A bold new strategy to establish Slovenia as one of Europe’s leading startup ecosystems by 2030 is stirring both excitement and caution.
At the Slovenian Startup Forum in Bled, government officials and industry leaders unveiled plans to double the number of startups per million citizens and increase investment in the sector tenfold.
However, the path to this vision requires more than just regulatory reform—an overhaul of Slovenia’s entrepreneurial mindset is critical.
Matevž Frangež, State Secretary at the Ministry of Economy, stressed that the success of this strategy hinges on changing how Slovenians view risk and failure.
“Our reluctance to embrace failure is stifling innovation,” he said, highlighting the need for a culture that not only tolerates but celebrates entrepreneurial risk-taking.
Slovenia’s current position at the bottom of the EU startup rankings underscores the scale of the challenge.
To thrive, the country must overcome a prevailing culture of negativity that hampers both public and entrepreneurial enthusiasm.
For this ambitious plan to succeed, the real hurdle may be shifting mindsets before anything else.
