As the 2016 is only a day before its end, we got into a retrospective mood. What an end of a year it would be if we haven’t summed the best pieces published on our site, right?
Sit down, take your coffee and have a look at the best interviews and guestblogs of the 2016.
And Happy New Year to all of you!
Dirk Ahlborn (CEO @ HTT): Slovakia is a very innovative and visionary country
Dirk Ahlborn, the CEO of Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HTT), visited Slovakia for two days earlier this week. Not only he met and inspired a lot of local people, but his visit was also a great success for the whole country. As we have been informed, during Dirk’s visit, the Letter of Intent has been signed between HTT and Ministry of Economy of the Slovak Republic – making this a historic moment for both sides, as this was the first Letter of Intent ever signed between HTT and a particular country. Read the full interview here.
Julius Bencko: Always set your mind to “I’m gonna make it!”
Primarily you are a designer. Do you recall your first memories regarding design thinking or any type of graphics that got your attention?
This is not an easy one to answer since everything around us can be used for your inspiration. All you need to do is look at it from that perspective. I remember seeing commercials on MTV when the cable TV first came in. I think I was in the 8th grade then. I was totally fascinated by the combination of the animation, the video, the audio and the “level of coolness” in those commercials as well as the music videos. Read the full interview here.
Matej Michalko: DECENT is disrupting the publishing industry
He studied computer science in Switzerland but didn’t stay in the country because he lacked entrepreneurial challenges. After some time of organizing Bitcoin conferences and doing business in China he co-founded DECENT, a Blockchain startup aimed at revolutionizing content distribution on the internet. Matej Michalko. Read the full interview here.
Andrej Kiska Jr.: Lack of success stories is our biggest weakness
He tries to support the startup environment in all the ways possible. He gives feedback to every business plan he receives, educates the startup founders through articles and presents our region wherever he goes. One of the most famous and favourite investors in our region shares his views on approaching investors, changing the mindset, building a global startup and improving the whole environment. Andrej Kiska Jr. from Credo Ventures. Read the full interview here.
Michal Vasko (LinkedIn): If You Feel Stuck In One Place, Quit Right Away
New Brand Vision, VisualDNA, ShipServ, Badoo, Voxer, LinkedIn. Spisska Nova Ves, Zilina, London, Palo Alto, Silicon Valley. The list is long, the experience invaluable. What is behind all those names and places, how did he get to work for LinkedIn, what struggle did he have to overcome, and how did he learn to sell himself? Let’s uncover the story of Michal Vasko, the Senior User Experience Designer at LinkedIn. Read the full interview here.
Marek Sandor (Startitup/Droppie): Be Persistent, Flexible and Always Look Around You
You can mostly know him as the co-founder of the biggest Slovak startup portal, Startitup, currently holding the position of the Strategist and Partner in the Startitup Group. Besides that, he also co-founded geo-location ice-breaker app, Droppie, and attacked the U.S. market. Today, Droppie is shut, Startitup Group is on the rise, and he shares the experience from both projects. Marek Sandor. Read the full interview here.
The thumb culture of video game pioneers
This story is about those who ventured forth and never stopped believing.As I walk trough an underpass a familiar symbol catches my attention on an ad nearly ten meters wide. A neon coloured backlit photo is promoting main features of a new phone. As a man who travelled the world, conquered kingdoms killing many and saving princesses, the little symbol represents countless adventures. A reminder of those achievements but also a testament how powerful a silhouette of a standard gamepad we know from the introduction of PlayStation in 1995 could be. Read the full guestblog here.
VR Headsets Overview
VR will grow rapidly in 2016, because the technology is in a state where it reaches consumer price. There is one problem with the growth of VR which is that you can’t explain to someone how cool VR is. They need to try it. But obviously key players realize this and they are selling headsets at a manufacturing price and even giving them away for free (GearVR). Read the full guestblog here.
Blockchain: Blueprint for a New Economy
Shares are an integral part of every corporation. Company stock denotes a share in the ownership of a company. It represents owner’s right enterprise’s assets and net income. Owning shares can get one to shareholders meetings, make someone able to directly or indirectly participate in management decisions of a company or it can even pay dividends. Blockchain Technologies are taking the era of regular stock to the next level. Read the full guestblog here.
How to do business on MWC
Mobile World Congress is the biggest mobile industry event by any standard. When your business gets at least a little close to anything mobile, you should be there as well. Not just to roam the endless stands, but to do business. Here are my tips how to get the most out of it. Read the full guestblog here.
Hack Cambridge 2016
After couple of Startup Weekends and other similar events in Slovakia, three weeks ago I’ve got an opportunity to come to Cambridge and take part in the Hack Cambridge 2016, first edition of the hackathon-like event in the city where one of the most famous universities in the world is based. Read the full guestblog here.
10 Most Dangerous Mistakes in Startup Marketing
Several months ago, Donatas Jonikas from Lithuania (more about him at the end of the article) approached us with a request to support his startup survey. His aim was to attract at least 1,000 startups. He managed, and in the near future, he is going to publish a book based on the survey called Startup Evolution Curve. For now, he has decided to write an exclusive guestblog for Slovak STARTUP based on his survey. Hope you will enjoy it and find some useful advice for you own project. Read the full guestblog here.
Thank you for your support and see you in 2017!
Cover photo: Toa Heftiba – unsplash.com
