The City of Split and Technology Park Split are launching Innovate Accelerator 2026, a program designed to support the development and international growth of innovative technology and deep-tech entrepreneurs.

This intensive six-week acceleration program is delivered in cooperation with international partner Tenity and is intended for entrepreneurs and startups that already have a developed product and are looking to accelerate sales, open doors to corporate partnerships, and prepare for investment.

The first cohort of Innovate Accelerator will include 7 entrepreneurs.

Who is the program for?

Innovate Accelerator is intended for small businesses developing innovative products, services, or technological solutions with international commercialization potential.

The program particularly welcomes entrepreneurs and startups developing technologically advanced solutions, with a clearly identified market application, who are ready to take the next step toward pilot projects, acquiring first or new customers, entering international markets, and securing investment.

The targeted Technology Readiness Level is TRL 6–9, representing a comparable level of production and market validation for digital products and services. Exceptionally, a solution at TRL 5 may be selected if its technology has been validated in a relevant environment and the team has a convincing plan for further validation, piloting, or commercialization.

Eligible applicants are entrepreneurs (micro and small enterprises) headquartered in the City of Split. Other entrepreneurs may also apply if they intend to relocate or establish a business entity headquartered in Split within 30 days of entering the program.

The following criteria will be given particular consideration during the selection process:

• technological innovation and the solution’s competitive advantage;
• level of technological and market validation;
• quality and capabilities of the team;
• product or technology maturity;
• clarity of the go-to-market approach and understanding of the target customer;
• readiness for a pilot project or cooperation with a potential customer;
• international growth and scaling potential, as well as investment readiness;
• team motivation and readiness to actively participate in the program.

About the program

The program focuses not on theory, but on concrete business outcomes – new contacts, pilot projects, potential partnerships, and investment opportunities.

Innovate Accelerator will be delivered in a hybrid format, from late October to mid-December 2026. Participants will take part in two intensive two-day in-person bootcamps at Technology Park Split, combined with individual work with the Tenity team and online activities throughout the program.

Each participant will undergo an individual assessment of their business objectives, market, and potential customers, followed by focused work on:

• structuring pilot projects;
• B2B sales;
• entering new markets;
• investment readiness;
• pitching and presenting to investors.

A key value of the program is access to Tenity’s international network, connecting entrepreneurs with mentors, investors, corporations, and innovation partners across Europe and other markets.

For the entire cohort, at least 35 targeted business, investment, and mentoring connections are planned, tailored to the needs of each individual entrepreneur.

Throughout the program, participants will also work on concrete business opportunities – from initial contact with a potential corporate partner to defining a pilot, PoC, or letter of intent. The program also includes investment preparation, connections with investors, and individual feedback for each team.

The program is delivered in English.

International support – Tenity

The program is jointly delivered by Technology Park Split and Tenity, an international innovation and venture capital platform with hubs in Zurich, London, Singapore, Madrid, Istanbul, and Tallinn, with more than 100 corporate innovation programs and hundreds of collaborations between startups and corporations.

Tenity is an international innovation and investment platform that brings together two key models within one ecosystem – Open Innovation and Venture Capital.

Through Open Innovation, Tenity connects entrepreneurs and startups with corporations, markets, and concrete business opportunities, while through its own venture capital investments, it provides access to capital and the investment ecosystem.

This combination enables entrepreneurs and startups not only to develop their products, but also to build market relationships, launch pilot projects, and prepare for the next stages of growth and funding.

Ongoing support

After the six-week program, TPS will continue working with selected entrepreneurs in the accelerator according to their individual development plans. Support includes:

• thematic training and workshops, including customized content based on participants’ needs;
• individual mentoring by external experts from the TPS mentoring network;
• organization of networking events and meetings with investors;
• international networking and promotion at international conferences through joint representation of accelerator program participants;
• information on funding opportunities and support in planning the next development and commercial steps;
• access to relevant training programs and other activities organized by TPS for startups and entrepreneurs;
• the possibility of using office space at TPS or a coworking space, subject to available capacity and the applicable TPS rules.

Support may continue for up to three years from entering Innovate Accelerator, including the introductory program. The scope of support during this period depends on the progress of the entrepreneur or startup, active participation, program conditions, and the resources available to TPS.

Mandatory requirements for startups/entrepreneurs

• the product or technology already exists and can be demonstrated;
• there is a clear B2B or other commercial use case;
• at least one founder or decision-maker participates in the program;
• the participant commits to attending both two-day in-person sessions in Split (10–11 November and 24–25 November);
• the participant has the capacity to actively participate throughout the six-week program.

Following an administrative review, applications will be evaluated by TPS and Tenity according to the stated criteria, and seven participants will be selected for the program.

Applications

Applications are open until 23 October.

The application form is available at:

Accelerator Program 2026

The program is implemented as part of Technology Park Split. Its funding is provided through the City of Split Entrepreneurship Development Support Program for the 2024–2030 period.

Split Technology Park and Split Development Agency, through the RaST+ Entrepreneurship Centre, have launched tps inside, a podcast for entrepreneurs. The first episode has been published on the tps_inside YouTube channel.

The podcast features the stories of entrepreneurs who have made it, those who are growing and those who are just starting out. Instead of the kind of success stories we hear at conferences, in the media and on LinkedIn, guests speak openly about attempts, mistakes, sleepless nights and unpaid bills, but also about the days when everything went well.

The aim is to show those just starting out what the entrepreneurial journey really looks like.

Each episode begins with a visit to the guest at their office, workshop or out in the field, and only then do we sit down in the studio and start the conversation.

Episode #1
The first guest is Marsel Čuljak, founder of Ice Rebus. As a secondary school student, he sat on a low wall working out how to get ice for his friends; today, his ice machines operate in more than 50 countries.

Creative team
Host: Hari Kočić (Zlatni prst)
Production and editing: Zrinka Bilokapić (Promocija BB), Daniel Gardijan
Filming and video editing: Tino Bilandžić and Daniel Gardijan (Iza Pjace studio)
Visuals: Tanja Stipišić (Bokonon)

The pilot season has three episodes.

The first episode is available on the tps_inside YouTube channel.

“Tell me how it really was.”

At Split Technology Park we welcomed representatives of the Split-based Inovatic Robotics Association and talked about the success of their young roboticists at the national final of the World Robot Olympiad 2026.

Nine Inovatic teams won five trophies and secured four places at the European Championship and one at the World Championship. The “Pametni kist” (Smart Brush) team was the overall winner of the Future Innovators category and will compete at the world final in Puerto Rico.

To take part in the international competitions, they need support to cover travel, accommodation, equipment and registration fees. Anyone wishing to help can make a donation to the Inovatic Association’s account:

IBAN: HR72 2340 0091 1108 1140 8

To arrange sponsorship, please contact the Inovatic Association directly.

Representatives of Split Technology Park visited the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Centre IPC Tehnopolis in Nikšić to mark the tenth anniversary of its operation.

During the visit, they learned about the work of IPC Tehnopolis, toured its premises and facilities, and visited the House of Digital Revolution, a space dedicated to innovation, technology, creativity and entrepreneurship. The visit was an opportunity to exchange experiences with the hosts and discuss further cooperation.
The anniversary celebrations concluded with a gala dinner attended by the partners and associates of IPC Tehnopolis.

We thank our hosts for their hospitality and congratulate them on ten years of work.

Split Technology Park, the City of Split and the Children’s Excellence Incubator are continuing their educational programme for primary school pupils. The year-round STEAM Academy is intended for pupils in years 1 to 4 of primary school who want to explore the world of science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics through fun, hands-on and educational activities.

Through a variety of STEAM workshops, children will learn through play and hands-on work, develop creativity, logical thinking, problem-solving and teamwork skills, and discover the fields of science, technology, robotics, art and engineering in an age-appropriate way.

The programme runs once a week for 90 minutes throughout the school year, i.e. until the end of May 2027, in line with the school calendar.

The workshops are organised in three groups:

• Monday, 18:00 – 19:30 – pupils in years 1 and 2 of primary school
• Tuesday, 18:00 – 19:30 – pupils in years 3 and 4 of primary school
• Wednesday, 18:00 – 19:30 – pupils in years 3 and 4 of primary school

The first workshops will take place on 5 October for the Monday group, 6 October for the Tuesday group and 7 October for the Wednesday group.

The participation fee is €30 per month, VAT included.

Places in each group are limited, so we recommend registering early.

Applications are accepted by e-mail: smartcity@agencija-rast.hr

See you there!

Split Technology Park took part as a partner in this year’s Infobip Shift conference, one of the leading technology conferences for developers, engineers and technology leaders, held in Zadar from 13 to 15 September.

This year’s Shift brought together around 3,000 participants from the technology sector, providing an opportunity to share knowledge, showcase new technology solutions and connect startups, developers and technology companies from Croatia and around the world.

For Split Technology Park, taking part in the conference was an opportunity to connect with the tech community, present the Park’s work and support startups and tenants who are developing their products within Split’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

The Split Technology Park delegation was made up of startups from the High-Tech Incubator and the Innovate Startup Academy: Workspace, Apex Academy, EasyLazy, FIRA Solutions and FAAR.

As part of the conference Expo programme, Workspace and Apex Academy, as Split Technology Park startups, also exhibited at their own stands.

For young tech companies, events like this are a valuable opportunity to present their products to a wider audience, get feedback and open up new business contacts.

The conference programme focused on current topics from the world of technology, including artificial intelligence, software development, cloud technologies, DevOps, security and new tools that are changing the way technology is developed and used.

Split Technology Park continues to support startups and entrepreneurs in developing their products, businesses and networks, and to create opportunities for them to enter the national and international technology scene.

This year’s edition of the Innovate Split 2026 conference, held on 10 and 11 September at Split Technology Park, brought together entrepreneurs, innovators, investors, experts and everyone who believes that good ideas, connected with the right people, can drive real change.

The conference was organised by the City of Split, Split Development Agency – RaST and Split Technology Park, with the support of city-owned companies, which presented the City of Split’s smart solutions in the exhibition area.

Over the two conference days, participants had the opportunity to attend a series of talks and panels, take part in workshops and meetups, and exchange experiences, ideas and contacts. Although Innovate Split 2026 has officially come to an end, what remains are new acquaintances, inspiring conversations and an energy that we believe will last long after the conference.

We would like to thank all the speakers, panellists, partners and sponsors who contributed to the success of this year’s edition with their knowledge, experience and support.

Thank you also to all the visitors who joined us, asked questions, exchanged ideas and made new connections. We look forward to seeing you again at the next edition of the Innovate Split conference.

10 community meetups, 7 hands-on workshops and masterclasses, and communities from a wide range of fields, all in one place. On the second day of Innovate Split, the focus shifts from the big stages to people, networking, sharing experience and practical work.

The first day of Innovate Split brings international speakers, four stages and conversations about technology, capital, startups, business and innovation ecosystems.

On the second day, the rules change.

On 11 September, Split Technology Park becomes a meeting place for a variety of professional, technology and business communities. Through 10 community meetups and 7 hands-on workshops, the traditional distance between speakers and audience disappears, with the emphasis placed on conversation, sharing experience, practical work and networking. 

In one hall the talk will be about artificial intelligence, in another about startups, and a few metres further on about blockchain, Web3, quantum computing or industrial 3D printing. At the same time, some will be working on their own sales approach, others on their brand or LinkedIn strategy, while others will use AI tools to try to turn their own idea into a working application.

But the value of Open Community Day lies not only in the number of sessions.

The idea is to create a space where people and communities active in different fields throughout the year can meet, share experience and open the door to new contacts, collaborations, projects and business opportunities.

10 meetups – find your community

Open Community Day brings together communities from different fields and opens up topics that show just how broad the innovation landscape is today.

CroAI brings together the Croatian AI community and opens a conversation about what artificial intelligence already means for business in concrete terms today. CroStartup connects the local startup scene with international ecosystems and people from Amsterdam, Budapest and Asia, raising the question of how a startup from a local environment can connect with new markets, partners, customers and investors. 

UBIK and Alice in Blockchains will discuss what is happening with blockchain and Web3 after the first big wave of hype, and where these technologies have real business applications today. UNIT Croatia opens the topic of quantum computing and post-quantum security, while Web3 Innovation Hub connects science and decentralised technologies through a DeSci meetup. 

The programme also goes beyond traditional technology topics.

The meetup “Innovation Signed by Women Entrepreneurs”, with Jelena Majić Nosić of Poetica Distillery and Dragica Jerkov, founder of Woolee, will show how innovation also emerges in manufacturing, agriculture, sustainability and traditional industries – when someone recognises a new business opportunity in an existing problem. 

The Foreign Business Owners Association brings together international entrepreneurs who have chosen Croatia as a place to live and do business, and raises the question of how international talent, experience and business connections can be more closely linked with the local community. 

The programme also covers battery systems and energy, as well as industrial 3D printing and its increasingly wide use in real-world manufacturing. 

You don’t need to be a member of any of these communities already. Quite the opposite – Community Day is your chance to get to know them.

7 workshops – less theory, more practice

While the meetups create space for conversation and networking, the other part of the programme focuses on concrete business skills and hands-on work.

The seven workshops tackle questions that entrepreneurs, founders and professionals face every day:

How do you clearly explain the value of what you sell?
In Fix Your Value Proposition or Fail, Zoltan Vardy works on one of the fundamental questions of any business – does the customer understand what you offer, what problem you solve and why they should choose you. 

Do you know what in your business is worth protecting?
In his workshop on intellectual property, Vedran Đidara presents patents, trademarks, industrial designs, copyright and trade secrets as business assets rather than merely a legal topic. 

How do you build a brand people remember? How do you attract and retain good people? How do you sell?
Žana Soče leads a hands-on workshop on branding and visual identity, Michael Kubiena on the Employee Value Proposition, and Oliver Travaš on sales and developing your own sales approach. 

How do you turn LinkedIn into a real business tool?
In the LinkedIn Masterclass, Dragan Petric explores the concrete mechanics of reach, creating content for a relevant business audience, and using LinkedIn to build reputation, contacts and new business opportunities. 

And at the end of the day – come with an idea, leave with an app.

Antonio Vidaković, Cursor Ambassador, leads a hands-on workshop where the goal is to turn your own idea into a working application with the help of AI tools. All you need is a laptop and an idea. No previous programming experience is required. 

More than a programme – a place to meet

Open Community Day starts from a simple idea: the value of a conference does not end with the last talk.

Innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystems are also built in the conversation where you meet a future business partner, at the meetup where a developer meets a future co-founder, in an encounter between a researcher and a company, or at the workshop where an entrepreneur finally finds the solution to a problem that has been holding them back for a long time. 

That is why Open Community Day is not just a continuation of the first day of Innovate Split.

It is a day dedicated to the community – to people who want to meet others, share knowledge, try something new and perhaps start a collaboration that did not exist the day before.

On the first day, ideas, experience, technology and capital come to Split. On the second day, the community takes over.

Innovate Open Community Day takes place on 11 September at Split Technology Park.

Participation in Open Community Day is open and free of charge to everyone interested. Due to limited places, the hands-on workshops and masterclasses require separate registration via the Luma link for each workshop, with priority given to participants holding an Innovate Split ticket. You may register for more than one workshop.

Choose your topics. Meet your community. And come and make something new.

11 September | Innovation Mainstage | Split Technology Park

What can Split learn from Vienna, Taiwan, Bologna and other innovation ecosystems?

Talent, a university, capital, startups, technology parks and institutions do not on their own create an innovation ecosystem. Real value emerges when we manage to connect them. Ecosystem Forum brings people from international innovation systems to Split so that we can discuss what works – and what Split can do better.

Almost every city today wants to be an innovation city.

Technology parks, incubators and coworking spaces are opening. Training programmes, hackathons and conferences are being organised. Yet results vary dramatically from city to city.

Why do some places continuously generate new companies and investment, while in others success still depends on a handful of exceptionally persistent individuals?

Ecosystem Forum focuses precisely on the infrastructure behind successful innovation – the links between knowledge, entrepreneurs, capital, institutions and international markets. 

Vienna did not become a startup city by chance

The programme opens with Dudu Gencel of the Vienna Business Agency and the keynote Building an Innovation Ecosystem: Lessons from Vienna.

Vienna today has more than 1,600 startups, more than 70 investors and investment groups, and dozens of incubator and accelerator programmes. But more important than the numbers themselves is how talent, research, capital, infrastructure and the international market are connected. 

A local startup needs a gateway to the world

That is why Ecosystem Forum does not stay within Europe.

Ecosystem representatives from Amsterdam, Taiwan, Korea and elsewhere will discuss how to give local startups access to international partners, customers, knowledge and capital.

A particular perspective comes from Taiwan’s Industrial Technology Research Institute – ITRI, an organisation that has spent decades building a bridge between applied research and industry. 

We have the knowledge. How do we turn it into innovation?

One of the key questions of the Forum will be the transfer of knowledge from the laboratory to the market.

How do you recognise research with market potential? Who helps a researcher protect intellectual property, find an industrial partner, assemble a team or finance the first phase of development?

This question becomes especially relevant for Split through a panel bringing together representatives of FESB, PMF, the University of Split and international technology transfer experts.

Split has the knowledge, researchers, engineers and companies that already operate globally. The next question is how much of that potential we can turn into new products and companies. 

A technology park is more than just space

Finally, the conversation returns to the very venue of Innovate Split.

Representatives of technology parks from Split, Rijeka, Šibenik and Mostar will discuss what a modern technology park should offer beyond business premises.

Because its real value emerges when a founder finds a mentor, talent meets a company, a startup meets an investor, a researcher meets an entrepreneur, and a local company gains access to the international market. 

Ecosystem Forum is therefore not just a conversation about what Vienna, Taiwan, Bologna or Amsterdam are doing.

It is a conversation about what kind of innovation ecosystem we want to build in Split – and what we need to do today so that in a few years’ time others will come to learn from us. 

You can view the full programme on the conference website.

10 September | Ecosystem Forum | Split Technology Park

On the Founders & Capital stage at Innovate Split, startups will not be discussed from a safe distance. More than 20 projects will pitch to investors, while founders, VC experts and people who have made the journey from first customer to international growth will tackle the questions every founder faces sooner or later: how to sell, how to grow, and how to build a company that investors genuinely want to back?

The programme opens with international B2B sales and go-to-market expert Zoltan Vardy.

Vardy has around three decades of commercial experience and more than two billion dollars in B2B sales behind him, and through his The Launch Code he has worked with more than 200 tech founders from 26 countries. His system focuses precisely on the problems that keep recurring among tech startups: an unclear offering, the wrong ideal customer, an inconsistent pipeline and a sales process that depends on the founder’s improvisation.

More than 20 projects go before investors

Founders & Capital will not just talk about investment.

In two pitch blocks, 20 startup projects will present to representatives of venture capital funds and the startup ecosystem, including Vesna Deep Tech Fund, Tenity, AYMO Ventures, Meta Change Capital, SQ Capital and Infobip.

Can a company grow without getting worse?

One of the more provocative topics of the Founders & Capital programme is titled:

“Resisting Enshittification: Can Adriatic Companies Stay Clean Through Growth, AI and Acquisition?”

Behind the deliberately uncomfortable title lies a problem familiar to almost every user of large digital platforms. At first, the product is excellent. Then come growth, investors, new revenue targets, acquisitions, optimisations, ads, automation and pressure on margins. And what users once loved slowly gets worse.

This will be discussed by Tapio Siik of Business Tampere, Nikola Livaković of AYMO Ventures and Nikola Kapraljević, CEO of Infinum, moderated by Vlado Slišković of BSG Advisory.

From a good product to a company worth investing in

Julija Jegorova, founder of Black Unicorn PR, will talk about how a founder builds credibility before it becomes essential for investment or entry into the international market.

The programme will also address whether a company can keep growing without compromising its product, culture and relationships with users, while the closing investment panel brings the conversation back to the very core:

Why do investors want to fund some startups and not others?

The panel “How Founders Build Startups Investors Want to Back” brings together Juraj Žlof, CEO of Growthfix Venture Studio, and Luka Vuković, co-founder of 3V Innovation Hub, moderated by Gergo Gulyas of iScale Hub.

Investors do not fund just presentations and ideas. They fund teams that can show they understand the problem, the market, the customer and how they will turn a product into a company. 

The idea is only the beginning. Founders & Capital deals with what comes after it.

You can view the full programme on the conference website.

10 September | Founders & Capital | Split Technology Park