SEEUTechpark is a technology park located on the premises of South East European University in Tetovo, Macedonia. With a mission to foster innovation, entrepreneurship, and regional economic development, the Techpark plays a key role in supporting early-stage startups, building synergies between businesses, and creating long-term job opportunities in the region.
To take their support one step further, SEEUTechpark partnered with Solveo to tackle one core challenge: build the most accurate and accessible database of Macedonian startups—and turn it into a digital platform that can connect founders, investors, and ecosystem enablers.
Despite the visible momentum in Macedonia’s startup community, there was no centralized place to find reliable, up-to-date information about local startups. Much of the data was scattered across forums, Facebook groups, and informal chat rooms. Even identifying which companies qualified as “startups” was often unclear.
SEEUTechpark saw this as more than just a technical challenge—it was a foundational piece of infrastructure missing from the country’s entrepreneurial landscape. They needed more than a directory. They needed a co-created platform, built with real stakeholders, that would reflect the current state of the ecosystem and become a tool for strengthening it.
We launched a three-week sprint involving four multidisciplinary teams made up of students, external collaborators, ecosystem experts, and Solveo mentors. The project kicked off with a deep dive into the startup ecosystem—locally and globally—to give all participants the context they needed.
From there, we moved into direct engagement with the ecosystem. Teams conducted interviews with founders, investors, and community builders, working to verify, cross-check, and enrich the raw data with insights straight from the field. This wasn’t a top-down approach—it was built on the ground, by the people shaping the ecosystem themselves.
Once the database was in motion, each team began designing and prototyping different versions of the digital platform. Through multiple iterations and user testing rounds, the teams refined everything from navigation to structure, all based on real user feedback. Design wasn’t just aesthetic—it was functional, accessible, and practical.
This hands-on approach ensured that the final platform didn’t just store information—it served a purpose: to help startups get discovered, attract investment, and connect with partners.
The project sparked regional growth efforts, continued internally by the SEEUTechpark team
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