How Uplift Builds Market Value of Knowledge

In a country where the share of micro-entrepreneurs, small and medium-sized enterprises in all business entities is 99.6 percent, systematic and applicable education is not a luxury but a prerequisite for development. It was from this need that Uplift was created in 2021, an educational platform launched by Mastercard to empower entrepreneurs in tourism, hospitality, and service industries. Today, five years later, Uplift has grown into one of the most relevant educational initiatives for small entrepreneurs in Croatia.

Response to Market Needs

The central part of the platform is Uplift Academy, a comprehensive program conducted by Algebra Bernays University. During one hundred hours of lectures in ten interactive modules, participants acquire knowledge in leadership, digital transformation, artificial intelligence in marketing, financial management, experience economy, and customer journey. However, the Academy is not just a series of lectures – it includes networking (networking), mentoring, and the development of concrete business projects that participants ultimately present to investors, thereby directly linking education to the market. In four previous seasons, 136 entrepreneurs from all over Croatia have completed it. The current fifth season involves 32 entrepreneurs, and interest continues to grow. A high degree of participant satisfaction and a strong alumni community confirm that this is a program that responds to real market needs – for knowledge, but also for networking, sharing experiences, and mutual support.

Web-platform Uplift.hr further expands the educational reach with multimedia content, interviews, expert articles, and practical tools, creating a digital knowledge hub accessible to every small entrepreneur.

In a new phase of development, Uplift takes a step further and directs knowledge towards one of the most important resources of Croatian tourism – gastronomy. The project ‘Uplift – Friend of Croatian Cuisine’ is a national five-year initiative aimed at defining, standardizing, and promoting authentic regional dishes and transforming them into a clear, recognizable gastronomic identity of Croatia. The educational dimension of the project is strongly expressed. Each year, the focus is on one region, and in professionally led workshops and masterclass programs, experienced chefs and gastronomic experts standardize recipes for traditional dishes. The process includes historical-cultural analysis, practical workshops in test kitchens, and the creation of precise technical sheets and standard operating procedures. Thus, tradition is preserved and transmitted in the form of applicable knowledge that can be taught in schools, used in professional kitchens, and presented to guests.

A Step Forward in Gastronomy

Particular emphasis is placed on involving chefs who learn from top chefs how to prepare traditional dishes while respecting authenticity and contemporary quality standards during masterclass workshops. The first masterclass has just concluded, and five selected chefs in Split learned to prepare traditional Dalmatian dishes. In this way, gastronomy is treated as an educational process that combines technique, culture, identity, and entrepreneurship.

The long-term goal of the project is to create the ‘Manifesto of Croatian Cuisine’, a collection of standardized recipes that represent the culinary identity of the country. This will not only be a symbolic document but also a concrete educational tool for restaurateurs, teachers, institutions, and tourism stakeholders.

Uplift thus confirms that investing in knowledge is not a one-time project but a lasting strategy. From business models and digital tools to recipes and culinary standards, education becomes a bridge between tradition and the market. And this is the foundation of sustainable development: entrepreneurship that learns, shares knowledge, and builds value for the entire community.