The launch of the Entrepreneurial Incubator Vinkovci on the day when the first case of COVID-19 was recorded in Croatia (February 25, 2020) was certainly not the most fortunate time to start anything, let alone to launch entrepreneurship. However, the management of the Incubator, the Technology Park Vinkovci, the city administration, and the Agency for Development and Investments of the City of Vinkovci VIA did not want to give up on their intention. Krunoslav Josip Čačić, the head of the Entrepreneurial Incubator Vinkovci, emphasizes that they raised the marketing story to the highest level to show the people of Vinkovci the purpose of the Incubator and the benefits it offers. The Incubator is therefore filled, and today it houses 20 entrepreneurs. In three years of existence, Čačić said, 11 entrepreneurs have left the Incubator as they outgrew it and moved on by building or purchasing their own facilities. Strange Times The idea for the incubator arose, Čačić continues, because Vinkovci lacked space for young entrepreneurs, so the city of Vinkovci launched the project Entrepreneurial Incubator Vinkovci, worth 21.4 million kuna, of which 19.9 million kuna comes from non-repayable funds from the European Regional Development Fund. The Incubator is a branch of the Technology Park Vinkovci, where young entrepreneurs are also located, and since it is constantly filled, additional space was needed. In the Incubator, entrepreneurs have at their disposal 13 office spaces ranging from 24 to 36 square meters, five production spaces ranging from 63 to 88 square meters, two conference rooms, a collaborative office, three tea kitchens, and a restaurant. Additionally, the space is fully adapted for people with disabilities. However, the Incubator had to face unusual obstacles right from the start. —
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– Instead of opening our doors to entrepreneurs, we had to wait. It was, to say the least, a strange time. You come to work, and the building is empty, you hear no one but yourself, you look outside, and in the parking lot, there is only your car. Yes, it was a tough time for entrepreneurship. What was going through my mind at that time is better left unsaid. But when it is hardest, then prove that you know and can.
We are all aware that being an entrepreneur is not easy, and being an entrepreneur in Slavonia is even harder. Nevertheless, in April, we announced the first public call for entrepreneurs to enter, and we immediately got two tenants. We ended 2020 with 15 entrepreneurs, and by mid-March 2021, occupancy was at 100 percent. To promote the entrepreneurs housed in the Incubator, in April 2021, we published our first edition of the newspaper ‘inkubator VK’. The newspaper is free, and we distribute a print run of two thousand copies to every entrepreneur in the Vinkovci area at their address. At that time, there were about 1,600 registered entrepreneurs in Vinkovci (limited liability companies, sole proprietorships, crafts, family farms) – says Čačić.
Special Benefits
Vinkovci co-finances the rent for entrepreneurs in the Incubator so that in the first year of operation, the city co-finances the entire rent amount, in the second year it covers 75 percent of the rent price, in the third 50 percent, and in the fourth and fifth years 25 percent of the rent amount. Entrepreneurs also have a monthly cost that they pay themselves, emphasizes Čačić, which for offices amounts to one euro per square meter, for electricity according to consumption, and for water 0.5 euros per cubic meter. For production spaces, he continues, they must allocate 0.5 euros per square meter, while electricity and water are paid according to consumption.
