

Equity crowdfunding and blockchain

• Siniša Krneta, Director, Belgrade Stock Exchange. The driving force behind bringing the Funderbeam SEE platform to Serbia.
• Damir Bičanić, Director, Funderbeam SEE. Leads the Estonian equity crowdfunding platform that came to Croatia in 2017 through the Zagreb Stock Exchange.
• Ivan Bjelajac, CEO of MVP Workshop and co-founder and President of the Serbian Blockchain Initiative, an industry network helping businesses implement blockchain solutions.
• Branko Krsmanović, Founder, Cofound.it. Built a platform connecting blockchain enthusiasts and investors with startups that use blockchain for social change.

Campaigners

• Nebojša Matić, CEO, MikroElektronika. Used crowdfunding to launch several products, including the Hexiwear smartwatch for IoT developers.
• Kristina Nikolić, Strawberry Energy. Part of the Serbian startup that raised over $300,000 from 254 investors to expand its network of smart solar benches.
• Oliver Pugh, Founder, Early Bird. Led his healthy snack delivery company through two successful crowdfunding rounds.
• Miloš Ilić, Executive Creative Director, Stiglo. Multimedia artist and designer whose Stiglo Design campaign succeeded in July 2018.
• Mario Milaković, Founder, Super Bake. His social enterprise ran the campaign named the best non-profit campaign in Serbia in 2017.
• Kristina Lauš, Fierce Women. Campaigner for an educational card game about women who changed society.
• Daniel Martinović, RODA and Rainbow Families association. Experienced campaigner behind fundraisers for Zagreb Pride, Syrian mothers and the “My Rainbow Family” campaign.
• Hajdana Rukavina, Project Manager, Green Energy Cooperative (ZEZ). Has backed more than 300 campaigns and mentored dozens of teams; ZEZ crowdfunded the first citizen-owned solar plant in Croatia.

Brodoto team

Mina Muždalo, Researcher, Brodoto. Equity crowdfunding researcher who worked on the Super Bake campaign.

Marko Gregović, Founder, Brodoto. Co-founder of the Crowdfunding Academy and the Belgrade Crowdfunding Convention, mentor to more than 50 teams.

Vladica Jovanović, Executive Director, Brodoto Serbia. Community organiser, CSR programme designer and social entrepreneurship mentor.

Damir Šoh, Project Coordinator, Brodoto. Crowdfunding mentor and expert in business models and financial viability.