4 priority workstreams
regulation, capital access, regional connectivity and public-private dialogue
3 co-ordinating organisations
the Western Balkans Startup Alliance, Plug and Play Tech Center and Sustineri Partners
2025 launched
with the first progress update at the 2026 Summit
Overview
Adria ScaleUp is a regional alliance for start-ups and scale-ups with sustainability at their core, launched at the Summit in Porto Montenegro. It connects founders with mentors, investors, corporate partners and the people who write the rules.
Approach
Co-ordinated with the Western Balkans Startup Alliance and Plug and Play Tech Center, with backing from founders, accelerators, funds, research institutions and public bodies. The launch was a closed-door roundtable that produced a joint action plan rather than a communiqué. Four priorities: regulatory streamlining across registration, cross-border operations and intellectual property; capital access, including blended models and investor-confidence mechanisms; regional connectivity through shared infrastructure and cross-border programmes; and a formal channel for the start-up community into policy.
Impact
At the 2026 edition the initiative ran the Innovation Sessions, in partnership with SEE UP, and the AI Hackathon, in partnership with AI Nation. It is embedded as a year-round initiative of the Summit, so it continues between editions and reports back publicly.
