June 24, 2022 - The sixth annual conference of the Association of Croatian-American Professionals (ACAP) in New York gave the opportunity to the leading Croatian entrepreneurs to present their successful companies and projects to representatives of global investment companies.

The co-founder and CEO of Infobip, Silvio Kutić, in a fireside chat with Iva Vukina, managing director in Goldman Sachs, told the inspiring story of a company that grew from a Vodnjan startup into the first Croatian unicorn. 

"Croats who are part of the US technological and financial community are not sufficiently familiar with the domestic entrepreneurial scene. That is why such events and informal socializing are important in order to get acquainted with the numerous opportunities that we have been developing in Croatia. Infobip has been present in the US market for a long time, and our plan is to further grow and take the lead, which is why it is important for us to further meet customers and expand the network of contacts - said Silvio Kutić, CEO and co-founder of Infobip. 

The annual ACAP conference entitled ‘AN EVOLVING MINDSET: Innovation, Collaboration & Sustainability’ was also attended by a large number of domestic startups whose projects have attracted significant interest from potential investors.  - It is great that a lot of Croatian startups that have global potential are present at ACAP conference. This is an ideal opportunity to introduce ourselves to the American market and our expatriates who are active and want to boost the domestic tech sector. I believe that an important goal for all of us should be to connect domestic startups with global venture capital funds that can help them further expand in the US market - added Nikola Pavešić, director of startup ecosystem at Infobip and project manager of Startup Tribe. Infobip's Startup Tribe program provides startups with product, logistics, and mentoring support, opening the door to faster development through its network in the USA, but also in other markets in which they operate. 

June 23, 2022 - The Croatian National Tourist Board (CNTB), as well as the CNTB Office in New York, participated in the 6th Annual ACAP (Association of Croatian-American Professionals) Conference, which was held last week in New York - under the motto "An Evolving Mindset: Innovation, Collaboration, and Sustainability." 

Kristjan Staničić, director of the CNTB, pointed out the following during the conference: “The conference gathered more than 300 professionals, many of them Croats with very successful foreign careers and business projects, and many potential partners interested in Croatia. In such an environment, our goal is to highlight the best of Croatian tourism, for which our country is the most recognizable in the global context. We are sure of many positive effects for our country as a whole, because during the conference, in addition to tourism, we talked about many other sectors and areas where there is room for exchange of ideas, additional networking and cooperation that will ultimately result in concrete projects. Staničić further emphasized that the US market is also the most important distant market for Croatian tourism, from which we generate the largest tourist turnover. The conference was also attended by Nikolina Brnjac, Minister of Tourism and Sports of Croatia, who delivered a strategic address. 

The cooperation between the Croatian Tourist Board and the Association of Croatian-American Professionals referred to the CNTB's host in the evening program of the conference, but also as part of the panel discussion "Building a Sustainable Tourism Ecosystem". The panel discussion was moderated by Leila Krešić-Jurić, Director of the CNTB Office in New York, and was attended by Ognjen Bagatin from the Bagatin Polyclinic, Iva Bahunek, Head of the CNTB Office in Los Angeles, Jeana Havidich, Head of the Working Group for Medical Tourism in Dartmouth-Hitchcock, Jan De Jong, co-founder of Webpower Adria and Antonija Urlić, director of the Association of Unique Croatian Hotels STORIES. Among other things, it was pointed out that Croatia is very well recognized in the world as a destination with extremely preserved and rich natural heritage, while the activities of STORIES were cited as a positive example of sustainable tourism through carefully selected small and unique hotels in Croatia. "The ACAP conference is the first business gathering of professionals from various economic sectors in Croatia and the USA after the pandemic, and the CNTB is a proud partner in the conference, which we expect to bring concrete business results through networking of Croatian companies and American investors. This is not just about tourism, but about various interdependent sectors, where tourism is a link, and often just the first step towards concluding business cooperation, "commented Krešić-Jurić. 

At the same time, business workshops and presentations of the Croatian tourist offer were held in Chicago as a result of cooperation between the Croatian Tourist Board and Signature Travel Network, a well-known American association that brings together the most successful and prominent stakeholders in the tourism industry. In addition to the CNTB, the Dubrovnik Tourist Board presented itself in Chicago. According to the eVisitor system, Americans have made more than 135,000 arrivals and more than 420,000 overnight stays in Croatia so far this year, which is an increase of 385 percent in arrivals and 211 percent in overnight stays compared to the same period last year. 

For more, check out our dedicated lifestyle section.

June 17, 2022 - The 6th ACAP (Association of Croatian American Professionals) Conference, a three-day event, kicks off today, June 17, at one of the city's most iconic venues - the New York Athletic Club.

The sixth annual ACAP conference (https://www.croampro.com/page/nyc2022) will bring together professionals from all facets of the American, Croatian and international professional community — communication and social media specialists, scientists, artists, healthcare professionals, athletes, engineers, journalists, attorneys, business executives, accountants, and students — for networking, education and socializing. With presentations by two unicorns, one shark, and one 40-time Emmy Award-winning producer, as well as fireside chats and panels with some of the most prominent Croatian business leaders and innovators, this historic event is the largest gathering of the Croatian professional community in the USA.

The conference hosts 30 events over three days with the first day featuring a keynote and 17 different panels, fireside chats, workshops, and networking events (https://www.croampro.com/page/confagenda). Today’s keynote speaker is Robert Herjavec, a globally recognized motivational, business, and cyber security leader.

Strategic address will be delivered by Nikolina Brnjac, Minister of Tourism and Sports of Croatia. Panel ““Educating the Next Generation of Tech Entrepreneurs” will present Croatian companies that are leading the way in K-12 space as well as college level curriculum. Our panelists from CircuitMess, TinkerLabs and STEMI will discuss about Croatia's carving out the presence in leading educational applications in Europe, and soon, in the USA. Three other discussion panels are: “US Health Tech Companies Tapping into Croatian Talent”, “Building a Sustainable Tourism Ecosystem”, and “The Evolution of Environmental Social Governance in Croatia”.

Participants in Networking4All sessions will have an opportunity to meet experienced Croatian entrepreneurs and start-up companies looking to expand to the American market, American professionals looking to enter the Croatian market, Croatian professionals and company representatives looking to meet investors, students and job seekers looking to meet Croatian and American entrepreneurs and potential employers, and other Croatian professionals from the USA that are looking to expand their network and make positive changes in Croatia and Croatian professional community in the USA.

B2B workshops include Taxation workshop, Education & foundation workshop, Medical Tourism committee workshop, and Croatia and web3 workshop. A topic that has occupied many Croats in the USA is a long-awaited Croatia-U.S. Double Taxation Treaty. Taxation workshop topics will cover both individual and company tax-related topics. For individuals, the two main topics covered are Croatia-U.S. Double Taxation Treaty and tax issues for Croatian citizens living in the USA. For companies, topics of corporate taxation in the USA and Croatia will be covered. Furthermore, the workshop will also look at the EU funding opportunities and other Croatia tax hot topics.

For more, check out our dedicated lifestyle section.