Bosnia and Herzegovina’s startup ecosystem is beginning to attract increasing international attention. According to the 2026 Global Startup Ecosystem Index, BiH recorded one of the fastest growth rates in the region, nearly doubling its progress compared to the previous year. The momentum coincides with the launch of the Techstars Sarajevo program and Sarajevo Slush’D, initiatives increasingly seen as important catalysts for the development of the local startup scene.
That momentum was further reinforced last weekend through another edition of the global Techstars Startup Weekend program, organized within the Techstars Sarajevo 2026 initiative.
Over the years, Techstars has organized more than 7,000 Startup Weekend events across more than 150 countries, bringing together over 428,000 participants worldwide. In recent years, however, the organization has increasingly focused on emerging startup markets, positioning Sarajevo as a city with untapped entrepreneurial potential and a growing community eager to connect with the global innovation ecosystem.
Held from May 15 to 17 at Coworking Sarajevo by Motiff, the 54-hour event gathered students, engineers, designers and professionals who formed ad hoc teams and worked intensively to validate problems, test assumptions and prepare startup pitches under significant time pressure.
Unlike traditional conferences focused primarily on inspiration, Techstars Startup Weekend emphasizes execution and rapid iteration.
“What sets this format apart from most startup events is not inspiration, but pace,” said Emily Skinstad during the opening ceremony. She described Techstars Sarajevo as part of a broader strategy of investing in startup communities where founders learn by building, testing and adapting in real time.
“Ideas are not presented to be accepted, but to be tested, re-examined and, very often, completely changed,” Skinstad added.
Participants were also addressed by Marta Sjögren, co-founder and co-CEO of Paebbl, a climate and proptech company developing technology that converts CO2 into sustainable building materials. Sjögren, who is also a former partner at Northzone, shared her experience of building companies and investing in startups across sectors including B2B SaaS, gaming and edtech.
Rather than delivering a conventional motivational speech, Sjögren focused on the realities of entrepreneurship, emphasizing that globally relevant companies can emerge from smaller ecosystems when founders are willing to experiment, adapt and persist.
For many participants, the most valuable part of the weekend was not the final presentation, but the process itself.
Teams were assembled on the spot, initial assumptions were challenged within hours, and many ideas evolved significantly between Friday evening and Sunday night. The structure encouraged participants to treat their startup concepts as hypotheses rather than fixed products.
“There is one difference that changes everything: a mentor is willing to risk your friendship for your success, while a friend will often risk your success in order to preserve the friendship,” said Bojan Lazić, director of the Techstars Sarajevo program and one of the mentors at the event.
According to Lazić, one of the core goals of the Sarajevo program is to introduce a culture of direct and constructive feedback that is often missing from local startup initiatives.
“As a mentor, my role is not to tell people what they want to hear, but what they need to hear,” he said, adding that many founders experienced radically honest market feedback for the first time during the weekend.
What distinguishes Techstars Startup Weekend from many local startup events is the continuation of support after the event itself.
Teams formed during the Sarajevo edition now have the opportunity to continue developing through Founder Catalyst, a pre-accelerator program focused on validating ideas, understanding customer needs and preparing startups for investment readiness.
Earlier in 2026, Techstars confirmed that four startups from Sarajevo advanced toward international accelerator programs through Founder Catalyst, signaling that the path from Startup Weekend to global startup accelerators is becoming increasingly tangible for founders from Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Participants also become part of the broader global Techstars network, gaining access to mentors, founders and investors from around the world. For Sarajevo’s startup ecosystem – where long-term access to experienced mentors and international investors has historically been limited – this network effect may prove to be one of the program’s most significant long-term contributions.
Rather than serving as a one-time event, organizers say the goal is to help create a sustainable startup community built on ongoing collaboration, mentorship and international connections.
