ICK mentors hail from various successful tech companies in Kosovo. Their experience and skills are a great asset to our startups. Time and again their knowledge has helped our entrepreneurs evaluate various decision as they trail forward as business people.
Click in mentor boxes to discover their field of expertise, professional and academic background.
Contact us at [email protected] to book a consulting session with the mentor of your choice.
Managing Partner, RECURA Financials
Visar Dobroshi is a Managing Partner in RECURA Financials, a strategic advisory company operating in Kosovo, Macedonia, and Albania. He is in charge of sales, HR, and Corporate Governance.
Visar is currently a Board Member of the southeast Europe ICT Private Sector Forum, representing the ICT sector of Kosovo in the Centre for e-Governance Development (CeDG), and since January 2016 he is also involved as a board member of the American Chamber of Kosovo.
Before joining RECURA, Visar was engaged as the Chief Executive Officer at PRIMO, a subsidiary of Telekom Slovenia, in Tirana, Albania. Between 2002 and 2010, Visar worked in IPKO as the Chief Operations Officer, and later as a Head of Infrastructure, managing the Department of Planning, Implementation, and Operations & maintenance for the company’s infrastructure and services. Between 1999 and 2002, he worked as a Project Assistant/IT Manager in ECHO – European Commission Humanitarian Office in Prishtina. Visar was also one of the initiators of the new Association of ICT Companies in Kosovo (STIKK) and was selected as the Vice-President of its first Board.
Visar graduated in Civil Engineering at the University of Prishtina in 1991 where he immediately joined the University as an Assistant to lecture in Water, Sanitation, and Hydro-technical subjects for almost 14 years.
EBRD SBS, National Programme manager
Leonora Kusari is Principle, Regional Coordinator BIP, SME F&D at the European Bank of Research and Development also known as EBRD.
Leonora Kusari first joined EBRD in March 2005 as a Senior Project Officer where she dealt with the task of generating new clients, managing approved projects, preparing project proposals, etc. In 2010 she continued her career with a new position as a Principal Manager which she holds to this day. With this promotion Leonora is responsible for the implementation of the operational plan, the coordination between donor programs and stakeholders, recruiting, and managing the day-to-day operation. Now she is the Principle, Regional Coordinator, BIP, SME F&D of EBRD where she is the coordinator in Western Balkans for integrated and innovative Products.
Previously, she worked for international companies such as British American Tobacco as a marketing representative. Other international companies that she has had the opportunity to work with are Nestle, Coca-Cola, etc. as well as at local projects of international agencies.
Leonora finished her studies at the University of Prishtina in Marketing and Information from the year 1999 to 2002, she is highly skilled in Managerial Finance, Business Planning, Analysis, Sales Management Negotiation, etc.
Pitching and Presentation Skills
Shenaj Shala is a protocol specialist, etiquette consultant, freelance trainer, and lecturer on soft skills. She is also currently engaged as an Image & Political Consultancy Lecturer at ISDP Group.
Between 1999-2013 Shenaj worked for the United Nations Organization in Kosovo and East Africa as a Personal Assistant for several Special Representatives of the UN Secretary-General and engaged in protocol at the highest levels. From 2013 – 2015 Shenaj worked for the oil and gas industry supermajor Shell Petroleum as Coordinator for Majnoon Training Centre in the Middle East, and in June 2015 she was appointed the Liaison Officer for Balkans Peninsula at the ISPD. Shenaj continues to coach public figures (mainly politicians and diplomats) in Kosovo about public speaking and presentation; gesticulation; and personal image. She works as a Freelancer as a Soft Skills Trainer & Consultant, Pitch & Presentation Skills Coach, Protocol Specialist. Alongside the aforementioned Shenaj is engaged as a Pitch & Presentation Skills Trainer at the IDACB (International Decentralized Association of Cryptocurrency and Blockchain)
Her education started at the American University of Bulgaria (2000) where she studied Entrepreneurship, Creative Leadership, Accounting, Marketing, and Financial Management continued with her enrolling to the Das Wirtschaftsforderunginstitute (WIFI) Institute in Vienna (2005) where she was certified in Strategy Planning and Business Plan, Marketing, and e-Commerce. At the year (2006) she first enrolled at the University of Prishtina where she got her Bachelor’s Degree in English Language and Literature and continued with her Master of Arts degree from the International School of Protocol and Diplomacy (ISPD) in Brussels in 2014.
When she is not obsessively analyzing and reading non-verbal signals of media personalities in Kosovo for her research project on body language, Shenaj enjoys passionately spreading joy and happiness through voluntary work by teaching good manners and etiquette to kids, and training vulnerable community members in Kosovo.
Founderm Adaptivit
Mentor Sahiti is Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Adaptivit, Information Security Manager at Thinking Objects GmbH, and Mentor for High-Tech Start-ups at Fraunhofer Venture.
He is engaged as a Local Expert in GIZ on several projects in the area of the Information and Communication Technology Sector. Since 2016 Mentor was engaged as a Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Crowdfunding Kosovaideas GmbH their mission is to support projects that make Kosovo a better place in the fields of art, social and green activists.
In 2009 he took a big step starting his company called Adaptivit, holding the position of CEO for 10 years and 3 months. At Thinking Objects GmbH he works as an Information Security Manager where he does Strategic Consulting to companies on Information and Cyber Security. With his long experience in the high-tech industry, he now works as a Mentor for high-tech startups at the Fraunhofer Venture, sharing knowledge and experience with upcoming startups. Mentor has started working in the software industry in 1998 as a Software Engineer and Team Leader at concept computers a position he held until 2005, he continued in 2006 as a Software Engineer in Allesklar.com AG where it only lasted for 2 years. In 2008 he changed his occupation to that of an It Manager and in 2011 changed it again for the position of a Lecturer in CEED Kosovo.
Mentor has also played a very important role at STIKK – Kosovo ICT Association as an Executive Board Member and Chairman of the Board. Mentor has studied computer science at The University of Bonn from 1999 until 2007.
Co-Founder & CEO at APPDEC
Zana Tabaku is the Co-Founder and current CEO at Appdec, a company that analyses, designs, develops, maintains products, and assists in commercialization.
With a lot of background, education, and knowledge of computer science she founded Appdec in March 2009. She started there with the primary role of a Software Engineer, firstly working on just simply developing the brand and getting it up on its feet. For the time period 2010-2018, she worked as an Operations Manager, managing and developing the expansion of the brand. From the year 2019 Zana is the CEO of Appdec managing and operating all sectors of the firm. She started her career in 2005 as a Software Developer in CACTTUS, where she developed new software applications in partnership with business analysts and technical architects. She spent some time working as a Consultant for UNDP, Helvetas, Wyg International Projects Limited, being a right had for problems regarding performance framework, self-employment Database, and IT.
Zana has been involved with ICK since its beginning first as an Admission Committee Member and then as a Senior IT Expert on designing a draft concept of Kosova. She worked as an IT Consultant for GIZ KOSOVO and used to be the board member of STIKK – Kosovo ICT Association
She has finished a Bachelor’s degree in Data Science and Business Analytics at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and has a number of certificates and licenses from Microsoft in topics such as SQL, Database Administrator, Microsoft .Net etc.
Member of the Board & Head of AIS at Asseco South Eastern Europe
Vigan Budima is the Member of the Board and Head of System Integration in Asseco South-Eastern Europe, he is also the Admissions Committee Member at the Innovation Centre Kosovo.
Even though he held several managerial positions in recent years, he has a deep technical background built from his 15 years of professional work, mainly in System Integration. In addition to his technical background, Vigan has strategic development and leadership experience serving as a board member for Asseco SEE in Kosovo and Albania while continuously organizing and supervising operations of the SI Business Unit (defining the BU strategy, developing its product portfolio, planning annual budgeting, execution, and control).
He has previously worked in Web Design and Consulting at Pronet IT CET LLC then continued to work as a Web Designer in AlbaniaOnline which during the same time he worked as an Admin Assistant at the United Nations Mission in Kosovo. After this, Vigan re-joined Pronet as a System Engineer, developed to a Senior Systems Engineer moved up to a Consulting and System Integration Manager, and from 2008 to November 2009 worked as the Chief Information Officer (CIO)
Vigan has graduated with honors at the University of Staffordshire in England, he there finished his Master’s in Business Administration and Management, during the time period 2013-2015. Alongside his diploma, he was also rewarded with the MBA Student of the Year 2013/2014 Award for his work and achievements.
Vigan is currently working on earning his MBA in General Management from University of Staffordshire. He is also currently serving as a member of the board of the Kosovo Association of ICT (STIKK).
Chief Software Architect at Nettxio
Dardan Vokshi is the Chief Software Architect at Nettxio and Co-owner at INET shpk a system integrator company, specializing in Security Systems, Industrial and Building Automation, Software Development.
He is currently working as CSA at Nettxio solving technical issues on performance, scalability, and enterprise systems including over technical leadership for the full product life cycle. As a Co-owner of INET shpk, he is involved with the responsibilities of creating strategic plans, exploring new technologies in Security Systems, Automation, Business Analysis, Software Development.
Dardan has had an active role here at ICK being an Admission Panel Member, with his experience in the tech industry he left us with some keen insight on the new businesses joining the ICK Incubator. For the time period 2010-2018, he was engaged at the Kosovo ICT Association – Stikk as the Vice-President of the Board. During the time period 1998-99, he started working as an IT Assistant on OSCE. Since the beginning of his career, Dardan has worked as a Software Developer where in OSCE he developed three different applications, Human Rights Department: Incident Database, Telephone Log Database, Evacuation Management Database.
Dardan has finished Mathematics Gymnasium where he focused on Mathematics and Computer Science, after that he continued his studies at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering at the University of Prishtina where he graduated in the year 1993.
Legal Expert IFC-International Finance Corporation (World Bank Group)
Veli Hoti is a Legal Expert who is currently engaged in this role in companies such as IFC-International Finance Corporation, European Knowledge and Technology Transfer Society, UNDP – Support to Anti-Corruption Efforts in Kosovo Project. He is also the CEO/Owner at LexTrust L.L.C
Veli is currently working as part of the IFC (World Bank Group) as a Senior Legal Researcher for an assignment with FIG Advisor Services Europe & C. in Ukraine, where the IFC is implementing the Ukraine Agriculture Capital Markets Development Project (UACMDP) in partnership with the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs of Switzerland (SECO). At LexTrust LLC specialize in legal and commercial matters.
At UNDP he holds the position of technical/legal anti-corruption expert, and he is in charge of the internal regulation on the job position, drafting the work regulation, the report on the implementation of the corruption proofing tool, contributing to the drafting of the national anti-corruption strategy and action plan, etc.
As of 2011 he has been engaged at the European Knowledge and Technology Transfer Society (Part-time) as a Legal Expert. During the time period 2012-2016 he has worked in the Ministry of Trade and Industry Kosovo as a Senior Officer.
Veli Hoti graduated from the Faculty of Law of the University of Maastricht, the Netherlands, in Advanced Master Studies LL.M. in Intellectual Property Law and Knowledge Management.
Co-founder & Managing Partner, CACTTUS
Driton Hapçiu is a Kosovar-born cooperative and lifestyle entrepreneur. He is the co-founder & Managing Partner at Cacttus and The Founder & Board Member at Recura.
For almost 30 years Driton has been involved in businesses start-ups running and working with them, which we can see first-hand with Cacttus, he has been part of Cacttus for 18 Years and 7 Months as a CEO Manager Strategy Corporate Development, Chairman of the BOD Managing director. He helped bring Cacttus to the top leading companies in Kosovo and Albania in the ICT Sector.
During the same period of time, Driton has been involved with Recura being the founder & BM at Recura, another job title he held in Recura was that of Manager Strategy Corporate Development where he created new opportunities and partnerships, drove internal innovation explore customer innovation, etc. In 1994 Driton started working at Koha Javore/Ditore as an IT and web publishing manager, he founded In Design in 1992 until 1999 continued in April of 1999 as a Senior Information Technology Specialist continued with the same title in Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, worked as a Principal Cofound at IPKO, etc.
Driton attended the University of Prishtina Faculty of Information Technology and Telecommunication in 1987-1992 and continued enrolling to the London School of Economics Information Systems and Management Department in 2005-2009. He has been licensed in CISCO for routing and switching, and he is a certified Academy Instructor also on EOQ Quality Systems Manager.
Founder at Highlight Ventures
Leo Blakaj founded Highlight Ventures - an investment firm focused on early-stage internet companies.
He is the Partner & Founder of various successful companies in Kosovo. Specta Labs Inc. is one of them, with the purpose to bring life to digital products, Atto is another startup for which he holds the same title, it’s a SaaS time and location tracking product serving 4500+ businesses in over 50 states. Pathmile it’s another service that he launched that helps different companies generate accurate reports on tax deductions or reimbursements, he has been Chairman of the board and Co-Founder of Entermedia GmbH based in Berlin is one of the biggest companies in the European countries for video production and creative advertising. He is also the Co-founder of Bzzz Entertainment a youtube network founded by award-winning artists, directors, and entrepreneurs, it’s a platform for which creators can post their content. Besides being a founder to all these different companies Leo is also engaged as a Mentor here in ICK since February 2017 and for a period of time for 2 years he held the position of a Board Member in Kosovo ICT Association – STIKK.
Leo finished his bachelor studies in the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) on Business Administration and management in 2008, then continued his master studies at IEDC – Bled School of Management where he graduated with an Executive MBA.
Legal & Regulatory Specialist and Compliance
Liridon Shurdhani is a Legal Expert for the Regulatory Reform for the World Bank Group, he is also a Program Coordinator to Connect International.
With extended experience in both legal and regulatory environments in Kosovo, Liridon was involved from 2012 when ICK was initiated. He provides pro bono legal advice for ICK “tenants”. As part of World Bank Group, he is currently involved as a Legal Expert for the Regulatory Reform since 2018. He is also a Program Coordinator at Connect International which is an international network of organizations based in Brussels.
In 2006 he started working as an Operational Manager at Kosova Rehabilitation Center for Torture Victims – KRCT, moved to work in IPKO as a Legal Adviser for just one year. He has had many experiences as a Legal Adviser or Researcher one that is worth mentioning is working as a Researcher / Consultant for the University of Kent. At Oxford University Press he worked as a National Reporter for International Law in Domestic courts – ILDC. In January 2007 he had the position of Executive Director at Kosova Young Lawyers, some other honorable mentions are working as Legal Expert at Lahmeyer International, Legal Advisor at Kosova Law Center, Legal Expert at Valu Add Management Services, Legal Advisor at Crimson Capital, a Regulatory Reform Expert at the International Finance Corporation and for the time period 2010 – 2018 as a Lecturer at UBT School of Law.
Liridon finished Law School at the University of Prishtina and his masters in Ohio Northern University.
Lean Startup, Design Thinking, Innovation
Alim Halimi is a Scrum Master at Bottomline Technologies specialized in Lean Startup, Design Thinking, and Innovation professional.
He is currently working as a Scrum Master where he is responsible to get the process running as the companies have agreed to in the first place. He holds this job position at Bottomline Technologies, which business corporates and banks rely on for domestic and international payments, efficient cash management, etc.
Alim started his career with a Service Contract between him and the Ministry of Agriculture in Kosovo, in 2013 he continued with a Project Management Trainer at TrenBiz eTrajnimi where he worked for roughly 2 years. After this Alim went to work at Raiffeisen Bank as a Lean Coordinator and later on moved on to work as a Head of Product Management and Development at Banka per Biznes.
Some other experiences under his CV are Senior Intervention Manager at Helvetas, Volunteering Initiative Consultant at UNICEF, and Youth-Led project Officer at again UNICEF. With more than 7 years of work experience and being part of different organizations in various industries, Alim helps entrepreneurs establish their businesses with low costs and high potential to grow.
Alim is a graduate from the University of Prishtina, in Management, and holds internationally recognized certificates for Lean, Project Management, and Design Thinking, he also has a Masters in International Business Management from the OBS Business School.
Founder and Executive Director, Victoria Accounting House
Ms. Elvira Ibrahimi Hoti is the founder and Executive Director of Victoria Accounting House. She established her own accounting firm in 2016. She is a certified accountant, auditor, business consultant, and entrepreneur.
Ms. Ibrahimi has 12 years of experience in the field of finance and accounting, of which six years as head of the Financial Department at KS ILLYRIA LIFE. She is also engaged in the Association of Certified Accountants and Auditors of Kosovo (SCAAK) in the capacity of Member of the Committee on Conduct and Discipline and occasionally engages as an assistant lecturer.
In addition, she is currently engaged in K.S. “SIGURIA” JSC, as a Member of the Board of Directors and Chairman of the Audit Committee. Ms. Elvira also holds the position of member of the Board of Directors in the non-banking financial institution Finser”.In 2020, she founded the NGO ProWoman. This organisation aims to equip women and girls with skills and tools for a successful life in business. In 2012, Ms. Elvira Ibrahimi Hoti finished her master studies at the Faculty of Economics of the University of Prishtina in Banking, Finance and Accounting while she has been an active member of SCAAK since 2006. In 2013, she became a Certified Accountant whereas in 2017 she became a Certified Auditor as well.
Mrs. Ibrahimi-Hoti exercises her duty with passion and professionalism, she finishes what she starts successfully and with the highest standards. Thus, contributing to the improvement of the quality of financial reporting - a very important resource for making quality decisions.
She constantly attends professional training to receive the latest updates with the newest standards of the profession.
Hub Marketing Manager for Kosovo, Albania, and North Macedonia at DEKRA Akademie Kosovo
Ardian Thaçi is the Hub Marketing Manager for the Western Balkans at DEKRA Akademie Kosovo, specializing in Management and Marketing.
During the year 2021, he changed his position and started a new career at DEKRA Akademie Kosovo as a Hub Marketing Manager for the Western Balkans, responsible for leading, planning, and managing the marketing department to create strategies, assess marketing campaigns, manage marketing budget and take care of the overall brand presentation.
He started his career as a Donor Coordinator at RTK later on he moved to a more professional position as a Marketing Manager at Albi-commerce where he was part of the team that helped Albi-commerce rise to its current position. Ardian spend some time at Bora Marketing as a Marketing Advisor but he quickly moved to UNDP as Programme Associate where he was responsible for the project implementation consistency.
In 2008 he joined Ogilvy Albania & Kosovo as a Managing Director. Some other job experiences Ardian has had is the position of a Public Relations and Communications Manager at FHI 360 for 2 and a half years, Marketing Communications Manager at IPKO TELECOMMUNICATIONS, Marketing Communication consultant. During the time period 2015-2019, he worked as the Chief Executive Director at Zero Positive Publicis one of the largest marketing agencies in Kosovo, and after that journey ended, he started a new one at Gjirafa, Inc. as the Lead of Gjirafa Agency and Communications.
Ardian has a BA in Marketing Management and an MBA from the South Eastern European University in Northern Macedonia.
Chief Business Development Officer at Cacttus J.S.C.
Jeta Zagragja is a technology entrepreneur, a startup mentor, and an education advocate. Jeta brings almost a decade of practical experience in successful startups, the financial industry, and the non-profit sector in Kosovo and the USA.
Currently, she’s a co-owner and Chief Operating Officer at UCX Kosovo, a global, innovative, and lean technology company. She held positions as the former Chief Business Development Officer at Cacttus JSC and Chief Business Development Officer at Gjirafa.com. With her passion for innovation and demonstrated management skills, Jeta is a natural leader who pushes for workplace development, operational excellence, and business growth.
She sets stretch goals and organizes resources to achieve commercial, operational, and strategic initiatives. She’s a successful networker and relationship manager who leverages contacts to support business and philanthropic initiatives and
produces strategic execution plans that align with engagement or client objectives. Understanding that great achievements require a team effort, she loves to mentor and empower teams, companies, and individuals.
Jeta’s education background includes a B.A. in Applied Sciences from the Rochester Institute of Technology, NY, USA, and an M.B.A. in Strategic Management from Roosevelt University in Chicago, IL, USA. Jeta is the co-chair of the Board of the Kosovo American Education Fund, a mentor at the Innovation Center of Kosovo, and a mentor at Krypolabs in Abu Dhabi.
Managing Partner at REPUBLIKA Marketing Communications Agency
Alban Kastrati is a Managing Partner at Republika Marketing Communications Agency he is specialized in PR and content creation for different worldwide brands.
He is currently involved in different companies where one of them being IPKO Telecommunications as a Public Relations Expert for almost 13.5 years. Alban is the Founder of INSPR Strategic Communications & Public Relations a company that provides PR consulting services for different companies. Since 2015 he has been appointed as an Adjunct Instructor at Digital Marketing Institute and since 2017 he has been working as a Managing Partner for REPUBLIKA Marketing and Communications Agency which is based in London UK.
Alban started his career as a Public Relations Officer at the Universum University where he moved in 2006 to the position of Marketing Assistant at the Business Development Center. During the year 2007, he changed between the positions of Account Executive at the University of Mc Cann Erickson and Marketing Campaign Manager at the southeast European University. Lastly, before joining IPKO where he stayed there for close to 15 years, Alban had the position of Senior PR Strategist in Finnish Schools International.
Alban has finished a Bachelor in Marketing and Management at the southeast European University, has been certified in Digital Marketing, Advanced Social Media, Internet Copywriting, etc. at the New York University, and has won a Professional Diploma as a Strategic Public Relations at the University of California, LA.
Managing Partner at PR Solutions (Media & Communications)
Ekrem Tahiri is a Managing Partner at PR Solutions a Media and communications Company that covers in its entirety PR & Marketing-related issues.
With a background as a serial Entrepreneur and experience in different areas. He has founded several companies such as PR Solutions, Modus Events, Pizza Crust, Premium Construction, etc.
Ekrem has more than 20 years of experience in the field of Public Relations, Marketing, and Event Organizing, from which 9 in the Public Sector and 12 in the private sector.
He has worked closely with BBR Saatchi & Saatchi in the nation branding campaign for Kosovo called “Kosovo the Young Europeans, where he was a Team leader. M&M Awards declared this campaign the best in the world in 2010. Hr has worked as Head of PR and Communications at Kosovo Trust Agency for 5 years he then, later on, moved to the role of Director of Public Relations & Communications at Kosovo Privatisation Agency, where he stayed for a short period of time, only 6 months.
Ekrem holds a university degree in international Literature from Prishtina University.
He has conducted postgraduate studies in Communications & Journalism at KIJAC and has followed a one-year program in Management and Leadership at the Institute of American University in Kosovo.
In 2020 he is completing his dissertation (MBA) on Strategic Management of Online Businesses in SEEU in North Macedonia. Recently Ekrem and his Company PR Solutions are conducting training on Digital PR/Marketing and Business Skills.
Lawyer at “Sejdiu & Qerkini” LLC
Mrs. Osmani has 16 years of substantive experience in the fields of telecommunications, commercial, industrial property, management law, retransmission law, as well as issues related to competition law.
Also, Ms. Osmani has been a participant in various strategies and draft laws in the fields of telecommunications, communications, competition authority, and media in Kosovo, in relation to supporting Kosovo and counter-organizations. In addition, she has also been training and mentoring various trainings, in the field of commercial law, corporate governance, labor policy, etc.
She has been part of IPKO Telecommunications LLC, since 2007 until 2021, and has contributed to many important processes within the company. Mrs. Osmani served as Legal and Regulatory Experts concluding this experience at IPKO as Head of Legal Department.
Ms. Osmani holds certifications in various fields, including International Business Transactions Law, International Commercial Contracts, Dispute Resolution, Competition Law, European Telecoms Regulation, etc. She is also an author of Monografy published in 2006, titled: The right to education of Roma, Ashkali, and Egyptian communities in Kosovo, a Human Rights
She is an experienced Legal Expert, graduated in Law- University of Prishtina, with a demonstrated history of working in the legal services industry.
Chief of Operations at Kutia X and Managing Director of Bizbase
Mr. Albion Sutaj is the Chief of Operations at Kutia X and Managing Director of Bizbase. He is responsible for bridging the customer needs, commercial operations and making data-driven decisions to inform sales and marketing strategies.Ultimately, he ensures that the customers get the most out of their product investment with Kutia X.
Mr. Sutaj brings experience in sales, negotiation, and business development, leading global support and services teams to successful outcomes, which he combines with his passion for team building, supporting great products, and delighting customers.
Mr. Sutaj is an experienced Managing Director, Sales Manager, Project Manager and Teaching Assistant with a demonstrated history of working in the IT & Software Services Industry, Retail & Distribution as well as Education Management Industry. His academic background is in Computer Engineering from the University for Business and Technology in Kosovo, as well as in Law and Management from Evropska Pravna Fakulta in Slovenia.
Principal Advisor at Government of Kosovo/Ministry of Justice
Kujtim Kerveshi is an experienced attorney involved as the Principal Advisor at the Government of Kosovo/Ministry of Justice.
He leads the Kerveshi & Partners Law Firm team of experienced attorneys in Pristina, Kosovo. The firm is devoted to providing excellence and expertise in legal services to international and local businesses. They offer a wide range of legal services such as commercial/civil law, administrative/regulatory, and white-collar crime cases. He is a founder and attorney at JUDEX LAW Firm. He is a former member of the Kosovo Prosecutors Council and vice-president of the Kosovo Prosecutors Council Disciplinary Panel, he has been involved with several USAID programs in Kosovo in establishing the Alternative Dispute Resolution system in the country (arbitration and mediation), training mediators and arbitrators.
Kujtim has helped a great deal on establishing the American Chamber of Commerce’s ADR Center as well as the Kosovo Chamber of Commerce’s Permanent Arbitration Tribunal and private enforcement system.
Kujtim started his career after graduating as a Teaching Assistant at the University of Prishtina in the Faculty of Law, which he, later on, moved to be a Legal Expert at Checchi and Company Consulting, Inc. This has led to him being currently a principal advisor at the Government of Kosovo/Ministry of Justice.
Director and Founder of SAFT
Skender Jakupi is the Director and Founder of SAFT a private company offering services in accounting, he is specialized in Economics.
With experience and skills in accounting and economics, he started his agency called SAFT providing different businesses and organizations in the private and public sector the services of accounting and financial tools. He founded SAFT in 2019 and is currently the director of it. From the year 2011 – 2014, he worked on Interminex as a sales agent and later on moved to be promoted to the role of sales manager, where he had to develop strategies for sales and manage the salesforce of the companies to reach their targets and develop their business. For the time period 2014 – 2018, he was involved as an accounting technician at FA Consulting, dealing with individual businesses and organizations, their requests, and their financial status.
Skender finished his bachelor’s degree at the public university of Prishtina, that’s the University of Prishtina “Hasan Prishtina”, Management and Information Department. After that, he moved to follow and enroll in one of the most prestigious courses of accounting in Kosovo SCCAK and is still going.
Corporate Development at Shopify
Fjolla Bakalli is the Corporate Developer at Shopify, with the primary duties of M&A, Investments, and Strategic Initiatives.
As part of this role, Fjolla deals with Mergers and Acquisition (working on the transactions in which the ownership of the companies is traded), Investments, and Strategic Initiatives to expand the brand and develop the business. She started her career as a National Security & International Affairs Analyst at The Institute of World Politics where she worked for less than a year. She continued her journey as a Financial Audit and Forensics Associate at Grant Thornton LLP in Prishtina. After this experience, she moved on to the role of a consultant at Novus Consult where she dealt with individual businesses and entities and met their questions/requirements over their business.
She continued with a prestigious role as the Strategy and Business Development Manager at Relevance a company based in London UK. As a Strategies, she had the responsibility of creating and finding new ways to land new opportunities for the brand to expand their market, create new cooperation, and develop and implement new strategies towards growth.
Fjolla moved to a more prestigious role at LimeSpot as a Director, Business Development. She has a real passion for technology and specifically in helping tech start-ups grow and scale. Most recently she was part of the leadership team of a high-growth tech start-up in London, UK, where she joined as employee number five. Fjolla was responsible for setting up one of the highest ROI functions company-wide, partnerships across e-commerce platforms (e.g., Shopify), technology product integrations, and strategic channels/alliances in EMEA, North America, and APAC.
Fjolla holds a BS from RIT and an MBA in International Business from Middlebury College in California.
Agronomist and Quality Control at Sant fruit
Verina Krasniqi is a focused agronomist skilled in weed and pest management, also in soft fruits, demonstrated over 3 years of superior performance in related roles.
She has been working as an agronomist and quality controller at Sante Fruit. Verina was an intern and as part of the broad USAID agricultural involvement in Kosovo, she assisted members of the Kosovo Ministry of Agriculture in drafting laws relating to organic farming. In addition to this, Verina was involved in providing advice and training to farmers focused on different cultivations of fruit. Additionally, she was engaged on various project activities that were implemented by the Agro Cooperating Farmers Union.
Verina finished her Bachelor’s studies at the University of Prishtina under the program Plant Protection and Integrated Pest Management and production, and her Master’s at the same university but under the program Urban Agriculture.
Do your currently run a successful company? Have you run a startup of your own? Do you feel you can help up and coming young entrepreneurs with the lessons you have learned along the way?
If you feel like you can become a great asset to ICK startups, fill in the online application - Apply here