Telekom Slovenije connects global startups through an international public call – the 11 selected ones impress at INO.LAB

With the international Startup Challenge public call, Telekom Slovenije wanted to connect startups that would help create new market opportunities and solutions for customers, while also contributing to the company's greater efficiency and digital agility. The objective of the call was to attract at least one or possibly more startups so that they could begin implementing pilot projects, with the aim of later developing them into a commercial collaboration.

An important purpose of the public call was also to strengthen the internal innovative culture and foster a positive attitude towards the dynamic startup environment. At the same time Telekom Slovenije wanted to demonstrate its openness, agility, and innovativeness to the public, and invited select business partners to attended the final event.

»At Telekom Slovenije, we are extremely satisfied with the response from startups, as we received responses from practically the whole world. Startups bring energy, speed, and freshness of thought. Our collaboration strategy is based on accelerating the development and the launch of new services that create added value for both Telekom Slovenije and the market. Our role, however, is to provide them with infrastructure, know-how, and access to real-life challenges. When all this connects, it creates innovation with serious business potential,« emphasised Vesna Prodnik, Member of the Management Board of Telekom Slovenije.

The public call was substantively open – without any limitations by industry or technology. The result was a diverse set of ideas: from artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT) to hydrogen technologies, blockchain, energy, medicine, logistics, and the entertainment industry. The largest number of projects were related to artificial intelligence, which confirms that this is where the biggest technological momentum lies today.

»Collaboration with start-ups allows us to verify new ideas faster and closer to practice. INO.LAB is now becoming a meeting point where we combine research, development, and specific projects that create added value both for businesses and for the broader innovation ecosystem,« added Kristijan Melinc, Head of Development, Research, and Innovation at Telekom Slovenije.

Startups that presented their innovations at INO.LAB:
Mendje – A platform for mental health support that utilises artificial intelligence to recognise risk patterns and promote prevention.
StructQ – A solution that automates audit trails and regulatory compliance, reducing administrative burdens.
Odonata – Advanced robotics and artificial intelligence for industrial automation and smart warehousing.
DeafTawk – A communication application that makes it possible for deaf people to communicate easily in multiple languages in real time.
Legal-Pythia – An AI tool for analysing telecommunications contracts, checking compliance with the EU AI Act, and detecting irregularities.
WorkyBe – A platform for predicting energy consumption and optimising processes, designed for smart factories.
ATOM H2 – A modular hydrogen system for emission-free backup power sources, designed for sustainable industrial environments.
xolvi – An IoT platform for real-time automation and system connection, designed for industrial processes.
Turing Space – A digital identity for making secure cross-border transactions in more than ten sectors.
Avataris – The AI assistant Aimigo, which combines access to the best artificial intelligence tools in one interface.
EINBLIQ.IO – A solution for optimising streaming video with artificial intelligence and real-time automation.
Vsight – Visual remote support that makes it possible for technical teams to perform remote maintenance and service more efficiently.

The event connected experts from Telekom Slovenije, representatives of academic institutions, and business partners, who held numerous individual discussions with the startups. These discussions will lead to further meetings and pilot projects, with the aim of testing the solutions in real-world environments.

The event was also enthusiastically received among the participating startups. Emre Pehlivanli from WorkyBe wrote: »This was one of the few events that truly delivers results. We met with four institutions, started discussions for three pilot projects, and one for sales partnership. The event was exactly what we needed to enter the regional market.«

»The goal of the public call was not merely an exchange of ideas but the creation of real opportunities for collaboration. We are pleased that the first cycle has already concluded with the beginnings of concrete partnerships. Telekom Slovenije has proven that a big company with an open approach can become part of the global innovation community. The connection between startups and corporations in our country (and the region in general) still lags behind market needs, which is why it is all the more valuable when we see that Telekom Slovenije's promises of collaboration are in fact turning into actions,« emphasised Urška Jež, founder and director of Transformation Lighthouse, a company that ushered the effective execution and international reach of the project with its knowledge of the start-up ecosystem.

The event at INO.LAB confirmed that Telekom Slovenije understands innovation as a process of collaborating with the best ideas, regardless of where in the world they originate.