Disclaimer:
The Ecosystem Connectors project is funded as part of the German Government and Federal-State Programme (Bund-Länder-Programm – BLP) by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the Berlin Senate Department for Economic Affairs, Energy and Public Enterprises. The project is supported by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and implemented by the non-profit organisation enpact.
The Ecosystem Connectors project: 169 new connections between Berlin, Ukraine and the Western Balkans powering a stronger European economy
Berlin, February 2026 — The Western Balkans, particularly Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina, along with Ukraine, are emerging as dynamic players in the startup scene, offering unique opportunities for business stakeholders in Berlin. The Ecosystem Connectors project was designed to capitalize on these opportunities by linking Berlin-based companies with innovative startups in these regions, fostering synergies and enabling long-term collaborations. Over 14 months, the project provided entrepreneurs from the Western Balkans and Ukraine with market access, business development support, and opportunities for international growth through regular networking events, dedicated training sessions including workshops, and exchange trips. On the whole, these events brought together more than 350 ecosystem enablers, entrepreneurs, and investors, including members of the diaspora eager to engage with their home economies and act as cultural bridges.
“The successful first year of the Ecosystem Connectors project demonstrates the impact of targeted cooperation with international innovation ecosystems. By connecting startups, industry, research, and public stakeholders, we are strengthening Berlin as a leading innovation hub. Extending the project in 2026 highlights our commitment to further develop our ecosystem and partnerships with our European neighbours.“ – Franziska Giffey, Mayor of Berlin and Senator for Economic Affairs, Energy and Public Enterprises.
The Ecosystem Connectors project is an initiative by the Department for Economic Affairs, Energy and Public Enterprises of the Berlin Senate and the Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development in the frame of the German Government and Federal State Programme (BLP). Implemented by the German development agency Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and the nonprofit organization enpact, the project encouraged stronger economic integration across European entrepreneurship ecosystems.
“The BMZ supports and connects economic engagement with sustainable development in our partner countries. Together with the state of Berlin, we are promoting this project and specifically involving the private sector, which connects these dynamic startup ecosystems of Kyiv, Tirana, and Sarajevo with Berlin. In doing so, we create concrete opportunities for local, German, and European companies with a focus on digital tech startups and contribute to fostering a resilient and sustainable economy.” – Johann Saathoff, Parliamentary State Secretary of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development.
Why Invest in Ukraine, Albania, and Bosnia & Herzegovina
With over 3,100 startups and nearly 32,000 jobs created across Ukraine, Albania, in addition to Bosnia and Herzegovina, these regions are fast becoming a magnet for innovation and early-stage investment. In 2024 alone, Ukraine attracted more than $294 million in startup funding across 65 collaborations, while Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as Albania secured $14.5 million and $1.06 million respectively. These ecosystems offer highly competitive tax systems (10% in Bosnia, 15% in Albania, and Ukraine’s Diia. City scheme with just 5% personal income tax), deep talent pools and strong female leadership, with women founding 59% of Ukrainian enterprises and 67% of Albania’s top startups.
Success Stories from Albania and Bosnia & Herzegovina
Valens.dev – Vedad Tokača is the Head of Business Development at Valens.dev, a Bosnian-based software development boutique working with startups, scaleups and enterprise clients. Looking back on the delegation, Vedad highlighted that the smaller networking events were particularly useful to him. There, he connected with local stakeholders and startups active in Berlin, exchanging learnings and best practices. Valens.dev is now in discussions with several potential partners in Berlin, with plans to take a more active role in the local tech ecosystem — from building strategic collaborations to reintroducing one of their startups already active in the German market. More: Valens.dev.
LekoTech – Nikolin Ngjela is the Co-Founder of LekoTech, a SaaS platform transforming the Used Spare Parts industry by digitizing spare parts and streamlining operations for car wreckers. Their goal is to drive the industry towards a more efficient, transparent and sustainable future, making vehicle maintenance faster, fairer, greener and life easier for every vehicle owner. When reflecting on his experience with Ecosystem Connectors, Nikolin says that: “For our business at LekoTech, the program helped us establish key connections to expand into the German market.” He also highlighted the relevance of the trainings on pitching and fundraising for him and LekoTech. Going forward, Nikolin is pursuing three concrete connections he made in Berlin with potential partners for market expansion. More: https://lekotech.com/
Ukraine’s Innovation Stories
Geodesic.Life: Anastasia Syvolob is a co-founder of Geodesic.Life, a startup that designs and builds sustainable prefabricated dome houses that can save up to 70% of CO2 emissions. And she actually lives in the first Geodesic.Life demo house built! Reflecting on the one-week delegation trip to Berlin in May 2025, Anastasia noted that the visit was a crucial step in market discovery for her business. She is now exploring the best location for Geodesic.Life’s first EU demo house, focusing primarily on the Nordics and Germany while also seeking strategic partners. More: Geodesic.Life
Cardiomo – Ksenia Belkina is the CEO and Founder of Cardiomo, a digital health startup that offers an AI-powered remote cardiac monitoring system designed to track vital signs, detect early health risks, and support preventive care. Looking back on the May delegation, she highlighted the participation at GITEX and the conference’s side events as particularly useful in connecting with potential partners in the Berlin ecosystem. Pitching on stage at GITEX especially increased visibility for Cardiomo, says Ksenia. Currently, Ksenia is in discussion with a partner in Berlin about bringing Cardiomo’s impactful solution to Germany! She is also fundraising at the moment, which makes our webinar about fundraising and investor relations with tools for financial modelling particularly relevant to her. More: https://cardiomo.com/
CheckEye: Kirill Goncharuk, is CheckEye’s Founder and CEO. CheckEye is an AI-powered telemedicine platform that enables early detection of diabetic retinopathy and other eye conditions through automated analysis of retinal images. We checked in with Kirill six months after the delegation to Berlin and here’s what he says about the program**:** “It was a great opportunity! At GITEX, I organized meetings with potential customers. The other networking events were also useful, in the enpact office, for example, I connected with people who are already active in the Berlin market and had the opportunity to learn from their experiences.” Right now, CheckEye is in the process of obtaining their certification for the German market and Kirill expects to launch in Germany and Austria soon. More: https://check-eye.com/
“Within a year, we were able to create a community and network of striving entrepreneurs and enthusiastic ecosystem actors, showcasing the rapidly growing startup ecosystems of Kyiv, Sarajevo, and Tirana. Through the various activities that we implemented in collaboration with the GIZ, we built a platform of exchange with multiple promising deals and initiatives in the pipeline. As a matter of fact, 100% of participants confirmed the expansion of their international network, while 60% are actively pursuing two collaborations, and 20% are pursuing three. So, I’m very confident and excited about seeing these partnerships and initiatives come to fruition.” – Wail Daoud, Project Lead at enpact e.V.
For more information on investment opportunities and partnerships, explore the Ecosystem Connectors Brochure for Albania and Bosnia & Herzegovina, and the Ecosystem Connectors Berlin Kyiv brochure for Ukraine.
