Euclid Network is delighted to welcome the Western Balkans Startup Alliance (WBSA) as our newest member.
Founded through a shared vision of strengthening innovation and entrepreneurship across the Western Balkans, WBSA brings together leading ecosystem organisations from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia. Today, the Alliance represents 18 member organisations working to support startups, innovators, social entrepreneurs, and impact-driven ventures across the region.
To mark the occasion, we spoke with Nina Nikolich, Co-founder and Board Member responsible for International Partnerships and Collaborations at the Western Balkans Startup Alliance, about the Alliance’s journey, mission, and ambitions for the future.
Building a Regional Ecosystem
The idea behind WBSA emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic, when startup ecosystem leaders from across the Western Balkans began meeting regularly through a regional initiative supported by GIZ. While many of these organisations had collaborated informally for years, the project provided an opportunity to identify common challenges and explore how they could work together more strategically.
Recognising that each market individually was relatively small, the partners decided to join forces and create a stronger collective voice for innovation and entrepreneurship in the region.
After several years of collaboration, workshops, and ecosystem-building activities, the Western Balkans Startup Alliance was formally established in 2024 in Skopje, North Macedonia.
Supporting Entrepreneurs Creating Positive Change
Collectively, WBSA members have supported more than 1,000 startups and early-stage ventures through accelerators, bootcamps, mentoring programmes, and ecosystem development initiatives.
Around 30% of these ventures can be classified as social enterprises or impact-driven businesses, although many founders do not initially identify themselves as such.
“We often work with founders who are solving important social or environmental challenges but do not realise they fall within the social entrepreneurship space,” explains Nina. “Part of our role is helping them recognise the impact they are already creating and supporting them to strengthen and scale it.”
Examples include education technology ventures expanding access to learning and career opportunities, as well as innovative environmental startups such as EarthCare, which helps organisations monitor and respond to air pollution challenges using data-driven solutions.
Looking Ahead
Looking towards the future, WBSA aims to continue growing its impact and strengthening the startup and social innovation ecosystem across the Western Balkans.
The Alliance hopes to support even more founders and social entrepreneurs whose solutions can scale beyond the region and create positive impact across Europe and globally.
At the same time, WBSA is working to increase the international visibility of the Western Balkans as a region rich in innovation, talent, and entrepreneurial potential.
“Our ambition is to help position the Western Balkans as a place where innovators, startups, and social entrepreneurs can thrive,” says Nina. “We want to create more opportunities for collaboration, learning, and partnership with organisations across Europe.”
Joining the Euclid Network Community
For WBSA, joining Euclid Network represents an important opportunity to connect with peers, exchange knowledge, and develop collaborative initiatives with organisations that share a commitment to building stronger entrepreneurial and social innovation ecosystems.
We are excited to welcome Western Balkans Startup Alliance to the Euclid Network community and look forward to supporting their work, fostering new connections, and exploring opportunities for collaboration across Europe.
Welcome to the network, WBSA!
