Startup Weekend 2025: 157 Students Tackled 40 Challenges in One Weekend
Last weekend, from March 28 to 30, 2025, Associate Professors Dr. Blaž Zupan and Dr. Mojca Svetek organized the now traditional Startup Weekend at the University of Ljubljana, School of Economics and Business. Over the course of three days, 157 students from ten different faculties of the University of Ljubljana took on 40 challenges.
A total of 38 challenges were proposed by students, while two were presented by sponsors. The Ljubljana University Incubator (LUI), in collaboration with EIT Health, prepared a challenge focused on promoting healthy eating habits among young people, while Zavarovalnica Triglav introduced a challenge on marketing insurance products tailored to young customers.
Student teams worked on these challenges under the mentorship of Assistant Professors Dr. Barbara Hvalič Erzetič, Dr. Eva Repovš, and Dr. Mojca Svetek. On Sunday, students also participated in a workshop on entrepreneurial pitching, led by Sanja Zepan Pompe, Head of Communications at LUI. The workshop prepared the teams for their final pitch in front of the evaluation committee.
The three-member evaluation committee consisted of Associate Professor Dr. Aleš Pustovrh (professor and partner at Fil Rouge Capital), Sanja Zepan Pompe (Head of Communications at LUI and co-founder of HomeyLabs), and Marta Turk (coordinator and organizer of the 500 Businesswomen event).
The sponsors were particularly impressed by a team that developed an innovative marketing campaign promoting a healthy lifestyle, successfully addressing both sponsor challenges. Other standout projects that caught the committee’s attention included a platform for investing in securities, a moisture meter for concrete, and an online sommelier service.
Students will continue refining their projects within entrepreneurship courses, with mentor support, until mid-June. The most ambitious participants plan to further develop their ideas even after they finish their studies.