Foreign Investors Council
47, Gospodar Jevremova Street, IV Floor, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
Phone: +381 11 3281 958, 3281 965
e-mail: office@fic.org.rs

Member News

SAVA ZDRAVO health package from Sava Insurance

Sava Insurance, as a member of one of the leading insurance groups in the region – Insurance Group SAVA, has expanded its offer of insurance services with special voluntary health insurance packages.

The insurance policy primarily offers basic coverage types pertaining to outpatient treatment and encompasses the following healthcare services: examinations and diagnostic procedures, laboratory tests, tests and analysis necessary for reproductive system check-up, outpatient interventions, medical transport, ordered therapy in outpatient conditions, home treatment in emergency situations, radiotherapy and chemotherapy in outpatient treatment conditions, examinations and diagnostic procedures and laboratory tests (in relation to health problems occurring after the confirmed Covid-19 infection over the period of no longer than six months after the diagnosis), mental health, urgent dentistry, medical and technical aids, as well as additional coverage types: health protection for pregnant women and new-born babies, physical check-up, ophthalmology services, dental services, prescription drugs and orders, physical and speech therapy, complementary medicine services, tumour coverage and second medical opinion.

Sava Insurance improved the standard offer of voluntary health insurance in the Serbian market by allowing its clients, in addition to the basic and additional insurance coverage types, to also contract several supplementary insurance services: second medical opinion, coverage in case of tumours, post-covid coverage and expansion of coverage for a physical check-up.

Sava Insurance offers three SAVA ZDRAVO packages of voluntary health insurance:

  • Sava Basic – includes outpatient treatment for the sum insured up to EUR 1000
  • Sava Standard – includes outpatient and hospital treatment for the sum insured up to EUR 2000
  • Sava Pro – includes outpatient and hospital treatment for the sum insured up to EUR 3000.

Voluntary health insurance is available to all citizens of the Republic of Serbia, regardless of their age. Furthermore, insurance is also available to foreign citizens temporarily working in Serbia and to their family members.

The voluntary health insurance may be contracted as individual and collective insurance (when a legal person contracts insurance for its employees).

The companies that opt for collective voluntary health insurance policies achieve a number of benefits: the ability to create a single voluntary health insurance package that meets the employer’s needs, budget, business requirements and the needs of its employees; tax relief for the premium of voluntary health insurance; reducing employee absences due to sick leave and their faster return to work; positive impact on the image of the company, because taking care of the employees achieves one of the sustainable development strategies – it motivates and rewards the employees.     Also, by purchasing a voluntary health insurance policy for its employees, the company achieves one of the priority categories of benefits (these include: health, family, professional development, career and mobility) that have the strongest positive impact on employees, on their satisfaction and engagement in business processes.

The clients – persons insured under the voluntary health insurance with SAVA ZDRAVO packages are provided with the following: availability of Sava Call centre 7 days a week, 24 hours a day; no waiting for medical examinations, because they are scheduled in a systematic and organized manner, thus avoiding the waiting lists of publicly funded health services; freedom to choose the best doctors in private health care institutions throughout Serbia and assistance in the selection of doctors, i.e. health care facilities by the Sava Medical Call centre; no unnecessary burden on personal finances by direct payment of health services, etc.

The amount of insurance premium for Collective voluntary health insurance depends on the number of employees to be insured, on the gender and age structure of employees, on the sum insured, as well as on the selected set of medical services chosen by the company for its employees. The expert team of Sava Insurance is available to propose several various SAVA ZDRAVO packages and to help with the selection of the most adequate package option.

The potential clients may find more information about the types and scopes of insurance coverages of SAVA ZDRAVO packages offered by Sava Insurance, as well as about additional benefits for persons insured under the voluntary health insurance at the Sava Insurance website www.sava-osiguranje.rs or by e-mail sava.zdravo@sava-osiguranje.rs.

SEMIFINALISTS OF THE GENERATOR COMPETITION HAVE BEEN SELECTED

More than 170 participants applied for the OTP banka’s Generator competition, which supports digital projects that help small and medium enterprises overcome the consequences of the crisis caused by the corona virus, out of which ten semifinalists advanced to the next phase. The total prize fund that awaits the winners is two million dinars.

BELGRADE – September 15, 2020 – OTP banka’s Generator Gamechanger competition supports digital projects – websites, applications and other digital platforms – which help and offer new opportunities to small and medium enterprises. More than 170 participants applied for this year’s competition, held for the fourth year in a row, and ten semifinalists advanced to the next stage – those who help companies better present their services and products, provide new sales channels, exchange experiences and ideas or offer other ways of support that companies can use to successfully overcome the consequences of the crisis.

The competition was open to all individuals, informal teams, entrepreneurs and companies that have a new idea that needs support to come to life or an existing solution that needs to be improved. In both categories – a new idea and an existing solution – five semifinalists were selected, who were presented on the Generator website and who are expected to be promoted by the media in order for as many people, potential users of their services, to hear about their project. The semifinalists come from various industries and have applied their knowledge and experience in areas such as fashion, agronomy, business planning, fitness and sports, pets, domestic premium products, crafts, organization of virtual fairs…

In the next phase, six finalists will be selected, three in each category, who will compete for the main prize. At the presentations, the finalists will present their solutions, after which the jury will announce two winners who will win a prize of one million dinars. The semifinalists will also receive special awards from the partners of the competition – Vojvodjanska banka, ICT hub center for the development of technological entrepreneurship and innovation, TeleGroup, Belgrade Open School and the ENECA association.

Through this type of indirect support, OTP banka, together with its partners, continues to contribute to bolstering innovations and domestic entrepreneurship.

Meet the semifinalists of the competition on the Generator website.

About the Generator project:

In order to strengthen the competitiveness of Serbian entrepreneurship, the Generator project was carefully designed and launched in 2017, and it brings together the initiatives and activities that encourage innovative entrepreneurial ventures. In the same year, Generator supported 40 entrepreneurial innovations through financial support, promotion and mentoring. The winner received one million dinars, and almost 800 innovators submitted their ideas. In the following year, 2018, the best student entrepreneurial innovations were awarded, and last year Generator 2.0 was intended for the digital transformation of small and medium enterprises. At the end of 2019, within the Generator project, OTP banka launched the Good Deed Generator initiative, which supports social entrepreneurship.

Together. We move things forward.

#otpbankasrbija #generator2020 #podrška #SME #digitalizacija #inovacije

Swinto Wins This Year’s Elevator Lab Challenge South-East Europe Project

Elevator Lab Challenge South-East Europe has been completed last night (Dec. 15) with a gala event where finalists presented their projects to a jury of experts and the audience and fought for the title of “Best Start-up in South-Eastern Europe” and a prize of EUR 10,000. The Swinto team was chosen as the winner of this fintech competition and will have the opportunity to present their work on the international Elevator Lab Demo Day in the spring of 2022, to meet the management of Raiffeisen Bank International Group and receive expert advice on business presentations and unique ways of presenting to business clients.

Tim Swinto, who is also the winner of the second semi-finals evening in the category Payments and Advanced Analytics Solutions, shared his impressions after winning in the finals:

“We enjoyed this experience, it gave us a wonderful opportunity to reveal our idea again and what it is we are offering. We have invested a lot of effort into making a presentation which fully represents our company.”

The jury of experts, consisting of Raiffeisen banka’s managers, rated the most innovative solutions in the financial technologies segment and semi-finals were held in the following categories:

The winner of the first semi-finals evening that took place on Dec. 1 was Easy Albania. Their solution was the best in the segment Innovative Banking Solutions for Retail, SME, and Corporate Clients. In the second semi-finals, Dec. 2, in the category Payments and Advanced Analytics Solutions, the best solution was offered by the Swinto team, as rated by the expert jury. The most innovative solution on the semi-finals evening on Dec 3, in the category ESG solutions, was created by TE Pema team. The teams who won in the semi-finals, as the best in their categories, won EUR 5,000 each, the possibility of developing their projects with some of the local banks, the opportunity to have their systems integrated into Raiffeisen banka and reach 2.6 million clients, as well as placement into the Elevator Lab 2021 finals.

Elevator Lab Challenge South-East Europe is a regional competition for start-ups, organized by the Raiffeisen Group, focused on supporting technology innovations that have a positive impact on the development of financial and banking systems. This year, via a live online event, the participating teams had a chance to present their fintech solutions to experts and the viewers could join the discussion and acquaint themselves with the segment of start-up solutions.

Detailed information regarding the competition, participants, jury and awards can be found at the following link: https://elevator-lab.com/challenges/regional-1/, while the entire gala event can be watched HERE.

Taming the dragon: ESG implementation – risks demystified by CMS Belgrade

CMS Belgrade is going to organize the expert panel Taming the dragon: ESG implementation – risks demystified organized by CMS Belgrade, which will be held on Wednesday, October 26, 2022at 15.00, at CMS Belgrade premises, Krunska 73 – estimated duration 90 minutes, followed by a cocktail.

The demand for sustainability information continues to grow as businesses are increasingly focused on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues. ESG regulatory and compliance requirements are rising, and companies are facing intensive implementation challenges. Why? Because ESG matters.

The expert panel will combine ESG experiences and know-how of CMS and Delhaize, Delta Holding, ProCredit Bank, Cushman & Wakefield CBS, and EY. 

Keynote speaker:

Döne Yalçın, Partner and Head of CMS Sustainability for Austria and CEE, will bring insights on ESG regulatory trends on the horizon and current ESG challenges for multinational companies in Europe.

Language: English: keynote and Serbian: panel.

If you need additional information, please send an e-mail to: Belgrade@cms-rrh.com

Toyo Tire – New FIC Member

By BoD decision, Toyo Tire Serbia was accepted into membership. Toyo Tire Corporation was founded in Japan in 1945 and is a producer of tires for passenger vehicles, light trucks, trucks & buses, as well as automobile components. It operates worldwide, including the US, Canada, Mexico, Australia, Germany, UK, Netherlands, Italy, Russia, China, Thailand and Malaysia. It has more than 13,000 employees worldwide. The company was established In Serbia in 2019 and started construction of a plant in 2020, with the planned start of manufacturing in April 2022. The company plans to invest 390 million Euros and employ 523 persons by 2023. More info on their website.

TWO MILLION DINAR PRIZE FUND FOR DIGITAL PROJECTS

Aware of the challenges we are all facing due to the crisis caused by Covid-19, OTP Bank has launched the 4th Generator contest, with a total prize fund of RSD 2 million, aiming to support the digital projects that can help SMEs survive the crisis period and its aftermath.

BELGRADE – June 12, 2020 – Aware of what challenges small and medium-business in our country faced due to the crisis caused by Covid-19, OTP Bank started the 4th Generator contest, and this year the contest will bear the title Gamechanger. This year’s contest focuses on supporting digital projects – websites, apps and other digital platforms – that help and offer new possibilities to SMEs. For example, to better present their services and products and achieve additional visibility, or to secure new sales channels, to provide a space where satisfied clients can rate and recommend their products and services, exchange experiences and ideas, or to offer some other ways which will be of use to SMEs in successfully overcoming the consequences of the crisis.

Through this type of indirect support, the bank wants to contribute to overcoming the economic consequences of the pandemic and help a large number of small and medium-sized market players, by launching or improving digital platforms which can be of crucial assistance for their business to survive the crisis period and its aftermath.

The contest is open to all individuals, informal teams, entrepreneurs and companies who have a new idea that needs support to materialise or an already existing solution that needs improvement, and applications are open until July 1. The bank will award two RSD 1 million prizes in both categories – New Idea and Existing Solution.

Based on submitted applications, a jury will shortlist 10 semi-finalists, who will receive video material, as well as media promotion and promotion via bank’s channels, so as many people as possible can hear about their solution. Then, six finalists will be selected, who will compete for the main prize. During presentations, finalists will showcase their solutions, after which the jury will declare two winners, who will each win the RSD 1 million prize. Semi-finalists will receive special awards by partners of the contest – Vojvođanska banka and ICT Hub centre for technology entrepreneurship and innovation.

Criteria of the Generator Gamechanger contest, application and additional information can be found at the website www.generator.rs.

Together with its partners, OTP Bank continues to support the strengthening of innovation and domestic entrepreneurship.

About the Generator project:

In order to strengthen the competitiveness of Serbian entrepreneurship, the Generator project was carefully devised and then launched in 2017, gathering all initiatives and activities that foster innovative entrepreneurial endeavours under one umbrella. In the same year, Generator supported 40 entrepreneurial innovations through financial support, promotion and mentorship. The winner received RSD 1 million, and nearly 800 innovators submitted their ideas. The following year, 2018, the rewards went to best entrepreneurial innovations by students, and last year, Generator 2.0 was intended for digital transformation of SMEs. In late 2019, as part of the Generator, OTP Bank launched the Generator of Good Deeds initiative, which supports social entrepreneurship.

You can find more information at www.generator.rs.

#otpbankasrbija #generator2020 #podrška #SME #digitalizacija #inovacije

Živković Samardžić Advises APIS Assay Technologies Ltd on Serbian Aspects of Acquisition of BeoGenomics

Živković Samardžić has advised Manchester-based biotech firm APIS Assay Technologies Ltd, a company combining outstanding In Vitro Diagnostics (IVD) experience with integrated AI to develop biomarker-based diagnostic assays, on Serbian aspects of its acquisition of BeoGenomics, a specialised software developer with major expertise in Bioinformatics and Artificial Intelligence (BIOX).

BeoGenomics has been developing both on-prem and secure cloud-based data analysis solutions – helping customers design, build and run custom tailored genomics & proteomics pipelines. The start-up with amazing capability will be integrated into Manchester-based APIS, supporting the launch of a new BIOX Service Line as part of the company’s ongoing Biomarker Research and Development activities.

APIS develops new tests for the prediction, prevention, and diagnosis of disease from discovery to regulatory approval. The company’s business model is based on three pillars: biomarker diagnostics development, molecular diagnostic contract development, and applied bioinformatics.

Živković Samardžić’s scope of work consisted of performing due diligence of BeoGenomics, drafting and negotiating of transactional documentation, structuring the transaction, as well as all-encompassing legal advisory regarding post-closing activities for APIS Assay Technologies Ltd.

The Živković Samardžić team that has advised APIS Assay Technologies Ltd on this deal was led by Partner Igor Živkovski and included Partner Ana Popović, who advised on employment matters.

Živković Samardžić Advises Catalyst Romania and 3TS Capital Partners on Serbian Aspects of Investment in Hunch

Živković Samardžić has advised Catalyst Romania, one of the leading technology-focused venture capital firms in Romania and 3TS Capital Partners, one of the leading European technology focused private equity and venture capital firms, on Serbian aspects of its investment in Hunch, an automated creative production and media buying platform that empowers brands and agencies to grow on paid social. Hunch has raised the new EUR 4 million and the round is led by Catalyst Romania backed by 3TS Capital Partners, alongside co-investors Euroventures, North Base Media, SeedBlink and South Central Ventures. This round is the largest round led by Catalyst Fund II thus far, and the first investment by the fund in the SEE region outside Romania. Hunch will use this investment to triple its sales team and increase marketing investments, to support its expansion plans in Europe and into the US.

Hunch, a Meta Business Partner, teams up with leading global brand and performance marketing teams to consistently drive operational efficiencies, revenue uplifts, and faster go-to-market initiatives. Brands and agencies rely on Hunch’s market-leading automation platform that combines unique data-driven creative performance workflows with automated media buying processes to help today’s marketers focus on what matters most – growth.

Catalyst Romania focuses on tech companies that have already launched products into their target markets and have experienced management teams. It launched its first EUR 15 million fund in 2012, as the first fund of its type designed for Romania. The firm launched a second growth capital tech fund for Romania, with a first initial closing with institutional and private investors in November 2020, followed by a second closing in April 2021 and a final closing in February 2022. The original target of EUR 40 million was substantially exceeded and the Fund reached its hard cap of EUR 50 million. The Fund will continue to make early growth capital investments in SMEs based in Romania and other countries in the region.

3TS Capital Partners is one of the leading European technology focused growth capital firms. 3TS provides expansion capital and buyout funding for small and medium-sized businesses in growth sectors including Technology & Internet, Media & Communications and Technology-Enabled Services. Investors in the current and past 3TS funds totalling over EUR 400 million include EIF, Erste Group, Tesi, Cisco, OTP, EBRD, AWS, Sitra, KfW, and 3i among others.

The Živković Samardžić team that has advised Catalyst Romania and 3TS Capital Partners on this deal was led by Partner Igor Živkovski and included Associate Danka Draško, who advised on employment matters.

 

 

 

 

Živković Samardžić Advises Credo Ventures on Investment in Startup Trickest

Živković Samardžić has advised Credo Ventures on its investment in Trickest, a Belgrade-based startup building a workflow automation and orchestration tool for bug bounty hunters, penetration testers, and enterprise security teams. Trickest has raised a EUR 1.4 million seed round and the round is led by Credo Ventures, with participation from Earlybird Digital East Fund, with Daniel Dines and Marius Tirca, CEO and CTO of UiPath also participating as angel investors. Proceeds from the round will be used to accelerate hiring and support the company’s early access launch.

Credo Ventures is a venture capital company focused on early stage investments in Central and Eastern Europe. It is on a mission to identify and back the most interesting early stage companies in the region, support them in their growth plans (including expansion to the U.S. / global market), and help to achieve their objectives. Credo Ventures is looking for opportunities to invest in high-growth potential companies with international ambitions and competence to execute and deliver, while its industry focus is IT, Internet, and health.

Trickest’s co-founders combined their security and data backgrounds to start Trickest in late 2019. The company’s cloud-based workflow editor makes it easy to build and automate tests in a drag-and-drop way, and while the platform supports starting from scratch, Trickest makes the best crowdsourced knowledge available to everyone thanks to a library of 100+ open-source tools. Additionally, more advanced users can also drop in their custom scripts for maximum flexibility and control. The company also takes care of infrastructure management – workflows can be run in the cloud with one click and are designed to support features like auto-scaling and cost controls out of the box.

Živković Samardžić’s scope of work consisted of performing due diligence of Trickest, drafting and negotiating of transactional documentation, structuring the transaction, as well as all-encompassing legal advisory regarding post-closing activities for Credo Ventures. The Živković Samardžić team that has advised Credo Ventures on this deal was led by Partner Igor Živkovski and included Partners Slobodan Kremenjak, who advised on intellectual property matters and Ana Popović, who advised on employment matters.

Živković Samardžić Advises Joberty on Angel Investment for Entering Global Market

Živković Samardžić has advised Joberty, an online IT business platform that connects employers and candidates into a transparent ecosystem, on early-stage investment by angel investor, Kroog Ventures. With the investment of USD 350,000, this high-potential project has reached a value of as much as USD 3.3 million.

The initial capital will be used to expand Joberty platform in the region, the European market and beyond. Since its inception, the platform has numbered over 27,000 IT professionals and 600 companies, despite the many problems caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Joberty is an online platform founded in August 2019, created as a startup. The purpose of the platform is to enable employees in IT companies to share their work experiences, candidates to find jobs in the IT industry, and IT companies to find relevant candidates for their jobs. With this approach, Joberty provides the wider community with the opportunity to gain additional insight into the work ethic and culture of IT companies, thus increasing the transparency of the rapidly evolving IT community. The goal of the platform is to expand throughout the region, but also throughout other continents, especially throughout the US markets.

Kroog Ventures is an investment platform focused on European technology startup projects. It was founded in early 2021 and is investing in the early stages of development. It consists of entrepreneurs, technology seniors and experienced businessmen. Kroog Ventures supports startups not only financially, but also with strategic and operational support, as well as the access to the international network and capital markets.

Živković Samardžić acted as legal adviser to Joberty on all aspects of the deal, including structuring the transaction, drafting and negotiating of transactional documentation, as well as assisting with the preparation and execution of the closing process. The Živković Samardžić team that has advised Joberty on this deal was led by Partner Igor Živkovski.