Last week, on April 4th, 2024, the final of the National Youth Entrepreneurial Ideas Competition – POPRI took place in Nova Gorica, where as many as 103 aspiring young entrepreneurs competed in the final. 

Teams were categorised by primary school students, high school students, and young participants up to the age of 29, who obtained cash prizes and the opportunity to participate in international competitions and professional excursions abroad. Distinguished entrepreneurs on the jury decided who best developed their idea into a business model and presented it most confidently. 

    
                                    Matic Bončina, recipient of 3rd place in the final of the POPRI competition 

In the category of young participants up to the age of 29, Matic Bončina, a first-year student in the Computer Science programme (UP FAMNT), together with Matej Aleksov (University of Ljubljana), presented their idea in the final of the competition, where they introduced the online service Repono and secured an excellent 3rd place. A month earlier, they had won an excellent 1st place at the regional competition. 

   
                                                                               Repono Website

The online service is intended for students living in dormitories or private accommodations, allowing for the safe storage and relocation of belongings during vacations or off-season periods. The main purpose and operation of Repono are summarized by Matic Bončin, the service developer: “At Repono, we take care of everything, from providing packing materials to safely storing students’ belongings and arranging pickup and delivery, all facilitated through a user-friendly online platform. This enables students to focus solely on their studies during exam periods without the additional stress of moving.” 

The top three teams in the category up to the age 29, will also be able to benefit from entrepreneurial training abroad within the Erasmus programme, facilitated by Ljubljana Technology Park.

This year, compete almost 30 percent more young people in the national competition for entrepreneurial ideas, which means 607 participants who have developed 203 innovative business models.  

Popri competition is organised by the Primorska Technology Park in cooperation with the Ministry of the Economy, Tourism and Sport, SPIRIT Slovenia Business Development Agency, and the Slovene Enterprise Fund (SEF), which also provides the prize pool of the competition. Other organizers are the Government Office for Slovenians Abroad, the City Municipality of Nova Gorica, and the Municipality of Šempeter-Vrtojba.  

Congratulations!