Business Angel Summit 2026
5th Edition · Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina
The Business Angel Summit in Bosnia and Herzegovina is a one-of-a-kind annual event in the Western Balkans, gathering the region’s and Europe’s leading angel investors, early-stage VCs, entrepreneurs and other key stakeholders in the startup ecosystem.
WHY YOU SHOULDN’T MISS #BAS2026?
No Registration Fee
Attend without any cost – by invitation only.
Networking Opportunities: Connect with dozens of fellow angel investors and industry experts from Western Balkans region, Europe and the world.
Startup Pitches: Discover innovative ideas from emerging startups in the Western Balkans regions before others do.
Collaborative Environment: Engage in discussions and share insights with peers.
Get inspired: Hear fascinating speeches, panel discussions and thought-provoking conversations on the hottest investment and business trends.
Experience Sarajevo: Enjoy the charm of the city that hosted 84’ Olympic games, renowned for its great food, warm hospitality and relaxed atmosphere.
MEET SOME OF BAS26 SPEAKERS
We’re curating an exceptional lineup of internationally recognized investors, founders, and thought leaders.
Sabina
Selvić Oručević
Sabina Selvić Oručević is an entrepreneur, angel investor, and President of the Bosnia and Herzegovina Business Angel Network (BHBAN). Following a successful business exit, she dedicated her career to angel investing, supporting founders of globally scalable digital startups with capital, strategic guidance, and hands-on entrepreneurial experience.
Daniel
Cronin
Daniel Cronin is an internationally recognized keynote speaker, entrepreneur, moderator, and startup expert. He has delivered more than 400 keynotes across 30 countries, judged over 10,000 pitches, and trained startups and corporate leaders across Europe. Known as “The Pitch Professor,” he combines deep startup experience, storytelling, and energy to inspire people to turn ideas into action.
Elizabeth
Yin
Elizabeth Yin is a co-founder and General Partner at Hustle Fund, a pre-seed fund for software entrepreneurs. Previously a partner at 500 Startups, she invested in seed-stage companies and ran the Mountain View accelerator, and earlier co-founded the adtech company LaunchBit (acquired 2014). She holds a BSEE from Stanford and an MBA from MIT Sloan.
Zachariah
George
Zach George is Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Launch Africa Ventures, one of Africa’s most active early-stage VC funds, with 180+ investments across 25+ countries. He has backed companies including Flutterwave, Moove, Andela and KudaBank, and previously worked at U-Start, Lehman Brothers and Barclays Capital. Zach holds a Master’s degree from Stanford University and is a frequent speaker on venture capital, technology and emerging markets.
Elsa
Hyland
Elsa Hyland is an angel investor and former VC with extensive operational experience across startups and scaleups. She invests in and advises early-stage companies, mentors the National Board of Trade of Sweden, and works with Business Sweden on international expansion and inbound investment. Recognized among the Top 100 Angel and Impact Investors in Sweden and the Nordics, she regularly engages with C-level executives, policymakers, investors, and international stakeholders, and has taken part in high-level global forums, sharing stages with heads of state, presidents and prime ministers.
Jörg
Rheinboldt
Jörg Rheinboldt co-founded Alando.de in 1999 and, after its sale to eBay, ran eBay Germany as Managing Director. He is a General Partner at HEARTFELT_, a European first-check fund for pre-seed and seed founders, and Managing Director at APX. Across both he has backed more than 300 companies and was among the first investors in DeepL, N26, and Smava.
Nicolas
Berg
Nicolas Berg is a Swiss VC and serial entrepreneur of 41 years. He has co-founded 16 startups across most tech sectors and two VC funds — Redalpine ($2B AuM) and Mission Possible. He has invested in 50+ tech startups and, as a jury member, coach and lecturer, has influenced more than 11,000 upcoming founders.
Nina
Dremelj
Nina Dremelj is Managing Partner at Vesna Deep Tech Venture Fund, the first Slovenian-Croatian deep-tech venture fund, and President of Business Angels of Slovenia. She also serves as Vice President and Treasurer of EBAN – European Business Angel Network. An experienced angel investor and ecosystem builder, Nina has invested in numerous early-stage companies across Europe and has played a key role in developing Slovenia's angel and venture capital landscape, backing exceptional founders and commercialising breakthrough technologies.
Günce
Önür
Günce Önür is General Partner at Startup Wise Guys, one of Eastern Europe's leading early-stage VC funds, with more than 480 portfolio companies. She has invested in over 160 startups and previously worked with Keiretsu Forum and StartersHub. She also supports entrepreneurs and emerging fund managers through masterclasses, VC Academy programs, and advisory work across emerging markets.
Berthold
Baurek-Karlić
Berthold Baurek-Karlić is the Founder and CEO of Venionaire Capital AG, an investment group specializing in venture capital, M&A, and innovation. Recognized as the Austrian Business Angel of the Year 2023, he is one of Europe's leading startup investors and ecosystem builders.
Alessandro
Dini
Dott. Ing. Alessandro Dini is an entrepreneur, investor, and business leader with over 23 years of international experience in technology and global business development. As Founding Partner at Elevate Momentum Partners, he invests in and advises deep-tech companies, VC funds, and family offices, and is an active mentor and angel investor through SICTIC Angel Club, with a current focus on AI and longevity.
Diane
Bouis
Diane Bouis, PhD, MBA, is a scientist, business leader, and medtech ecosystem builder. Through leadership roles with MedTech World, MedTech Innovator, and the University of Michigan, she has supported biomedical startups, mentored founders, and connected research with investment and commercialization.
Jana
Budkovskaja
Jana Budkovskaja is an Estonian innovation leader, angel investor, and Partner at BSV Ventures, where she supports founders building scalable science-based technology companies. A board member of EstBAN, she has supported investments in more than 100 startup teams across deeptech, cleantech, impact, and technology sectors, and is committed to improving access to capital for women founders.
Tanja
Kuzman
Tanja Kuzman is the CEO of the Digital Serbia Initiative and a leading regional expert in digital transformation, innovation, and startup ecosystems. She previously led PwC's Digital, Startups, and Innovation practice across Southeast Europe and has extensive experience in venture capital, international organizations, mentoring, and academia.
Gerd
Bommer
Gerd Bommer is a business angel, founder-first investor, and strategic advisor with 25+ years of experience across 20+ countries on three continents. He invests at pre-seed and seed with real skin in the game, helping founders shift from being the engine to building one — with 13 active investments, multiple exits, and portfolio companies at 7–8 digit revenue.
Stevica
Kuharski
Stevica Kuharski is a serial entrepreneur, investor, and Partner at Fil Rouge Capital. With a background in software development and several startup ventures, including Locodels, he brings hands-on founder experience to venture investing and has been actively shaping the Croatian startup ecosystem through investment, mentoring, and early-stage founder support.
Branko
Kecman
Branko Kecman has more than 20 years of experience in developing capital markets and promoting a culture of investing in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He is the Director and Co-founder of Advantis Broker, a licensed investment manager, and Co-founder of Vrbas Kapital, an investment company focused on early-stage startups.
Aron
Braun
Aron Braun is an entrepreneur, business angel, and lecturer with more than 25 years of experience across biotech, education, and technology. He co-founded Epigenomics, a German-US biotech company specializing in cancer diagnostics, and has since built and invested in several education ventures in Germany and Switzerland. As a business angel he has supported 21 startups across different sectors and is also active as a startup coach and mentor. He lectures in strategic management and entrepreneurship at the Bern University of Applied Sciences.
Iva
Janković
Iva Janković is a corporate innovation and go-to-market specialist with more than a decade of experience connecting startup and innovation ecosystems across the Western Balkans, Asia, and Berlin. She has led innovation, growth, and market-entry programs for organizations including Deutsche Bahn, B. Braun, Volkswagen, and Publicis Groupe. Today she leads the Berlin Innovation Fellowship and coordinates the AsiaBerlin Summit, connecting startups and support organizations across Berlin, Kyiv, Tirana, Skopje, and Sarajevo.
Monika
Mikac
Monika Mikac is a serial entrepreneur and investor with over a decade of experience in the electric mobility and startup sectors. She is currently CEO of NAD Capital and a Board Member of NASDAQ-listed Turbo Energy. Previously she held leadership roles at QEV Technologies and Rimac Automobili, where she was among the first five employees and helped raise more than €50 million in funding. Monika is also an active angel investor and advisor to several innovative companies.
Nela
Lukić
With more than 15 years of experience, Nela shapes strategic narratives for companies across the GCC and the global startup ecosystem. She is known for clear, disciplined communication that shifts both markets and mindsets. She turns complex ideas into stories people remember and is the co-founder of CLIC, where she helps founders turn brief encounters into meaningful connections.
Shefqet
Avdullau
Shefqet Avdullau is an Angel Investor and Strategic Advisor, a member of the Forbes Finance Council and three Keiretsu Forum chapters in London, Northwest US, and South-East Europe. With a portfolio of 22 investments and 2 exits, he backs startups across FinTech, AdTech, and Healthcare. Drawing on his experience as a software engineer, CTO, and CEO, he supports founders with both capital and strategic guidance for international growth.
Christoph
Berndt
Christoph Berndt, CFA is the Founder and General Partner of FinanceWise Ventures, a pre-seed and seed fund investing in globally scalable technology startups from the Western Balkans. With 20 years of experience in finance, M&A, strategy, and management, he is also an active angel investor and advisory board member of the DSI Business Angel Network. Christoph has served on investment committees of the Innovation Funds of Serbia and Montenegro and mentors startups across the region on investment readiness, financial planning, business models, and fundraising.
Maho
Taso
Maho Taso is an investor and business leader with more than 25 years of experience in banking, finance, real estate, and venture investing. He is Director and Co-owner of PROSTOR Real Estate Services, an MRICS professional, and a Founding Member of BHBAN, with investments in more than 10 early-stage companies.
Eric
Asmar
Eric Asmar is Managing Partner at happy smala, an innovation lab for socio-economic inclusion, and Smala Impact Finance, a blended finance platform supporting growth-stage social enterprises across Africa and the MENA region. He led Morocco's first social entrepreneurship incubator and later launched award-winning fintech and edtech ventures, including the country's first crowdfunding platforms. He also serves on the boards of SINGA Global and SimSim and lectures on entrepreneurship and impact measurement at ESSEC, Centrale Supélec, and ITC-ILO.
Vera
Bersudskaya
Vera Bersudskaya is Head of Program Design and Impact of the Cartier Women's Initiative, an annual international entrepreneurship program that aims to drive change by supporting women impact entrepreneurs. Vera has over 20 years of experience conducting strategy and operations research across the US, Europe, Africa and Asia. She holds an MPA from Princeton University and a BA from UC Berkeley.
Vanja
Širbegović
Full profile coming soon.
Ata
Uzunhasan
Ata Uzunhasan is the Managing Director of Galata Business Angels (GBA) and an active investor supporting early-stage startups and entrepreneurial growth. With extensive experience in strategic planning, business development, and organizational transformation, Ata previously held key roles at PwC and TEB, where he contributed to major transformation initiatives and the TEB–Fortis merger. He holds a double major in Business Administration and Economics from Koç University.
Winner
Starko
This year's BAS26 pitch competition winner. Starko turns customer support into growth — an omnichannel support platform and AI helpdesk that unifies WhatsApp, Instagram, Viber, email and Slack into one inbox, with an AI agent grounded in your knowledge base answering 24/7.
The BAS26 startups
Sixteen startups from the Western Balkans pitched at Business Angel Summit 2026 in Sarajevo on 7–9 October. Browse their one-pagers and see what they presented to our investors.
MEET OUR BAS26 MENTORS
Alper
Yurder
Alper Yurder is a former VC-backed B2B SaaS founder and founder of Forte Growth, where he helps startups build scalable go-to-market systems. With 15+ years in revenue leadership, he has closed over $60M in sales and supported 25+ startups, generating more than $15M in pipeline. He is also an advisor, coach, and lecturer across leading accelerator programs, with a focus on AI-led go-to-market and international growth.
Jamie
Reynolds
Jamie co-founded 3 x startups, raised £9M and taken each of them into the Series A zone. He has made pretty much every single mistake a founder can make, leading to 2 x liquidations. For the past 5 years he's mentored 1,300+ founders at leading accelerator, incubator and venture programs across the UK, EU, US and MENA. He has helped his own portfolio raise more than $30M. Now he is a Venture Partner at Gorilla Capital, a Nordic VC fund focused on investing in capital efficient, profit-first startups - i.e. Camels, not Unicorns.
Keo
Sar
Keo Sar is a Cambodian-American entrepreneur, advisor, and angel investor with 13+ years of experience in technology startups and innovation ecosystems. He is currently Regional Director of Sales for EMEA/APAC at TrueNAS and actively supports emerging ecosystems across Cambodia, the Western Balkans, and beyond.
Maria-Carolina
Romero
Maria-Carolina Romero is a business angel, investor, mentor, and ecosystem builder with experience across Europe, MENA, and emerging markets. Since 2012, she has invested mainly in high-tech and healthcare startups and has led investor readiness and ecosystem programs across the Western Balkans, UAE, Pakistan, and beyond. She brings extensive experience in investment, fundraising, strategic planning, and developing investor communities.
Mikael
Hietala
Mikael is an Impact Associate at Feelsgood Capital Partners, Croatia’s first social impact fund, where he supports portfolio companies in scaling both impact and financial performance. Previously, he was Sustainability Manager at Earthbound Sneakers. He also mentors startups in Zagreb and is passionate about strengthening the Balkan startup ecosystem, with a particular interest in healthcare, agritech, and businesses serving underserved communities.
Miron
Lukač
Miron Lukač is the Executive Director of Foundation 787 and COO at Bloomteq, with more than 10 years of experience in management, strategic planning, and business consulting. Throughout his career, he has mentored numerous startups and young entrepreneurs, supporting them in developing business ideas, shaping strategy, and achieving sustainable growth. He is particularly committed to strengthening the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Bosnia and Herzegovina and empowering the next generation of founders.
CHECK OUT THE PREVIOUS EDITIONS
Take a journey with us through the highlights that made previous editions of Business Angel Summit truly special.
Here’s what our guests have to say about BAS
In addition to the annual Summit, we serve founders and investors with a year-round online and offline community through Bosnia and Herzegovina Business Angel Network.
