The first Internet Week Ljubljana, a festival organised by the Slovenian internet community, will get underway on Monday with the aim of promoting information technology and the start-up culture in Slovenia.
Bringing together a number of what had in the past been independent events dealing with information technology and the digital culture, the event is seeking to promote business opportunities in the area.
"The start-up ecosystem in Slovenia is turning into a small industry, but there is not enough attention paid to this sector," Slovenia's Digital Champion Aleš Špetič said ahead of the event.
According to Špetič, as many as 2,000 individuals in Slovenia may be involved in some kind of startup venture.
He said that while various initiatives exist to promote the start-up culture, individuals are too often left to their own devices in trying to find a formula for success.
Start-ups require advice from people with practical experience, those who have already converted their ideas into successful solutions. This is the purpose of Internet Week, said Špetič.
The initiative for the festival running from Monday until 30 October came from one of Slovenia's most successful start-ups, the company Zemanta, which is run by Boštjan Špetič and Andraž Tori.
The week is designed to build on a number of events dealing with information technology which were held in October in the past years but were not connected.
The idea was turned into a full-fledged festival with the help of the organisers of the various conferences and meetings on the subject in Slovenia.
More than 20 events are scheduled to be held as part of Internet Week, brining together developers, entrepreneurs and everyone interested in innovation, digital technology and entrepreneurship.
The festival will get underway on Monday with a debate on the cost of internet security flaws, which will be organised by the Slovenian Computer Emergency Response Team (SI-CERT) and the company Domovanje.
The eighth national IPv6 meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, while other events will be dedicated to student entrepreneurship and the use of user data for business purposes.
The third annual Electronic Democracy Conference E-dem 13 will examine the fallout of the NSA snooping scandal on Thursday.
Also on Thursday, the Internet Rockstars event will see a group of Swiss entrepreneurs, investors and start-ups visit Ljubljana to get acquainted with the startup scene in Slovenia.
One of the highlights of the festival will take place on Friday, as more than a dozen successful start-ups in Ljubljana will open their doors to the public.
Source: Slovenia Times
