Skopje, North Macedonia
November 6–8, 2026
TECHSTARS STARTUP WEEKEND SKOPJE
Meet the best mentors, investors, co-founders, and sponsors who'll show you how to achieve more, faster.
About
From an idea to a working prototype in one weekend
Techstars Startup Weekend Skopje 2026 is the largest entrepreneurial event in North Macedonia, this year running from November 6 to 8. The focus is artificial intelligence, under the theme Creating AI-native solutions. You arrive with an idea, form a team on the first night, and spend the weekend building it, testing it on real people, and pitching it to a panel of judges. Along the way you network, sharpen your idea, and get advice from experienced mentors.
Startup Weekend is part of the global Techstars network. No experience is required and no idea is too early. Developers, designers, entrepreneurs and students all start from the same place on Friday evening.
0 hours. 0 days. 0 minutes to pitch. 0 experience needed.
Previously onStartup Weekend Skopje
Turn your idea into a startup.
- 01
A team and mentors
Form a team on Friday night. Ask mentors anything and get advice to shape and improve your idea.
- 02
Build and pitch
Build a first version of your idea and pitch it to the judges on Sunday.
- 03
What comes after
Teams that want to keep going get introduced to partners and the Techstars network.
- 04
People and know-how
Network with mentors, founders and other teams, and leave with new contacts. No experience needed.
This year's theme
Creating AI-native solutions
AI is not the idea. AI is the tool.
100 free credits for every participant
Swipe to see more
01 / 06
What does AI-native mean?
AI is part of the solution
Instead of building something and adding AI later, AI is part of the solution from the very start.
- What problem exists around you?
- What takes up people's time?
- What could be done faster, easier or smarter?
Problem first.Technology second.
This is where your startup idea starts.
What problem can you solve?
- Education · Personalised learning
- Health · Better organised services
- Finance · Simpler processes
- Sustainability · Smarter use of resources
- Everyday work · Automating tasks
Build with100 free credits
Every participant gets 100 free credits for Lovable, the AI tool that turns a plain description into a working app. Your team can have a real prototype by Sunday, even without writing code.
100 free credits for every participant
You don't need to:
- know how to code
- have a startup
- have an idea
You don't need to be an AI expert.
One weekend.From problemto prototype.
- 01Pitch an idea
- 02Form a team
- 03Check there is a real need
- 04Build an AI-powered prototype
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Tickets
One ticket. The whole weekend.
Friday night you arrive with an idea and no team. Sunday evening you are on stage with something that works. The ticket covers everything in between — the mentors, the workspace, the food, and the room full of people building alongside you.
Admit one
Participant
One price, the whole weekend: the sessions, the mentors, the workspace and the food.
- 3 days / 54 hours of access
- All meals and refreshments
- Mentoring sessions
- Workshops
- Digital certificate
- 100 free Lovable credits
Seats are limited: the room takes a fixed number of teams, and once they are gone the weekend is full.
1200ден.
Friday prices go up!
From Friday the ticket costs 1500 ден.
That is about 22 denars an hour, meals included.
Get your ticketTickets are non-refundable.
Checkout on mktickets.mk. By buying a ticket you agree to the Terms of Use and the Privacy Policy.
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Agenda Day 01
Friday / November 6
Meet, Pitch & Form Teams
- Registration and dinner18:00 – 19:00
- Opening and event rules19:00 – 19:30
- 5-minute idea pitches19:30 – 21:00
- Team formation21:00 – 22:00
- WorkshopWorkshop: Business Model Canvas22:00 – 22:45
- Open work time22:45 – 00:00
The schedule above is indicative — the full agenda is shared with all registered participants ahead of the event.
Prizes
Something worth competing for
From ProCredit Bank, Startup Club Skopje, Nest and Nebula, for the top three teams and for everyone who takes part.
Every other team · from Nest
N99 Coworking Pass
- Duration
- 2 weeks
- Price
- Free
- Valid from
- 10 Nov 2026
- Includes
- Support to build your solution
Scan to visit N99- Winner
1st place
Incubation, a free office for 6 months and lifetime free banking
ProCredit Bank
- Mentoring session to build your business plan
- VIP gathering on financial education
- Free business account maintenance for life
- ProCredit Business Academy 2027 for 2 people
- 12 months of ProActive free for every team member
Startup Club Skopje
- Direct entry to the #ИмамИдеја4 incubation program
- Team tickets to Startup Revolution AI Summit 2027
Nest
- Free company registration support and an Investment Clinic within 90 days of SW Skopje
- Free N99 office for 6 months, plus support to build your solution (from 1 January 2027)
Nebula
- 12 months of free access to the Spiderlook platform
2nd place
5 years of free business banking and a free office
ProCredit Bank
- VIP gathering on financial education
- Free business account maintenance for 5 years
- 12 months of ProActive free
Startup Club Skopje
- Team tickets to Startup Revolution AI Summit 2027
Nest
- Investment Clinic workshop within 90 days of SW Skopje
- Free N99 office, plus support to build your solution (from 1 January 2027)
Nebula
- 6 months of free access to the Spiderlook platform
3rd place
2 years of free business banking and a free office
ProCredit Bank
- VIP gathering on financial education
- Free business account maintenance for 2 years
- 12 months of ProActive free
Startup Club Skopje
- Team tickets to Startup Revolution AI Summit 2027
Nest
- Investment Clinic workshop within 90 days of SW Skopje
- Free N99 office, plus support to build your solution (from 1 January 2027)
Nebula
- 3 months of free access to the Spiderlook platform
Mentors
Guidance from people who've already walked the path
Available throughout the weekend to help you shape your product, business model, and pitch.
Applications open
Mentor a team
Give a few hours of what you know to the teams building this weekend.
Become a mentor
Simone Demelas
Venture Builder · Startup Ecosystem Strategist · Innovation Catalyst · Speaker & Facilitator
Facilitator
Your facilitator
The person who runs the room
Every Startup Weekend has a facilitator, someone trained by Techstars to guide the whole event. They keep the schedule on track, help teams work through disagreements, and make sure everyone gets a fair chance, no matter how much experience they bring on Friday.
Simone Demelas
Entrepreneur, innovator, and relentless community builder. Facilitator of change, bridging technology, creativity, and business strategy. Passionate about fostering resilient startup ecosystems and mentoring visionaries from concept to scale. Devoted advocate for practical innovation, spatial intelligence, and the transformative power of music and wellness.
TBD
Mentor at Company
TBD
Mentor at Company
TBD
Mentor at Company
TBD
Mentor at Company
Mentors coming soon
Judges
The people who'll judge your pitch
Experienced entrepreneurs and investors who will pick the winning teams.
TBD
Judge at Company
TBD
Judge at Company
TBD
Judge at Company
Judges coming soon
Venue
Where the weekend happens
Hosted by
Manapo 7, 1000 Skopje, North Macedonia
A 4-minute walk from Skopje City Mall
The venue
Sponsors
Backed by the local community
Want to support the event? Become a sponsor.
Applications open
Sponsor the weekend
Put your brand in front of the people building what comes next.
Become a sponsorExclusive Sponsors
Partners
Main partners
Soon
Community partners
Soon
Media partners
Soon
Frequently askedQuestions
The things people ask before they sign up. If yours is not here, the full FAQ page has the rest of them.
Startup Weekend is a 54-hour event where anyone, from students to entrepreneurs, designers and developers, builds a startup prototype together and pitches it in front of a panel of judges.
This year's theme is Creating AI-native solutions: you pick a real problem from any industry or field and solve it with AI at the core. Read more about the theme
At ProCredit Bank, Manapo 7, 1000 Skopje, North Macedonia. A 4-minute walk from Skopje City Mall. See the venue and map
No. You can come with an idea, pitch it on Friday, or join a team whose idea you like.
Yes, all meals and refreshments for the duration of the event are included in the ticket price.
Not necessarily. Teams need a mix of roles — business, design, marketing, and tech.
A team can have 5 to 6 people at most.
You do not need a team before you come. Most teams form at the event: you meet people, get to know them, and build your team on the spot.
Some of the mentors and judges come from abroad, so we recommend speaking English during the weekend. The final pitch must be in English.
No. The goal is an idea and a prototype that shows how your product would work. You pitch with that prototype. You do not need a finished product.
The Code of Conduct is available on the 'Code of Conduct' page in the footer.
Stop thinking.
Start building.
Spots are limited. Sign up now and be part of the next generation of startups from Skopje.
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