1Slovenian Business Development Delegation

BELIEVE IN SLOVENIA A GREEN REFERENCE COUNTRY IN DIGITAL EUROPE

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Slovenian Business Development Delegation to Silicon Valley,

San FranciscoSeptember 20–24, 2016

We are proud that a part of the Slovenian Business Development

Delegation will be led by the Deputy Prime Ministerof the Republic of Slovenia,

Boris Koprivnikar, who actively leads the initiative

“Slovenia – a green Reference country in digital Europe” on

the Government’s side.

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Slovenia has 46 km of coastline which is considered to be pure heaven. The Sečovlje Saltworks is the largest Slovenian salt evaporation pond. Along with the Strunjan Saltworks, they are the northernmost Mediterranean saltworks and one of the few where salt is still produced in a traditional way.

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Boris Koprivnikar Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Administration of the Republic of Slovenia

Gradually, consciously, and in an organized way, Slovenia is becoming a “Green reference country in digital Europe” because we are enhancing cooperation between the Government, business sector, science and civil society, with one clear goal: to improve business opportunities and increase the living standard of Slovenian citi-zens through the help and opportuni-ties brought by digital transformation.

Digital transformation represents an opportunity for our country to use its resources in sustainable way and speed up its development. With digital technologies, a circular economy, in-clusive growth, increased productivity, and new green business opportunities are within our reach.

We strongly believe that digital trans-formation does not indicate computer-ization of existing business processes, but rather brings radical changes to our business models, financial flows, supply and demand. It will completely and irrevocably transform our way of life. That is why the Slovenian Gov-

ernment strongly supports Slovenian business initiatives which recognize those opportunities and greatly endors-es companies that are changing their business models and collaborating with each other in the domestic, as well as international business envi-ronments. Of course this endorsement should not involve merely an under-standing of business development: the Government is dedicated to adopt the public infrastructure, legislative environment, as well as the content and manner of public administration operation in general.

As much as we are looking for partner-ships between government, business and science, we are also searching for new partnerships with the drivers of technological development, as we strongly believe that the implementa-tion of modern digital solutions is not possible without prior development co-operation, which should be cooperative and understand the interests and role of both business and government.

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In Slovenia there is a vineyard or winery for every 70 people. Maribor, Slovenia’s second-largest city, is home to the oldest vine in the world.

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REPUBLIC OF SLOVENIAEMBASSY IN WASHINGTON

H.E. PhD Božo CerarAmbassador of the Republic of Slovenia to the United States of America

It is both an honor and a pleasure to welcome the business delega-tion accompanying the Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia, Boris Koprivnikar, to the United States of America. This visit is a significant step in our bilateral relations and an important follow-up to Prime Minister Miro Cerar’s visit to the Bay Area last December.

The Slovenian economy has weathered the global economic crisis and turned the corner toward solid economic growth. Our business ties with the U.S. have been brought to new levels, and the prospects of Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, is also raising expectations. A plethora of opportunities in services, information and communication sectors focused on green technologies, and digital development can only advance and strengthen our cooperation.

The roster of companies represented in the delegation is impressive, and it is my firm belief that they will be able to draw valuable lessons from the visit,

establish new contacts and forge valu-able partnerships or nurture existing ties. At the same time I am certain that by learning best practices, we can only improve investment opportunities and the overall business environment in Slovenia in order to facilitate business activities for Slovenian, international, and U.S. companies.

Slovenia’s world-famous Lipica stud farm, celebrated for its aristocratic Lipizzaners, has been operating uninterruptedly since its foundation in 1580. The adult Lipizzaner is notable for its white color and its remarkable learning ability.

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Slovenia is the third most forested country in European Union. More than 66% of its territory is covered by forest.

Ajša Vodnik, MSc Executive Director, AmCham Slovenia

AmCham BElieves in sLOVEnia

A group of AmCham Young Professionals called “Snowball” describes Slovenia as a country of opportunity and optimism. We believe that the 4th industrial revolution brings a message of hope, optimism, and potential to Slovenia and Europe as new digital technologies bring new ideas, eco-nomic growth, the creation of new jobs, and social progress, and therefore raise the quality of lives.

To promote the idea that Slovenia has a unique ability to connect and become a reference country, as it is extremely well-positioned, and to drive the fusion of innovative use of digital technologies and services, the Slovenian Government has embraced the initiative of Slovenia - a green reference country in digital Europe.

We at AmCham Slovenia believe that pos-itive changes can only happen through cooperation and open dialogue between government, business, science, and society. Digital transformation changes the entire systems of production, man-agement, and governance. Only partner-ship between government and business can develop an environment conducive

to an open digital society that will enable the development and growth of digital solutions of the future, and transfer power to its citizens and end users. But while technology can be the engine, the heart of progress is people.

Slovenia’s focus on security, reliability, and openness, its favorable geographic position and ability to connect East and West, its highly developed infrastruc-ture and educational system, high tech institutes and creative people, as well as its attractive business environment make the country a unique place for scientists, developers, and foreign corporations to work and operate throughout the Europe-an and global markets.

Thank you all for hosting us. We trust you will recognize Slovenia as a partner with whom you can create a playground for the better life and solutions of the future. The main rule: collaboration. And do not forget, Slovenia is the only country in the world that has LOVE in its name.

We just sLOVEnia IT!

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Slovenia has very diverse underground features, with more than 9,000 karstic caves. Postojna Cave is home to Proteus anguinus, an olm known locally as the human fish, an endemic spe-cies of the Dinaric Karst.

Esteemed partners, investors and stakeholders,

We all know that digital transforma-tion is already changing many sectors of the economy – it sets rules for achieving excellence of products and services, increases efficiency and im-proves working conditions for employ-ees. The growth of the digital economy is seven times faster than the growth of the real economy.

Considering Slovenia’s favorable size and geostrategic position in Central Europe, its highly developed digital and physical infrastructure openness, and creative human resources, and consid-ering the European Digital Agenda and the digital European single market, Slo-venia has great potential to become a reference country and an active player for transformations in Europe driven by digital technology.

Much of Slovenia’s economic develop-ment has been achieved by connecting software, technology, and knowledge – innovation and invention. Slovenia has a number of companies in different

sectors that are notable for their inno-vativeness, creativity, high value added, and competitive products, and as such represent attractive business partners.

We see more and more Slovenian companies recognizing digital trans-formation as a necessary fact that not only opens up new business opportuni-ties and creates new business mod-els, but also requires a broader social transformation.

The business delegation to Silicon Val-ley, a cradle of digital technologies, is a great opportunity to promote Slovenia again as “a green reference country in digital Europe”. Concrete projects based on last year’s similar visit to the U.S. are already being developed, and I strongly believe they will be upgraded with new projects and new possibilities for further cooperation after this visit.

REPUBLIC OF SLOVENIAMINISTRY OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTAND TECHNOLOGY

Gorazd Mihelič, MSc Director of SPIRIT Slovenia

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Slovenia’s capital city Ljubljana is the heart of the country. Ljubljana, the European Green Capital 2016, is an important European commercial, business, exhibition and congressional centre as well as the transport, science and education centre of Slovenia. It is a unique city, huge in terms of hospitality and quality of life, which will suprise you in every way and exceed all your expec-tations.

Governmental Delegation

Boris Koprivnikar, Deputy Prime Minister and Ministerof Public Administration of the Republic of Slovenia

Klemen Babnik, Foreign Trade and Cooperation Advisor to the Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia

Nina LangerholcČebokli, Head of Minister’s Office

Klaudija Koražija, International Cooperation Adviserat the Minister’s Office

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Slovenian Business Development Delegation

to Silicon Valley, September 20–24, 2016

OrganizerAmCham Slovenia

SPIRIT Slovenija, Public Agency of the Republic of Slovenia

Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia in Washington

Support

Daša Rakovec, Secretary, Internationalisationand Foreign Direct Investment Division

H.E. PhD Božo Cerar, Ambassador of the Republic of Slovenia to the United States

Metka Urbas, Economic Counselor

Nuška Zakrajšek, Cultural, Press, Educational and Public Diplomacy Officer

Ajša Vodnik, MSc Executive Director, AmCham Slovenia

Vida Dolenc Pogačnik, Deputy Director and International Cooperation Leader, AmCham Slovenia

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Avant car

URŠKA JEŽ, Co-founder and Managing Director of ABC Slovenia

ABC Accelerator

Sector: Startup accelerator

www.abc-accelerator.com

MATEJ ČER, MSc Founder

Avant car d.o.o.

Sector: Mobility and transportation

www.avantcar.si

ABC Accelerator ‘’I believe in Slovenia, but let me tell you something: It’s not just about believing. It’s about doing. It’s about build-ing bridges, proving that this is a country of possibilities - not just natural beauty and good food! Yes, we are small, but this is our advantage, the market is diverse and people are really starting to be willing to help. Now, innovative companies spring up daily. And that means something. It means we are starting to accomplish something. A shift.’’

ABC is the acceleration engine that pushes new busi-nesses and startups to greater heights, connecting them with industry-specific partners, investors, and mentors. ABC enables startups from Southeast Europe to make their good ideas a reality. In this 3+3 month program, ABC Accelerator gives them the confidence to make the big step from passive employment to active entrepreneurship. We are helping them to validate and develop their product, build up a strong business model, raise funds and get the first line of customers. ABC Accelerator’s location is its greatest advantage. Slovenia is perfect minimum reference market to be accelerated. Positioned at the center of the rapidly developing Slovenian startup ecosystem, it represents an important part of Southeast Europe and International investors know that this region has serious potential.

With the opening of new offices (ABC Venture Gates in Munich opened its doors in June 2016, ABC Global Home will be opened on September 24th, ABC India will open in 2017), Acceleration Business City covers all phases of a startup’s life, making a global bridge and bringing the startup world to Slovenia and Slovenia to the startup world.

‘’I believe in Slovenia because its size and geography enable us to adapt promptly to the new paradigms and because the Slovenian nation is eager for knowledge, is hard-working, and strives for solutions toward a better life.’’

Avant Car is a leading Slovenian developer and provider of mobility services (fleet management, car sharing, shuttles) and the first in the region to commit to com-prehensive development of electric mobility. They own and manage one of the biggest electric fleets in the world, with more than 100 electric vehicles, which have already covered almost 2 million zero emission kilome-ters (1.24 million miles). The company is also involved in building charging infrastructure, solar power plants, energy storage solutions and supporting backend and mobile technology. Their latest addition to the mobility world is Avant2Go, an innovative car sharing model for companies and individuals that uses 100% electric vehicles running on renewable resources. Interaction between the user, vehicle, and infrastructure is man-aged by an advanced technology designed to enable a simple, transparent, and efficient user experience. Through their developmental efforts, Avant Car show their passion for implementing connected mobility by realizing two of the biggest mobility trends: (1) shifting from costly vehicle ownership toward mobility as a ser-vice; and (2) supporting local self-sufficiency by using sustainable energy resources instead of being globally dependent on fossil fuels.

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Droga Kolinska d.d.

DAMJAN KRALJ, MSc Member of the Management Board and Director of Sales and Marketing

BTC d.d.

Sector: Commercial property, Property management, Logistics, Leisure and Sport

www.btc.si

ENZO SMREKAR, Member of the Board, General Manager

Droga Kolinska d.d.

Sector: Food industry

www.atlantic.hr

BTC ‘’The Internet of Things, digital disruption, startups, smart cities, autonomous vehicles, 3-D printing, big data, uberization – a fusion of technologies and highly innovative people blurring the lines between the physical and the digital. The crucial component that is missing here is a real environment, not an artificial lab, to test the robustness of all these nascent solutions. With its geographical position in the heart of Europe, its highly skilled and educated labor force, the advanced level of its digital infrastructure, as well as the optimal size of its population for testing purposes, Slovenia can truly be-come an important global player in defining how future generations will live, work, and relate to one another.’’

Trusted by leading multinational and regional compa-nies, the BTC Company is one of the leading commer-cial property development companies in the region. Under the brand name BTC City, it operates one of the largest business, shopping, entertainment, recreational, and cultural centers in Europe, located in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. Additionally, it also operates two shopping centers in Novo mesto and Murska Sobota, and provides first-class property management services for the largest Slovenian clients in the commercial real estate service sector. The BTC Company also runs a logistics service unit, which holds the leading market position in food logistics in Slovenia. The company’s strong commitment to environmental care has re-sulted in a formally dedicated business unit, Mission: Green, which develops numerous activities powered by smart technology to reduce the negative impact on the environment. The BTC Company will continue to build a better tomorrow by delivering sustainable, innovative, and digitalized solutions for its stakeholders. One of the key platforms in such deliverables will continue to be a globally positioned startup business infrastructure, comprising the ABC Accelerator and Hub, located in BTC City Ljubljana, ABC Venture Gates in Munich, and ABC Silicon Valley.

‘’Slovenia is a young country with all the attributes of youth. It is fresh, driven, curious, and bold, and at the same time is underpinned by the strong and ancient tradition of its people. It lies at a strategic crossroads between north and south and east and west, in both the geopolitical and cultural senses. I believe that this is one of its greatest comparative advantages.’’

Droga Kolinska is a company that manufactures and markets consumer goods, including coffee (Barcaffè), deli spreads (Argeta), water and non-alcoholic bever-ages (Donat Mg, Cockta), and baby food (Bebi). Since 2010 it has operated as part of the Croatian compa-ny Atlantic Grupa. Operations involve state of the art systems, and a digital platform is incorporated into all business processes both as a medium and as a way of thinking. This is reflected in the optimization of deliveries, top quality assurance and lean production, immediate adaptation to customers, and in-depth moni-toring of the needs and expectations of consumers and shoppers. We should also mention the enterprise data warehouse, the internal marketing community portal, and the online listening tool, which we use to monitor and observe social networks and the moods of their users. It is therefore no coincidence that our brands are leaders in the region of Southeast Europe. Our Ar-geta pâtés, which hold market shares of 33.9 percent and 27 percent respectively in Austria and Switzerland, and our Donat Mg natural mineral water, which we are already selling in 27 markets around the world, are the brands offering the greatest potential for international-isation.

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Gorenje d.d.

BORIS HORVAT, PhD

CRO@GoOpti & CEO@Abelium

GoOpti & Abelium R&D

Sector: Intelligent transportation, Digital platforms, Software development, Research, Mathematical optimization, Wood industry

www.goopti.com www.abelium.com

Žiga Debeljak, SVP International Business Development, Chief Digital Officer

Gorenje Group

Sector: Household appliances

www.gorenjegroup.com

GoOpti & Abelium ‘’Slovenia’s geo-strategic position, green and clean en-vironment, natural resources, infrastructure and logistic connectedness within the unified EU are excellent for the new economy enabled by the digital transformation.’’

GoOpti owns and operates a profitable European intel-ligent demand-responsive marketplace that connects professional transportation companies with passengers in need of guaranteed and reliable road transfers. It specializes in flexible, affordable, door-to-door long-dis-tance transport between cities and airports available also in areas with poorly developed public transporta-tion.

Abelium is a high-tech SME that enables the digital transformation of companies based on the intelligent networking of their products, business interactions, and consumers. It focuses on disruptive platform design in information-intensive and highly fragmented industries, such as traditional resource-intensive industries like forestry, agriculture, and logistics.

GoOpti and Abelium have developed an award-winning cloud-backed digital marketplace providing tools for transfer planning, passenger notification, driver dis-tribution, dynamic pricing, route optimization, vehicle occupancy optimization, and proprietary algorithms to optimize vehicle occupancy by joining passengers with a similar time window in the same vehicle. Additionally, Abelium is developing tailored cloud-based tools for intelligent platform design.

‘’The rapid development of digital technologies has a profound impact on both the social and business environment, and it is creating numerous development opportunities for all participants in our increasingly con-nected society. Taking into account its well-developed digital infrastructure, technological competences, and good education system, combined with its stable envi-ronment, entrepreneurial culture, and unique geostrate-gic position, Slovenia can become an important player in the digital world of the future.’’

We are one of the leading European home appliance manufacturers, with a history spanning more than 60 years. Technologically perfected, superlatively de-signed, and energy-efficient home appliances under the global brands Gorenje and Asko and various regional brands elevate the quality of life of users in 90 coun-tries worldwide.

Our focus is on the core activity of home products and services, which involves offering large and small domestic appliances, heating, ventilation and air-condi-tioning (HVAC) equipment, kitchen furniture, and design services.

We have been expanding our international sales net-work for half a century and we generate 95 percent of our core activity revenue outside Slovenia. In 2015, our total revenue amounted to EUR 1.2 billion, and there were more than 10,500 employees in the group.

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Hidria

Marko Valjavec CEO

Halcom d.d.

Sector: Banking industry; Solution provider for digital banking

www.halcom.com

Iztok Seljak, PhD

President of the Management Board

Hidria d.o.o.

Sector: Holding activities

www.hidria.com

Halcom d.d. ‘’In the world of fast flowing information and fresh ideas we are all becoming more and more alike. Therefore, it is refreshing if you can surprise with something rare and unusual. And Slovenia offers just that – silky green hills, sparkling clean creeks and people with fresh ideas. They offer a foundation for a business environment that adds authenticity to what is already seen and experienced.’’

For a quarter of a century, Halcom has been connect-ing consumers and corporations by pioneering mod-ern digital banking and payment clearing systems in Southeast Europe. Halcom’s customers are commercial banks, including the major European banking groups, central banks and national payment processors. Across 8 countries, we are delivering digital banking as a service to over 70 banks via our 3 SaaS centers. These solutions are being used by over 150,000 corpo-rations. Our clearing systems have been deployed in 4 countries and are facilitating payment processing and electronic invoice exchange. Combining our extensive payment systems expertise with user experience focus and agile development, Halcom is able to continuously introduce innovative SaaS solutions to the market, the most recent ones being mobile payment, anti-fraud, electronic invoicing and instant payments.

‘’Slovenia has a rich tradition of extraordinary achieve-ments, a great geostrategic position within Central Europe, exceptional nature and natural resources and in particular very capable, hard-working, creative and innovative people. It is an ideal case for sustainable future green mobility.’’

Hidria, the most innovative company in Europe in 2013 according to the EBA, is one of the leading global corporations for automotive and industrial technolo-gies. We are developing and producing high-tech green mobility solutions for OEMs, assuring radical improve-ments in internal combustion, hybrid and electrical powertrains, and accurate and reliable steering.

The world’s first diesel hybrid e-powertrain for the Peu-geot 3008, the e-hybrid powertrain of the Porsche 918 Spyder, e-powertrain of the Mercedes E–SLS and high-tech Hidria Optymus PSG diesel cold start system, this year awarded as the best green innovation in Europe by CLEPA, all count toward Hidria’s achievements.

With Intensive investments in R&D and a constant flow of innovation, Hidria will contribute decisively to green sustainable mobility of the future.

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Marko Grobelnik Deputy Head of Artificial Intelligence Lab

Jozef Stefan Institute

Sector: Research

www.ijs.si

Mitja Jermol, MSc Head of the Center for Knowledge Transfer

Jozef Stefan Institute

Sector: Research

www.ijs.si

Jozef Stefan Institute Jozef Stefan Institute ‘’Slovenia has witnessed ground-breaking developments in open education and artificial intelligence. Only a referential holistic approach can lead to changes, and Slovenia is the only country to have offered such an ap-proach to the global world by adopting digital and open education as a national strategy.’’

Jožef Stefan Institute (JSI) is the leading research insti-tution for natural and technical sciences in Slovenia, with over 900 researchers in 25 departments working in the areas of computer science, physics, chemistry and biology. Specifically the Artificial Intelligence Labo-ratory, with 40 researchers, is one of the largest Euro-pean research groups working in the areas of machine learning, data mining, language technologies, semantic technologies and sensor networks. The key direction is combining modern statistical data analytic techniques with reasoning techniques and more, applying them in industry settings. JSI is involved in many RTD projects and initiatives that introduce AI approaches and tech-nologies to the field of big data analytics. The research topics include Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Data-Mining, Text-Mining, Web-Mining, Multimedia Min-ing, Semantic Technologies, Social Network Analysis, Language Technologies, Natural Language Processing, Multi-lingual, Cross-lingual Technologies, Scalable, Real-time Data Analysis, Data Visualization, Knowledge Reasoning, and recently Sensor Networks. Its team consists of individuals with high competences in both research and technical development, from data driven analytics to knowledge based systems. The department collaborates strongly with its spin-out companies that are providing real-life big data analytics solutions to companies like Bloomberg, New York Times, British Telecom, Google and many others.

“Recent developments in Artificial Intelligence are only a precursor for the developments we may expect in the next decade. What we are aiming for is to understand the intelligence and the world around us and make it better.”

JSI has approximately ten researchers and technical staff working in the areas of research results dissemi-nation and eLearning and covers management, training and the dissemination activities of various EU projects.

In addition, through its Center for Knowledge Transfer in Information Technologies, JSI is also well-known through its portal http://videolectures.net/ with multi-media materials of numerous scientific events, on-line training materials, and a collection of tutorials on differ-ent scientific fields. The Center for Knowledge Transfer in Information Technologies acts as the UNESCO Chair for Open Technologies for Open Educational Resourc-es and Open Learning. With a group of stakeholders it has launched the OpeningupSlovenia initiative in open education, which successfully positioned Slovenia as a referential nation case-study leading country in de-veloping, deploying, testing, evaluating, and sharing of best practices in open education to the world.

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Rok Vodnik, MSc Member of the Management Board

PETROL, Slovenian energy company, d.d., Ljubljana

Sector: Oil & Energy

www.petrol.eu

Petrol d.d. ‘’Slovenia is a country focused on boosting technological development, growth of various activities, and digitalisa-tion while simultaneously emphasising the importance of social, economic, and environmental responsibilities, along with the importance of its people. The active people of Slovenia are the driving force of progress for which they eagerly strive. They possess both know-how and the will to change things for the better. As the biggest Slovenian energy company, the biggest importer and the biggest enterprise in Slovenia, PETROL both appreciates the gift of our creative society and helps create it. I believe in Slovenia because this country simply has - as our company slogan goes - the “energy for life”.’’

The Petrol Group is Slovenia’s largest energy company, the biggest importer, number one in terms of revenue, and ranked as one of the top trading companies in the country. Petrol’s goal is to become a comprehensive regional provider of energy and environmentally friendly services. Our work energy grows just as our business energy does. Trading in petroleum and gas products is our main line of business. It provides us with stable rev-enue and reliable cash flows, making it possible for us to continue our growth and development. Petrol’s main development areas include the marketing of gas, heating and electricity, managing larger environmental projects and the marketing of renewable energy in the long-term.

The Petrol Group ensures that its customers receive reli-able, economical and environmentally friendly service by offering them a full range of energy and environmental products and services. Our diversified network of service stations offers drivers everything they need for a safe and comfortable journey. Businesses and local commu-nities are offered a comprehensive energy supply, while households are provided with all the energy they need for their home – at their home. In one sentence. Energy is what binds us together.

Petrol – Energy for life.

Linea Directa

Lovro Peterlin CEO

Linea directa d.o.o

Sector: Sales & Direct Marketing

www.linea-directa.eu

‘’As a teenage country Slovenia still has time and wide open opportunities to dream big, the naivety and ability to dare it, and above all, it still has strong enthusiasm and the stamina to do it. That is why I believe in Slove-nia.’’

Linea directa is a leading Slovenian direct marketing agency specialized in ensuring ideal shopping experi-ences through call center services and effective sales programs, with the vision of becoming the leading regional consulting company specialized in commu-nications excellence and measurable effectiveness in sales. The company has successfully supported over 50 customer oriented partners throughout the entire sales process and value chain in 12 countries. Our partners are market leading companies in their fields that trust us with the important task of managing cus-tomer relations, setting up sales channels and training sales personnel. The company has a young team with proven success in handling a fast-growing business and business risks. They were rewarded with a presti-gious Best Young Manager Award in 2013. Additionaly the Linea directa company is constantly ranked among the best employers in the country.

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Jure Podkrižnik, MSc Executive Director

Podkrižnik d.o.o.

Sector: Development and manufacturing industry

www.podkriznik.si

Podkrižnik d.o.o.‘’Slovenia is a country with strong potential in various sectors. It is in a strategic central European location, is part of the EU, is stable and is naturally very beautiful. It is also well developed, has a long tradition in advanced technologies and its people are very open-minded.’’

Podkrižnik d.o.o. is a family owned company that was established in 1987. We are a system supplier for the world’s largest corporations in a range of industries. We provide integrated solutions in the field of devel-opment, prototyping, testing and production of drive systems, gearboxes, mechanisms and mechanical drive components. In recent years, the company has also been concentrating on development of its own products – intelligent gearboxes and drive systems for robotics and other high-precision applications. As we want to be a vital part of the next industrial revolution (industry 4.0), we strive to develop the most advanced, high performing drive systems that will be applicable for example in the smart factories of the future.

Plastika Skaza

Tanja Skaza Director

Plastika Skaza d. o. o.

Sector: Manufacture of plastics products

www.skaza.si

‘’Slovenia is the heart of Europe! Our strategic geograph-ic location allows us to carry out transport logistics, of-ten a key priority of successful business, in an extreme-ly efficient manner. And yes, I do passionately believe in our people - we are fast learners and able to enrich the received knowledge.’’

Skaza is an innovative and fast-to-market oriented European company that operaates successfully in the plastics industry. It belongs to the group of the 100 most inspiring companies in Europe. They work with leading European and global manufacturers in the home appliance, automotive, electro and furniture sectors in such a customer-oriented way, that in all 40 years of their existence they haven’t lost a single customer; they are still working with the first of them, and all the subsequent ones, too. They have profound knowledge and experience that enables them to set trends in the R&D of material improvement, ecological plastics and process efficiency. And they believe in their work that much that they are launching products signed by their own brands to end customers as well. So, what Skaza does is plastics that are smart – with state-of-the-art knowledge, with the customer in mind and with passion.

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Pošta Slovenije

Iztok Renčelj Direktor for IT Services, Sales and Development

Pošta Slovenije d.o.o.

Sector: Postal Services

www.posta.si

‘’Because I believe in 2 million open-minded people with a picturesque culture and history, where everyone can find a little of everything integrated into the best quality of life. In addition, with this background we have endless opportunities as a digital country, where innovative postal services can interact on the “ground” and in the “cloud”.’’

Pošta Slovenije is a successful company, fully owned by the Republic of Slovenia, with nearly 6,000 em-ployees. As such, it is an important pillar of Slovenian society. Its core activity is the provision of universal postal services.

The company offers its customers comprehensive logistics solutions such as receiving services at home and abroad, warehousing, order picking, distribution throughout the region, and packaging recovery.

The company has offered information services in Slo-venia for more than a decade. It currently boasts the largest data center in the country, where it hosts the state administration of the Republic of Slovenia and numerous companies from Slovenia and the Adriatic region.

It is one of the most advanced providers of cloud computing services. In 2015, the company received the prestigious Postal Technology International award in the digital innovation category at the international POST-EX-PO postal technology exhibition.

Pošta Slovenije is no longer just a provider of tradi-tional postal services, but is becoming an increasingly development-oriented postal and logistics operator and provider of electronic services.

Hubert Golle Product manager

Robotina d.o.o.

Sector: Design of electronic devices and software for process control; Other engineering activities and technical consultancy

www.robotina.com

Robotina‘’I am happy to see Slovenian people – who are tradi-tionally strong in technical sciences, engineering and in crafts - becoming more and more entrepreneurial in recent years. Persistence and ambition to find a way in international markets with our innovative products gives confidence for success.’’

Robotina’s vision is to become one of the leading pro-viders of SMART CONNECTED solutions, components, and platforms, which will contribute to new models of a connected society.

Robotina provides products and technology for inte-gration of the real world with real time information to optimize control and regulations: the Cybrotech control system and SMIP cloud platform. Our products and solutions are implemented in industries, smart cities, smart homes, infrastructure and energy management with energy storage and smart grids (EMS). We provide real time artificial intelligence integrated with business processes.

Our iNOC Network Operational Center for FM and smart city was awarded the 2016 Technology Implementation of the Year in Dubai. In 2016 we completed the delivery of an IoT based water monitoring system covering the entire territory of Slovenia and we designed and com-missioned a smart community project in Germany for Japanese customers implementing our technology.

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© Copyright 2012, Robotina d.o.o. • All rights reserved • Published in EU, 05/2012 • Data subject to change without notice • Release code: PBL-CID-05-2012

3332

Tadej Čoroli Member of the Management Board

Zavarovalnica Triglav, d.d.

Sector: Insurance

www.triglav.eu

Zavarovalnica Triglav‘’Considering Slovenia’s strategic position, the relatively high quality of life, safety, openness, and the creativity of its people, as a country we have every opportunity to make good use of these potentials. I believe that we are on the right path and that together we will find compre-hensive solutions that will drive progress in key devel-opment areas.’’

Zavarovalnica Triglav is the largest Slovenian insurer and the controlling company of the Triglav Group, the leading insurance/financial group in the Adriatic region, operating in six countries and seven markets. Its key business pillars are insurance and asset management. The Group is distinguished by solid financial stability, high capital adequacy, and profitability, as confirmed by the high credit ratings “A” or “A–” assigned by two established credit rating agencies. Digitization is recognized as an element of operational efficiency which at the same time co-shapes the environment in which the company operates. For example, through the development and introduction of advanced technolo-gies and innovative platforms, the company optimizes business processes and promotes their transparency and simplicity. In this context, it is important that in the future the company even more actively promotes the integration and use of digital technologies and services in selected departments.

Telekom Slovenije

Suzana Leben Chief Strategy & Transformation Officer

Telekom Slovenije, d.d.

Sector: Communications service provider

www.telekom.si

‘’Slovenia is a perfect test bed for innovative digital sto-ries that can improve not only the everyday life of Slove-nians but can be offered to all Europeans and beyond – as a reference. Knowledge, experience, being innovative, and increasing agility to make changes are the main characteristics of the working and living environment we are striving to achieve together. As Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer in Slove-nia’s leading telecommunication company I am not only professionally but passionately involved in changing patterns of users experiencing digital solutions that are faster and easier to use.’’

Telekom Slovenije is a comprehensive communica-tions service provider in Slovenia. It is recognized as the country’s leader in introducing and connecting new generations of mobile and fixed communication services, system integration and cloud computing ser-vices, and multimedia content. In addition to being the incumbent operator in Slovenia, Telekom Slovenije also operates one of the most complex backbone networks in the region of SE Europe through the Telekom Sloveni-je Group.

As a provider of comprehensive ICT solutions and services, Telekom Slovenije has been actively co-shap-ing the region’s digital society, which has resulted in significant changes in the way we communicate, new business models, and opportunities for faster growth. This also allows the company to quickly identify ser-vices that bring about the desired results, change its market positioning, and rationalize its operations. As a result, Telekom Slovenije is expanding its core business to the fields of energy, financial services, insurance, M2M services (communication between devices), and the internet of things.

3534

Ervin Pfeifer Director and Owner

Avanton, Poslovno svetovanje, d.o.o.

Sector: Consulting

www.avanton.si

Anton Petrič Cloud Lead EMEAR-Central

CISCO Systems

Sector: ICT

www.cisco.com

Avanton

CISCO

‘’Changing people’s perception for the use of innovative reference digital solutions to cover human needs allied to the essentials of the living and working environment in communities can’t be initiated anywhere better that in Slovenia. The right-sized country with the right attitude of people, companies, and institutions collaborating towards accepting and implementing the right things right first time. For that, Slovenia is in pole position for cross-border spreading of reference digital solutions. Score to win!’’

‘’We are smart, very well educated, and we have young talents who are able to catch technology transitions and bring trends to the real world. We have the chance to set up a business environment to transform Slovenia into a living lab for Europe and into a technology bridge for the Balkan region. I do believe that we have the courage to be the first and win the digitization race in a digital world.’’

ZZI

Igor Zorko Director of ZZI d.o.o., and President of the Management Board, Association of Informatics and Telecomunications, Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia

ZZI d.o.o.

Software development

www.zzi.si

‘’I see the present in the integration of businesses, Gov-ernment and people as well as in their joint creation of user-friendly solutions for a better life. Opennes for co-operation, digital development, innovative individuals and involvement of the international business environment in the center of the EU provide for reliable development and a wide range of opportunities for Slovenia and its digital develoment businesses.’’

ZZI is a well-established software development com-pany specialized in customs administration information systems, foreign trade, business solutions, and paper-less cloud services. The highly efficient, well-educated, experienced but young team is well-recognized in the Central and Eastern Europe region for customs admin-istration development projects, digitalization of busi-ness processes and cloud solutions development. ZZI is very involved in developing standards in national and industry digitalization, which is a major trend in the EU.

Over 10,000 companies in 3 countries use paperless cloud services for digitalization of business cooperation and automation under the ZZI brand bizBox.eu.

• Exchange of crucial business information (EDI exchange and network, standard processes, connectors etc.)

• eArchiving in Cloud for Business (EU certified cloud storage services and solutions),

• Digitalization of products and services,

• Foreign trade solutions and services for the EU and non EU,

• Solutions for eInvoicing, ePurchasing, eProcurement.

ZZI is growing by solving industry specific digitalization challenges and entering new national markets.

3736

Guru Prasanna Nagarajan Director

eSolve Technologies, business consulting, Ltd.

Sector: Business software & services/Technology

www.esolve.in

Nevenka Črešnar Pergar Director

NP Consulting d.o.o.

Sector: Business and legal consulting

www.npc.si

Žan Dapčevič Head of Business Development

Academia

Sector: Higher education

www.academia.si

eSolve Technologies NP Consulting

MIC Academia

‘’I came for a 3-month project to Slovenia and have stayed now for around 10 years! It is one place apart from Mystic India that stole my heart! Its location truly places it as a revolving door of Europe, offering a stim-ulating and low-risk business environment and repre-senting a bridge between Balkan, Central European and Western European countries.’

‘’If the two million Slovenians were not hard working, inventive, creative, innovative, persistent, open, and entrepreneurial our nation would not exist anymore. Furthermore, if this part of the Earth was not like a small paradise we would have already moved somewhere else. I invite you to follow my belief!’’

‘’Nations are built by their belief; as they believe, so they are. Looking back, we see hope, we see determination, we see humbleness, but more than this, we see people. Staying hungry for the future will only lead Slovenia to the industries of the future and greater prosperity.’’ Laura Smrekar

Partner & Head of Marketing and PR

Competo d.o.o.

Sector: Recruiting/headhunting

www.competo.si

Competo‘’It’s the younger generations that the world stands upon and it is these generations that are now creating new and exciting business opportunities in Slovenia. We have never before had as many ideas and startups; there are fast growing exporters, strong new brands and excellent potential for development. All that gives me hope and faith that Slovenia is heading in the right direction.”

3938

BElieve in sLOVEnia

Željko Radilović CEO (owner and strategic consultant)

Preskok d.o.o. (Ceneje d.o.o and Smind d.o.o.)

Sector: Vehicle re-marketing (Price comparison&shopping platforms, web commerce data mining)

www.preskok.si

Preskok‘’A great location at the crossroads of Europe where east meets west and north meets south, with close ties with four major different language groups/cultures (Slavic, Germanic, Latin and Uralic). Educated, bi or multilingual, technologically skilled people with a good work ethic, historically used to adapting to changes.’’

‘’As an idealist, I believe in the potential Slovenia has, especially when it comes to the people. I trust we can create and nurture a society in which others always come before ourselves. Being aware of our differences and accepting them with a strong sense of ethics and respect. I believe we can achieve all that and I would argue that we should.’’ Jan, 24, student

‘’Today I was in that train from Ljubljana to Bled, looking through the window and realizing how proud I am to live in this amazing, safe, and beautiful country.’’ Marko, 25, geologist

‘’Slovenia is a very beautiful country with lots of smart young people that can contribute to its development through their knowledge. We also have many successful athletes, who make Slovenia even more recognizable in the world.’’ Julijana, 48, administration officer

“I like Slovenia because it’s a safe and beautiful country. I like to hang out with my friends and go on trips with my family. I have a safe and warm home.” Zala, 10, schoolgirl

‘’I believed in Slovenia 25 years ago, and today I see I was right. I still believe in Slovenia and I am sure that in 25 years I will say I was right.’’ Pavla, 64, retiree

‘’I believe in Slovenia as it has great po-tential to develope new technologies and renewable sources of energy — wind, solar, geothermal, hydroelectric, and biomas, which is reliable and beneficial for our health, our economy, and our environment.’’ Matej, 27, electrical engineer

‘’I believe in Slovenia because I believe that small things and nice people can build great success.’’ Roman, 49, engineer

‘’Free and independent people, democratic values, a modern mindset, and beautiful nature – this is why I believe in Slovenia.’’ Polona, 33, political scientist

‘’Just look at my amazing, young, and smart grandchildren. They are proof that it is worth believing in Slovenia.’’ Alojz, 72, retiree

‘’Mom, we live in heaven.’’ Jan, 8, schoolboy

‘’If love is destined to succeed, how could one not believe in Slove-nia?’’ Boštjan, 37, teaching assistant