In this episode we have an interesting guest, and a just as interesting guest host – Marko Ketler, Senior Partner in our network, who specializes in M&A and Finance and has tons of experience in private equity. His guest is Brian Wardrop, Managing Partner at Arx Equity Partners, one of the leading private equity firms in Central Europe, and if you want to know how PE firms select deals and what they look for in transaction partners, we highly recommend that you listen to the new episode. Are...
Jun 30, 2021•45 min•Ep. 23
Far too often, parents ask questions around cord blood banking. Most commonly, these two - one: should we do it, and two: which bank. To address this recurring topic, and one that can be incredibly important and consequential for families, we hosted one of the most knowledgeable authorities on this topic, Dr. Frances Verter. Dr. Verter founded the Parent’s Guide to Cord Blood in 1998, in memory of her daughter Shai. As a mother, a patient advocate and science researcher, she began compiling reso...
Jun 02, 2021•44 min•Ep. 22
An MIT study showed that fake news travels six times faster on Twitter than real news. Different phenomenons occurring online are a powerful weapon and a fertile territory for spreading information based on a bias. Is AI a dehumanization weapon in the wrong hands or just a progressive tool? What is the cost of creating machine learning and similar algorithms? A grown and wild digital ecosystem based on an attention economy, engaging business model and behavioral advertising is editing reality th...
Apr 22, 2021•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 21
Nebojša Đurđević is the CEO of Digital Serbia and chairman of Serbian Government's working group tasked with producing a strategy for strengthening the startup ecosystem between 2021 and 2025. To anyone expecting a dry conversation - this is anything but. Nebojša emigrated from Belgrade in the early 90ties, spent most of his professional career in startups across the world, and then came back to Serbia in 2018 to lead Digital Serbia's efforts to help the country catch up in the global digital ra...
Mar 09, 2021•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 20
What spirit makes a true entrepreneur? One not only ready, but eager, to go off-piste? Is it the allure of entrepreneurial mentality, proximity to ideas as soon as they are born, camaraderie with brilliant innovators? All of the above? And what makes people get their skin in the game, staking their money, reputation and time behind an idea or a team? Julien Coustaury is the founder and a managing partner at Fil Rouge Rouge Capital, one of the first local VCs active in the SEE region. He has over...
Nov 16, 2020•51 min•Ep. 19
Most people view legal profession as traditional and slow to adapt to ever present forces of technology and innovation. In some aspects they are right and there are good reasons for moving slowly. In its core, legal profession is intrinsically based on trust and human to human interaction. Equally important, it is a part of the justice system and as such it cannot afford itself the luxury to “move fast and break things”. But it does move. Lawyers use AI-based systems to enhance document review p...
Sep 21, 2020•49 min•Ep. 18
Do you remember how the regional startup ecosystem looked like without its big players, serious conferences, professional associations, extensive investments and specialized media? How did networking or the search for new sources of funding and support looked like ten years ago, in the absence of today's infrastructure? Leaving the secure job in companies in order to develop one's own business might look crazy back then, but how did successful examples affect future digital entrepreneurs Marko M...
Sep 11, 2020•58 min•Ep. 17
( This episode is in Serbian ) Why do we sleep? The answer can seem obvious to everyone - because sleep helps us to rest, regenerate, preserve energy for the day ahead… However, the process that is so familiar to us remains among the most mysterious phenomena in biology – as a matter of fact, everything we just stated still remains at the level of the hypothesis. So why is sleep necessary for life? Dragana Rogulja teaches neurobiology at Harvard Medical School Blavatnik Institute of Neurobiology...
Sep 04, 2020•55 min•Ep. 16
What happens when a mathematician shifts her focus on people, their motivation, their emotions and engagement with workplace? How does anyone effectively manage and direct innovation? Simone Van Neerven, a founder of reBel.la is the living proof that seemingly opposing things are more than compatible in practice. As a mathematician with a passion for people and tech, she was the Head of Innovation at Vueling Airlines, the leading Spanish airline. In the past years she has been building service d...
Aug 27, 2020•51 min•Ep. 15
Who would you bet to win the Wimbledon final - Novak Djokovic or Borna Ćorić? What would be the quota for Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Montenegro or BiH to enter the finals of the World Cup? The Covid-19 may have hindered our intentions to support our sports favourites this summer, but we are still betting on one thing – sport will certainly remain the most important side thing in the world even in the situation of the “new normal”. In this bonus episode of k/talks we are covering the world of spo...
Aug 03, 2020•50 min•Ep. 14
Is there a magic formula for creating the products and services that people want? How should we think about our customers and their needs if we wish our product to be well received? In this episode of k/talks, my guest Marko Jevtić presented a concept of design thinking. Design thinking is a methodology that is successfully used both by startups and large corporations around the globe. It leads us to better understanding of our users, their needs and problems on one side, but also teaches us to ...
Jul 02, 2020•56 min•Ep. 13
This year's edition of Startup Genome, published on June 25, brings two key results for the Serbian IT scene - the startup market of Belgrade and Novi Sad reaches a value of 502 million dollars, and Serbia ranks fifth among the analyzed countries in the number of blockchain developers. This research shows us not only how our ecosystem positions itself in comparison to other startup ecosystems in the world, but also allows us to map its key strengths and the weakest points. The guest of the 12 ep...
Jun 26, 2020•54 min•Ep. 12
It is 2020 and you live in a city? You probably didn’t know that you belong to 50% of the total world population inhabiting the urban environment. In the next 30-40 years this number is predicted to increase to 80%. If that sound too abstract, let’s transfer these percentages into some real-life examples - in the upcoming years the urban population will increase by one city the size of Milan, Prague or Belgrade on a weekly basis! Dizzying, right? If you belong to the urban population, you have c...
Jun 19, 2020•56 min•Ep. 11
We all know music and we all love music. We all surrender to it, when it speaks to us directly, and when it works its magic as a glue that brings people together. We dance and sing to it, and sometimes even dare to create it or play around with it. But have you ever wondered who dares to move it forward and set its new frontiers? And where the most audacious technologists play with music, and the most innovative musicians with technology. Michela Magas and Andrew Dubber are the minds and hearts ...
Jun 11, 2020•57 min•Ep. 10
( This episode is in Serbian ) In this episode of k/talks I sit down with Zoja Kukić. Zoja is an integral part of the Serbian digital ecosystem, a contemporary of its growth from its modest beginnings up to the point where the local hubs of Belgrade and Novi Sad get recognized by the Startup Genome in three major categories - top 5 in blockchain, top 5 in affordable talent and top 10 in gaming. This has been a tremendous accomplishment, as it puts Belgrade and Novi Sad as the only such hub on th...
Jun 02, 2020•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 9
( Episode is in Serbian ) In this episode, I sit down with Jelisaveta Lazarevic, project leader at AFA (Association for Female Affirmation - All for all), leading the project of women's digital literacy. We are looking into reasons why a staggering 54% of women qualify as digitally illiterate and what AFA is doing to change this trend. We also discuss the global challenge of having disproportionally fewer girls interested in STEM education, compared to the number of boys and, more alarmingly, co...
May 28, 2020•45 min•Ep. 8
In this episode, I am speaking with Marc Wesselink. Mark is a founding partner of Venture Rock, a venture capital firm attempting to change the business of venture capital, improving it both for the investors and the entrepreneurs. He is a serial entrepreneur and as one, he understands the importance of focusing on process and execution. By focusing on these critical points, and less on the appeal of an idea, his fund is focusing on startups that have the ability to execute. In the time when we ...
May 25, 2020•34 min•Ep. 7
(Episode is in Serbian) In this episode I am speaking with Nikola Čavić. Nikola is a founder and chairman of the Serbian Gaming Association, a business association whose members include prominent and well established global names in global gaming, as well as smaller studios and teams. Before founding the SGA, Nikola has spent many years as an executive in product and business development in gaming companies, including Nordeus, one of Serbia's finest. He also runs a consultancy business GameBiz C...
May 21, 2020•51 min•Ep. 6
(Episode is in Serbian language) In this conversation we explore storytelling with Relja Dereta. Relja is best known for his ability to transform semi-interesting presentations into exciting and memorable public appearances. He has worked with dozens of TED and TEDx speakers, executives and activists, helping them capture their audiences and deliver their message when they really need to. We explore what makes a good presentation, a good message, a good and memorable public performance. We discu...
May 06, 2020•56 min•Ep. 5
(Episode is in Serbian) So what do escape rooms and digital transformation have in common? Digital transformation is a concept loved by some and hated by many, a journey of sorts, filled with mysteries and adventure which can also be exciting and fulfilling. It is a journey where a skilled gamemaster can help with revealing blind spots and offering hints. So what do escape rooms and digital transformation have in common? Our guest in this episode - his name is Aleksandar Vratonjić Gligorijević. ...
Apr 28, 2020•56 min•Ep. 4
Heading into the fifth week of lockdown caused by Covid-19, health is still the number one priority worldwide. Health workers everywhere deserve our gratitude and our praise, as do all other workers in essential services. World economy is also standing still. Most people are in their homes, some on forced leave, some working from home, and many unemployed. It is very difficult to cope with this level of uncertainty. To help us get a better grip on the economic aspects of this crisis, I am speaki...
Apr 14, 2020•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 3
In this episode we welcome Chris Saul to the program. Chris has spent 39 years at Slaughter & May, a renowned magic circle firm in London, described by some as the most magical of the magic circle firms. Between 2008 and 2016 he was leading Slaughter & May as the firm’s senior partner. When he retired from Slaughter & May he established a consultancy Christopher Saul Associates and continues to share his vast experience as a business leader and transaction advisor, to company executi...
Apr 11, 2020•45 min•Ep. 2
(Language of the episode: Serbian) In this episode we discuss mental resilience with our colleague - turned business coach, Dragomir Kojic. After a successful as a partner and head of our intellectual property team, Dragomir finished the Jung Institute in Zurich and became a certified therapist. He also finished the Erickson Coaching School and he now supports us in people development, business coaching, HR and internal communications. We discuss mental resilience in times of crisis. At the time...
Mar 26, 2020•50 min•Ep. 1
