Startup Revolution Begins in Skopje: What to Expect

By Suad Seferi · 1 October 2026 at 21:29

Startup Revolution AI Summit begins in Skopje on October 1, bringing four days of artificial intelligence, startup building, investment, policy discussions, mentoring, pitching and networking across several locations in the city. The programme opens on Thursday evening before moving into two full conference days at the Macedonian Philharmonic on October 2 and 3. The summit closes on Sunday alongside the Wizz Air Skopje Marathon. More than 100 speakers and hundreds of startups are expected to participate, according to the organisers. Rather than following a single conference track, Startup Revolution is structured around different audiences, from first-time founders and scaleups to investors, policymakers, corporate leaders and students. Thursday: arrivals, networking and the opening night October 1 functions primarily as the summit’s arrival and networking day. Premium-pass participants have an afternoon side event outside Skopje, including a visit and wine tasting at Stobi. The wider summit programme begins in the evening at Srekja, home of Startup Club Skopje, with the official welcome reception and opening party. This is the first networking opportunity before the conference moves to the Macedonian Philharmonic the following morning. Friday: from first customers to AI, fintech and healthtech Friday, October 2, is the first full conference day. Registration, coffee and networking begin at 09:00, followed by the official opening ceremony at 10:00. The programme then splits across several themes, including AI and emerging technologies, ecosystem and data, energy and climate tech, fintech, healthtech, the founder journey and early-stage startup development. For people building their first company, Friday has a particularly practical focus. Sessions cover how founders find their first customers, build sales processes, use mentors effectively, position an early-stage company and avoid common legal mistakes. Other parts of the programme deal with bootstrapping, going from an idea to an operating startup and preparing a startup pitch. A practical masterclass will walk founders through the process of getting their first customer, while another session examines legal mistakes startup founders should avoid. There will also be a discussion with early-stage founders about bootstrapping and the decisions companies face before they have significant external funding. Workshops and one-to-one mentoring Startup Revolution is not limited to stage presentations. Friday includes hands-on sessions and workshops, including a founder resilience workshop focused on dealing with rejection and continuing towards a first customer or investment. One-to-one mentoring sessions are also scheduled with mentors connected to the Swiss Entrepreneurship Program and other summit partners. Later in the day, founders will work directly on pitching, including a practical session on how startup pitches are structured and delivered. Investors move into the programme on Friday evening Investment and informal networking continue after the main sessions. An Investor Kafana is scheduled in the evening for Premium participants, followed by additional side events, including a programme centred on discussing startup failure and a late-night Game Night. The format reflects a wider part of Startup Revolution’s structure: meetings between founders and investors are spread throughout the summit instead of being confined to one investment panel. Saturday: policy, AI adoption and scaling companies Saturday, October 3, shifts the emphasis. The main tracks include government and policy, AI transformation and scaleups, trust and cybersecurity, fintech, marketing and the creator economy, business and investment. The morning begins with a policy-focused programme involving representatives from North Macedonia and the wider region. Sessions include discussions about building competitive economies in the age of AI, AI policy, public support for startups and the role of innovation institutions. A regional panel will bring together representatives connected to innovation organisations in North Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro to discuss policies, innovation funding and public-sector support for startup growth. There will also be a session examining cultural diplomacy and the startup ecosystem, with participants from organisations including the Serbian Chamber of Commerce and the Macedonian E-commerce Association. Skopje Innovation District to be presented One of Saturday morning’s specific announcements is the special launch of the Skopje Innovation District, scheduled for 10:45. The programme lists professors Vladimir Trajkovikj and Radmil Polenakovikj for the launch. The initiative adds a local ecosystem component to a programme otherwise heavily focused on regional and international startup development. Digital identity and public services Technology inside government also has its own place in the programme. North Macedonia’s Minister of Digital Transformation Stefan Andonovski is scheduled for a session on digital identity, digital trust and the next generation of public services. Government-supported startups will also be presented during the policy track. Another session turns towards sovereign AI for businesses, adding questions around control of AI systems and organisational data to the programme. AI moves from experimentation to business operations One of Saturday’s strongest AI-focused sections is the AI Transformation & Scaleup Track. Rather than concentrating only on new models or AI products, the sessions deal with what happens when companies try to integrate AI into actual operations. A case study will examine how AI was introduced into business operations, followed by a masterclass on moving from isolated AI pilots towards what the programme describes as AI-native operations. Another panel asks a question increasingly relevant to startups: if AI tools make it easier for almost anyone to build a product, what separates the companies t…