Gaming companies in Novska, the Croatian center of this industry, generated as much as 820 thousand euros last year. This data was presented by Ivana Matanović, Deputy Director of Public Administration and Regional Coordinator of Sisak-Moslavina County at the Invest in Novska conference held at the Pismo business incubator.
According to her, of the total 150 gaming companies in Croatia, more than 50 percent are located in Novska. Although the figure of 820 thousand is not excessively large, most startup companies in Novska employ only one or two people, making these numbers quite significant.
– Some of them have even achieved growth of 300 percent compared to previous years, but it is important to note that these are startups – said Matanović, adding that this incubator, when considering the figures of all the startups it comprises, is the fifth in Croatia by revenue generated in the gaming industry.
Matanović participated in the panel ‘Successful Business Examples in Croatia’ which, alongside her, included Tomislav Bosilj, Director of Sano for Southeast Europe, Ivan Buntić, Mayor of Tomislavgrad, Marko Crnojević, Technology Director of Ante Mijić-Quercus, Ljiljana Šapina, Member of the Management Board of Podravka, and Petar Šimić, Director of Grad Export.
Bosilj, whose company has a 27-year tradition in the Croatian market, emphasized on the panel that the key to success is innovation, and as he says, investors are primarily entrepreneurs who invest in success, where simplicity and speed of implementation are important.
– The opportunities for investment are great, and investments are necessary to maintain competitiveness – said Bosilj, adding that there is constant talk about a shortage of labor, so companies need to focus on automation so they do not feel the labor shortage as much.
Crnojević, on the other hand, stated that investing in new machines and new facilities is important for both success and competitiveness in order to improve the quality of the product itself.
– Security and knowledge in business must come above all, and we must be confident in what we do and what we produce to create a secure and stable relationship with customers, and you must also keep up with the times – concluded Crnojević.
That in entrepreneurship it is most important to be faster than others and to follow trends, as well as what others are doing, was confirmed by Šimić, emphasizing the synergy of the company with the state.
– We are fortunate to be part of the European Union, so it is much easier to secure investments – said Šimić.
Innovation as the main ingredient for success was also mentioned by Šapina, emphasizing research and development, and Podravka, she says, continuously listens to the market and introduces new technologies to advance and keep up with the times. And that Tomislavgrad can look up to Novska was confirmed by Buntić, highlighting the similarities between these two small communities.
The last part of the conference was marked by the panel ‘How to Create a Stimulating Environment for Investments Despite Obstacles’ where the speakers were Martina Dragičević, Director for Regulatory Affairs and EU Funds at A1 Croatia, Milan Horvat, Advisor at FIMA, Aleksandar Gavrilović, Co-founder and Director of Gamechuck, Boženka Spahić, Head of the Department for Economy and Agriculture, Predrag Tutić, Partner at CBS International real estate consulting firm, and Irena Weber, Director of the Croatian Employers’ Association.
