Šibenik confirmed its status as a meeting place for small entrepreneurs: Artificial intelligence, finance, and lessons from mistakes at the center of the discussions
Šibenik once again hosted a gathering that, year after year, shows ever more clearly how much Croatian small entrepreneurs need a space for learning, exchanging experiences, and creating business connections. At the Campus of St. John’s Fortress, participants of the fifth season of the Uplift Academy, a program intended for micro, small, and medium-sized entrepreneurs, gathered to listen to expert lectures during a two-day meetup, take part in discussions, and speak openly about the challenges of running a business on a daily basis. The focus was not only on growth and success, but also on topics that entrepreneurs often leave aside until they become an urgent problem: how to manage finances, how to turn artificial intelligence into a useful tool, how to build trust in market competition, and why understanding one’s own mistakes is often more important than simply avoiding failure. It was precisely this combination of expert content and practical experience that marked this year’s gathering of the community formed around the Uplift project.
The Uplift Academy was launched in 2021 by Mastercard and is implemented by Algebra Bernays University. Over five seasons, the program has grown into a recognizable platform for educating and connecting entrepreneurs, especially those from tourism, hospitality, service, and related activities. According to data published at the opening of the fifth season, 136 entrepreneurs from different parts of Croatia passed through the first four generations, while 32 scholarships were secured for the fifth generation. The academy itself lasts from November 2025 to March 2026 and includes thematic modules, mentoring work, and the development of concrete business projects. Yet meetings in person proved just as important as the formal part of the teaching, especially those in Šibenik, which over time became more than a side event: a place where the community truly recognizes itself, networks, and turns theory into applicable solutions.
Why Šibenik in particular became the natural stage for this kind of gathering
The venue was not merely a logistical detail. The educational campus of St. John’s Fortress was designed precisely for study visits, education, professional training, conferences, and other business events, so the combination of cultural heritage and modern infrastructure gave additional weight to the entire program. In recent years, St. John’s Fortress has become a symbol of a different reading of Šibenik’s cultural and tourist offer: a space that serves not only for sightseeing, but also for creating new content, knowledge, and cooperation. In such an environment, the entrepreneurial story also gains a broader context, because the discussion is not only about individual businesses but also about how cities, institutions, and local communities can create a framework for the development of sustainable and competitive ideas. For a city that in recent years has strongly built its identity on the intersection of culture, heritage restoration, and events, such a meetup logically fit into the broader picture of positioning Šibenik as a place of educational and business tourism.
That is precisely why some lectures also went beyond the framework of narrowly understood entrepreneurship. Petar Mišura, director of the Institute for Spatial Planning of Šibenik-Knin County, presented development projects that changed the face of Šibenik and the county, with an emphasis on the effects of investments financed by European funds. Such a perspective was an important reminder that business success is not separate from the space in which it is created. An entrepreneur operating in tourism, hospitality, or services does not do business in a vacuum: his result also depends on infrastructure, urban identity, the quality of public amenities, and the direction in which the destination is developing. When local development is viewed in this way, it becomes clear why topics such as spatial planning, public investment, and cultural infrastructure are no longer only the domain of public administration, but also an integral part of entrepreneurial strategy.
Artificial intelligence is no longer a futuristic topic, but a practical business issue
One of the central topics of the gathering was artificial intelligence, viewed from a distinctly practical perspective. At a time when AI is no longer reserved for large systems and technology companies, small entrepreneurs are increasingly looking for an answer to a simple question: how to include these tools in business without major costs, complications, and unrealistic expectations. At the meetup, this topic was addressed by Davor Aničić, co-founder and director of the company Velebit AI, with an emphasis on the application of artificial intelligence in tourism. For a sector that lives on the speed of communication, personalization of offers, understanding guests, and more efficient content management, AI is no longer an add-on, but an increasingly important tool for everyday work.
The importance of this topic is no coincidence. Small businesses often do not have large teams or special departments for analytics, marketing, customer support, or content development. That is why tools that can speed up the preparation of documents, improve communication with clients, help process data, or facilitate the creation of promotional materials have special value. However, the meetup in Šibenik did not promote uncritical fascination with technology, but rather the need for its meaningful application. The message that could be read from the discussion was clear: artificial intelligence makes sense only where it saves the entrepreneur time, reduces operational pressure, or opens up space to focus more on business development and less on administration and repetitive tasks.
This is confirmed by the experiences of the participants themselves. Andrea Cantore Badurina, who runs the Lun Olive Gardens on the island of Pag, stated that he had already started applying the knowledge gained through the Uplift Academy in his business, especially when it comes to using artificial intelligence more properly in document preparation. Such a statement is important precisely because it shows a shift from the abstract story of digital transformation toward very concrete effects. For small entrepreneurs, the decisive question is often not whether they can keep up with all technological trends, but whether they can immediately apply at least part of the knowledge in a way that brings a visible result. When that happens, education stops being a theoretical obligation and becomes a tool for everyday business.
Finance, leadership, and trust as the new currency of business
Alongside technology, an important part of the program was dedicated to financial management and the role of leadership in a period of uncertainty. Small entrepreneurs are most often simultaneously owners, operators, sellers, communicators, and strategists of their own business. In such a rhythm, it is easy to neglect systematic planning, risk management, and the long-term building of trust with customers, partners, and employees. That is why the lecture by Hrvoje Balen, advisor to the management board of Algebra Bernays University, on trust as the new currency of success struck a topic that goes beyond classic business advice. In a market saturated with information, advertisements, and increasingly similar offers, trust becomes a differentiator that cannot be bought with a one-off campaign.
For small entrepreneurs, this is especially important because it is often precisely personal relationships, reputation, and credibility that make the difference between short-term interest and long-term customer loyalty. Trust is built not only through the quality of the product or service, but also through consistency, transparency, and the willingness to respond openly to problems. In that sense, the topic of leadership at the meetup was not presented as an abstract managerial discipline, but as an everyday practice of making decisions, leading people, and setting standards in small teams. In conditions where the market changes the rules quickly, the entrepreneur who inspires confidence and clearly communicates the direction of the business is often at an advantage even before the figure appears on the profit and loss account.
Mistakes are not a footnote to business, but an integral part of it
One of the most striking parts of the program was a panel with Uplift Academy alumni dedicated to the mistakes from which they learned. Such content is valuable precisely because entrepreneurship in the public space is too often discussed through simplified stories of success, growth, and visible results, while wrong moves, poor assessments, failed investments, or crisis moments are left aside. For beginners, but also for those who have been running a business for years, it is more useful to hear how others solved problems than to listen to idealized stories without cracks. In that sense, the Uplift meetup opened a space for a conversation that is more realistic than classic motivational appearances: business is not a linear upward path, but a series of attempts, corrections, and decisions often made under pressure.
Accepting a mistake does not mean giving up responsibility, but quite the opposite. It implies the ability to recognize a wrong decision in time, analyze it without embellishment, and turn it into useful experience. In the community of small entrepreneurs, this is especially important because many of them do not have a wide network of advisors nor the luxury of cushioning costly mistakes for a long time. A conversation about failures therefore also has preventive value: it enables others to recognize risks, react earlier, and understand that a business problem is not a personal defeat, but an integral part of the entrepreneurial process. Such normalization of mistakes is one of those unobtrusive but important values that create a more mature business culture.
What participants consider most valuable: community, exchange of experiences, and the feeling that they are not alone
From the statements of the participants, it is clear that educational content is not the only reason why such a program leaves a mark. Maja Božinović, who runs the Butina Rural Household in Kuterevo, emphasized that the Uplift Academy is most important to her precisely because of networking and the opportunity to hear that other side of entrepreneurial stories, the one in which people talk about problems, solutions, and everyday struggles. Such a perspective is especially important for entrepreneurs who are often isolated in their own business, focused on putting out operational fires and without enough time to step out of routine. When they hear how others solved a similar problem, they gain more than advice: they gain the feeling that their situation is not an exception and that obstacles can be overcome.
For small entrepreneurs from different parts of Croatia and different sectors, such a gathering often becomes the place where what later grows into cooperation, a recommendation, or a new business model begins. The special value of networking is not only that people exchange contacts, but that in a short time they gain insight into different ways of thinking. The owner of a family farm, a restaurateur, a small hotelier, or a provider of a specialized service may operate in different niches, but they often face the same questions: how to find quality staff, how to maintain standards, how to monitor costs, how to differentiate themselves in the market, and how to survive seasonality or changes in demand. When such experiences are brought together in one place, a shared pool of knowledge emerges that no individual workshop can fully replace.
From the identity of the city to the identity of the entrepreneurial scene
A part of the program dedicated to the role of culture in the city’s development also carried special symbolism. Gorana Barišić Bačelić, director of the public institution Fortress of Culture Šibenik, spoke about how Šibenik’s fortresses went from neglected sites to becoming an important carrier of the city’s cultural identity and tourist recognizability. At first glance, that story goes beyond the framework of classic entrepreneurial education, but in fact it touches the very core of modern local development. Today, cities do not compete only by price and infrastructure, but also by their ability to create a convincing story about themselves. When cultural infrastructure becomes part of that identity, the value of the destination rises, and with it the space for entrepreneurial initiatives.
For small entrepreneurs operating in tourism and services, this is directly important. A destination with a clear identity attracts a different kind of guest, opens space for more authentic products, and reduces dependence on the lowest price as the main tool of competition. In this sense, Šibenik has often been cited as an example of a city that, through the restoration of its fortresses and the development of cultural content, managed to change its own perception on the market. When such a story is combined with the education of entrepreneurs, a two-way effect is achieved: the city strengthens the platform for the development of business ideas, while entrepreneurs in turn enrich the content and economic vitality of the destination. It is precisely in this intersection of public interest, culture, and private initiative that the broader importance of such gatherings can be seen.
Marketing between usefulness and responsibility
The program also opened the question of marketing in a time when technology accelerates content production and the audience is becoming increasingly sensitive to manipulation, exaggeration, and empty promises. Vanja Šebek, head of the University Department for Digital Marketing at Algebra Bernays University, spoke about the role of marketing between good and evil, a formulation that well describes the dilemma faced today by almost every brand. On the one hand, entrepreneurs must be visible, convincing, and fast. On the other hand, the market is increasingly clearly punishing communication that is insincere, exaggerated, or misaligned with what is actually delivered to the customer.
For small entrepreneurs, this issue carries additional weight because, as a rule, they do not have room for major reputational mistakes. One poorly targeted campaign, an inauthentic message, or a promise that cannot be fulfilled may have greater consequences than in large systems. That is why a discussion about marketing at such an event is important not only because of promotion, but also because of understanding the boundary between attractive communication and the creation of unrealistic expectations. In the era of artificial intelligence, when content can be generated faster than ever, the value of authenticity grows even more. That is precisely why the ability of small brands to remain recognizable, locally grounded, and credible is becoming increasingly prominent.
A continuous process, not a one-off event
The organizers emphasize that they do not see Uplift as a one-off experience, but as a process that continues even after the end of formal education. Igor Kundić, head of the Uplift Academy at Algebra Bernays University, pointed out that additional value is given to the program by the increasingly active involvement of alumni, not only as guest lecturers but also as mentors and partners to new generations. Such dynamics show that over time the project is building its own professional network, and for any educational and development program this is one of the most important indicators of real impact. When former participants return to pass on their experiences to new ones, the program moves beyond the framework of classic education and grows into a community.
A similar emphasis is also placed by Mastercard, which through the Uplift project has from the start focused on the development and connection of micro, small, and medium-sized entrepreneurs. In the organizers’ messages, it is clear that this season special emphasis was placed on practical tools, the exchange of experiences, and opening new opportunities for growth. This also corresponds to the broader context of the Croatian economy. According to recent European and domestic analyses, small and medium-sized enterprises remain the foundation of the entrepreneurial structure in Croatia, while at the same time being exposed to strong pressures: rising costs, the need for digital adaptation, labor shortages, and ever greater market expectations. In such circumstances, educational programs that combine knowledge, mentoring, and community carry greater weight than may appear at first glance.
That is why the Uplift meetup in Šibenik can also be read as a symptom of a broader change in entrepreneurial culture. There is less and less room for the idea that an entrepreneur must find answers to every question alone, and more and more understanding that sustainable growth is built through sharing knowledge, creating a network, and accepting the fact that both success and mistakes are easier to bear when a community exists. In that sense, the gathering in Šibenik was not just another business event on the calendar, but confirmation that small businesses in Croatia are increasingly clearly seeking development models that combine technology, trust, open conversation about problems, and mutual support. It is precisely there, between artificial intelligence as a new tool and an honest discussion about mistakes as an old but often suppressed topic, that a more realistic and resilient picture of domestic entrepreneurship is taking shape.
Sources:- Mastercard Croatia – official announcement about the Uplift meetup in Šibenik, the program, participants, and lecture topics (link)- Uplift – official project website with an overview of the Uplift Academy and news about the fifth generation of participants (link)- Uplift – announcement about the 32 scholarship recipients of the fifth season and the start of the program on November 6, 2025 (link)- N1 – overview of the opening of the fifth season of the Uplift Academy, the duration of the program, and data on 136 participants in the first four seasons (link)- Šibenik Fortresses – official description of the Educational Campus of St. John’s Fortress and its purpose for education, conferences, and business events (link)- European Commission – SME Country Fact Sheet for Croatia with a recent overview of trends in small and medium-sized enterprises (link)- CEPOR – announcement and publication of the Report on Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises in Croatia 2024 (link)
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