Digital and technological advancement is becoming an increasingly important aspect of business worldwide, as well as for the opportunities that are available to us as users of various services and products in our daily lives. Our activities provide results faster, more accurately, and in a more pleasant way. This added value we receive saves time and resources, increases efficiency and productivity, which can translate into higher margins, reinvestment and overall higher standards.
Location flexibility, relatively acceptable amounts of capital needed to start a digital business and cost advantages due to the fact that the workforce can be sought worldwide open doors to almost any country and city to direct its strategic efforts towards information and communication technologies as one of the pillars of societal development.
The size and potential of technology in business is evident from the results of members of CISEX - Croatian Independent Software Exporters' Association. In the pandemic year of 2020, the total revenue of members exceeded HRK 5.6 billion, of which HRK 2.8 billion was generated from exports, which grew by as much as 30% compared to 2019, continuing a serious growth trajectory. Total revenues also grew by 18%! It is worth mentioning that in that year, they opened 920 new jobs and the average number of employees grew by 13%.
Of course, these companies also lead investments in new innovative products and services, and in 2020 they recorded HRK 722 million in financial reports as expenses for development, which is 39% of all expenses in Croatia. This clearly shows us the importance of investing in innovation and the orders of magnitude achievable in this industry. Finally, this also shows that in the difficult and laborious year of 2020, the IT sector grew in revenues by 9% and exports by 15%, while the overall economy went negative, with a decrease in revenues of almost 8% and exports of 6.7%.
Multiple dimensions for the development of the IT and entrepreneurial story of the city
Zadar is slowly laying its foundations for better profiling in the context of the IT industry. Although today, the Zadar IT scene is mostly based on a larger number of micro-enterprises, companies such as Rentlio and Cognism, which generate their revenues predominantly or increasingly from abroad, whose work has been recognized through investments for further growth and who today count their teams in tens of people, are an excellent example and incentive for the development of IT infrastructure, personnel, and projects in the future of Zadar.
This does not mean that certain improvements are not already visible. From providing physical space at subsidized prices and support for business growth, efforts to network and create stronger community connectivity (through which education and collaboration are generated), to the development of IT-oriented studies at the University - the IT sector in our environment is moving forward.
At the Innovative Zadar Incubator located in Novi Bokanjac, Cognism and Rentlio, as well as projects and companies such as Digitali, Fricom, Authland, Zoyya, Smart Water, Ancora, and others spent their time in critical moments of early growth. In the absence of adequate spaces and in a situation where rental prices are increasing, it can be said that such spaces can be valuable for entrepreneurs.
Regarding the period spent in the Inkubator offices and its significance for the company itself, Stjepan Buljat, co-founder and CTO of Cognism, says that during the expansion phase of their Zadar team, the InZad incubator office came "as if it was made for them."
"Sometime in mid-2019, we expanded our Zadar office and automatically had a "problem" with office space. We were then a resident of COIN Coworking Zadar and due to an increased number of employees, we did not have adequate space within COIN. The offer was extremely poor, but fortunately, we received an application invitation from the Incubator, applied, and got the space. It is hard to express how important it was for us at that time to have all the conditions for smooth work with minimal financial requirements. That is why we are extremely grateful to Inovativni Zadar!" - says Buljat.
On the other hand, in addition to the practical component of supporting the development of IT entrepreneurship in Zadar and the county, it is important to emphasize the social-educational component that results in better relationships, better understanding of the market, and other entities and individuals around us, as well as a better quality of life in the city.
Events such as those within the 2CODE project led by the University of Zadar, called Zadar LITo, where about 200 interested people gathered for a series of six different lectures, paired with socializing over drinks and food, are a clear indication of how to enrich social life in the city. Specifically, they show us how to gather Zadar's entrepreneurs, programmers, marketers, designers, and all others who have a common interest and passion for new innovative technologies and projects, and provide fertile ground for exchanging experiences and general enjoyment of community gatherings.
The educational purpose of the lectures of the Zadar Developers Hub association, the University of Zadar, and the Robotics, Innovation and Creativity Association "ROBOTIC," which teaches children through practical examples, especially in the field of robotics, should also be emphasized. For children and adults who participate in programs that are based on a hands-on approach, which are promoted by the mentioned associations or the University of Zadar (mostly through its Laboratory for Interactive Systems and User Experience - UX Lab), such experiences are invaluable and prepare them for a successful future.
The University of Zadar also plays a significant role in this regard, which will be discussed in the next part of this article. Docent Franjo Pehar will speak more about the Information Technology Study as a pledge for a more stable future of the Zadar IT scene and the successor to previous efforts for a more developed city. Additionally, we will touch on the role of the new InZad incubator that is currently under construction. Stay tuned!
