The country of Serbia holds many associations for many people; however, high-tech, entrepreneurship and innovation are generally not the first words to come to mind. Despite preconceived notions, November 12-14 at the Crown Plaza Hotel of Belgrade, the world’s brightest innovators would be arriving to the Belgrade Venture Forum. Belgrade’s beauty can at times be overlooked, but the vibrancy of the entrepreneurial spirit lit up the city.

Milos Dosen was the man of the hour with his impeccable organization and extensive planning for the big event. The conference struck the perfect balance between informative sessions and startup pitches. The quality of startups was of the highest, and was coupled with a realistic and right mix of company valuations.

Moshe Sarfaty, co-founder and manager of Krypton Venture Capital, had the privilege of joining a panel discussing the future of investments in the Balkans with Marius Ghenea of 3TS Capital, Jurgen Furian of Pioneers.io, Jan Kobler of South Central Ventures and was moderated by Stanislav Sirakov of Launchub Ventures. Stanislav asked all the right questions which led to thought provoking discussion and a down to earth open opinion panel.

Moshe’s visit made it all the more clear that Krypton finds it so important to stay up to date on the Serbian startup scene. The fund is grateful to the Israeli embassy for sponsoring the visit and understanding the importance of bringing Israel to the region to help sprinkle some of the Startup Nation spirit. Itay Milner, First Secretary, Deputy Head of Mission, also showed his solidarity by coming to support Krypton during the conference. Although small in numbers, there is a feeling of a new wave of startups on the horizon with tens of startups emerging with each passing year. Although it was the first visit, it will definitely not be the last.