Meet Our Member: DigitalBee
As a cluster currently comprising 45 member companies, we continuously work on introducing our community to our members and the latest developments. From now on, you can expect the introduction of one of our members every week, accompanied by the projects they are currently working on. To kick things off, we’d like to introduce you to DigitalBee. DigitalBee was founded in 2019 with a clear mission – to develop competencies crucial for success in the digital age. What’s it all about? Digital skills, emotional intelligence, and creativity – these are the core components that DigitalBee nurtures through its unique proprietary program called “Beyond Coding.” However, this is not just another program; it’s a journey that inspires and shapes children and teenagers, providing them with tools and confidence to face the new challenges of the digital era. Shortly after its inception, DigitalBee was recognized as the premier place for developing the competencies needed for children’s success in the digital age. In 2021, this company became a licensed educational institution, injecting a breath of fresh air into Montenegro’s education system with its creative approach. Offering two adult education programs, “Database Basics” and “Digital Marketing“, DigitalBee is not merely following the trends of digital transformation but is becoming a key driver of those trends. In the following text, we will delve deeper into the journey that DigitalBee has undertaken and discover how they have contributed to the development of education in Montenegro. Transforming Children and Adults into Digital Creators Our interviewees and founders of DigitalBee, Valentina Radulović and Jasna Pejović, proudly state that what sets their company apart is a comprehensive approach to children’s education, which, in their words, is unique in the region: “Our ‘Beyond Coding’ programs are designed so that learning programming takes center stage, while carefully designed additional content exercises emotional intelligence and creative thinking competencies. These courses transform participants into creators in the digital world.” These educational programs are intended for children aged five to sixteen. According to our interviewees, the youngest participants enter the world of programming by developing algorithmic thinking without screens, using age-appropriate robots. On the other hand, older participants learn programming using languages like Scratch, Python, JavaScript, and App Inventor. What makes this program unique is that very serious skills are learned exclusively through play, making classes both interesting and useful experiences for children. Furthermore, DigitalBee offers courses for adults with the aim of improving their skills and acquiring new ones to help them find their career path in the new digital age: “Database Basics’ and ‘Digital Marketing’ programs are designed for adults who want to master competencies that will help them in their jobs, find additional or new engagements, or start and manage their businesses.” Out of over a thousand participants, successful students and innovators have emerged Regarding DigitalBee’s achievements, Jasna and Valentina attribute their greatest successes to the achievements of their participants: “So far, over 1000 children have gone through our ‘Beyond Coding’ programs. Most of them are now successful students and high school students, with a significant number of our participants winning awards in programming and robotics competitions. Many of our participants have told us that the competencies and skills they have acquired in our programs have helped them resolve conflicts with peers or better present their ideas. In our classrooms, friendships are formed that last beyond classes, which in itself represents a special kind of success. All of these are achievements that bring us joy and motivation to approach each new generation with the same dedication and introduce new programs and content. Knowledge empowers us and gives us freedom, and we are here to help our participants acquire important and current competencies.” Furthermore, they added that they are proud of the fact that participants in the adult programs use the acquired skills in their work environments, develop their businesses, or create additional sources of income using the knowledge they have gained. Become a Change Maker: Applications Are Open If you plan to join DigitalBee’s education programs and become part of a community that actively shapes the future in the digital world, now is the right time to apply for one of the open programs. For those interested in adult programs, note that they are held several times a year, allowing you to join when it suits you best. On the other hand, programs designed for children, known as “Beyond Coding,” start at the beginning of the school year – in September and February. This is an opportunity for the youngest to start their journey into the digital world in the right way and master digital technologies instead of the other way around. For all information about educational programs, we recommend visiting their website, where your first step towards the future in the digital world awaits you. Become a part of one of DigitalBee’s education programs and be ready to become a change-maker! Apply now. Author: Stefan Blecic
Montenegrin ICT Startups presented their innovations at the largest IT exhibition in Lisbon
In the previous weeks, Lisbon was the epicenter of technological innovation. Over 70 thousand participants from 161 countries, 2696 startups, 1050 speakers, and 1081 investors gathered at the largest technology conference in Europe – Web Summit. Thanks to the Capital City and ICT Cortex, Montenegrin startups also had the opportunity to present their innovations at this event. Listen to the statement of Džemal Lekić, director of CIS, about the project implemented for the second time by the capital and ICT Cortex. The biggest attention was attracted by the startup Spectro Solutions, which presented an intelligent fire detection service, which entered the shortlist of 105 startups, out of a total of 2,696, and presented itself to potential investors as part of the Siemens Pitching competition. It is software based on artificial intelligence algorithms that functions as an upgrade to any type of monitoring tool, making it intelligent in the way of providing feedback to the client about the situation on the ground being recorded, in terms of fire. The goal of the software is a reliable, fast, and affordable form of early fire detection. Behind the idea and the first version of the software is a five-member team of young startups: engineers, programmers, and managers, who have already established the first digital AI assistant for monitoring fires on the Luštica peninsula. Read about all the activities Spektro participated in at the Web Summit from Ana Ašanin’s statement. Medpack, a startup that aims to increase proper adherence to therapy, and thus the long-term quality of life of the patient, also had a notable performance at this IT fair. Medpack consists of an application and a smart box. With the help of the application, the user will define his schedule, and which medicine is in which compartment. It is envisaged that the application will contain a database of drugs available on the user’s market, which would facilitate the creation of a schedule and help users to take the drug correctly, and would inform the patient and his doctor or guardian if a drug is not taken correctly (too long, too often or in a way that can be harmful). Also, it is planned that the application learns from the user’s habits and accordingly modifies his schedule. See what the impressions of the members of the Medpack team from Lisbon are. The representatives of the Fintech startup Flash were also part of the Montenegrin startup delegation. Flash connects banks, merchants, and customers through a single platform, increasing their efficiency while reducing costs. With the Flash mobile application, clients can make cardless and cashless payments at merchants, in stores, or online. Clients can centrally manage all their bank accounts, transfer funds, request a loan or return of funds from another client, share an account with another client or define a payment at a specific time based only on a phone number. Flash is the beginning of the digital banking revolution and aims to transform traditional payment approaches. Milica Gazivoda shared her impressions from the Web Summit. At the Web Summit, the startup Guidi was also presented – a platform designed to enable a completely new way of visiting famous places. The app is used to correspond with historical figures and characters specific to each location, while a fictitious guide talks about history from his point of view making the experience more personal and real. Guidi helps users experience the era and tourist destination they are visiting. According to their team members, Guidi is actually a virtual friend from the past. In the video, learn more about this start-up and listen to their impressions from the Web Summit. The digital accountant is another Montenegrin startup that presented itself at the Web Summit. It is a solution that improves business through the digital transformation of administrative and accounting business processes in companies. The platform enables a simple exchange of documents between the company and the accountant by taking a photo of the document at the time of its creation via a mobile application or by uploading it directly to the Tiramisu ERP information system. With any of these actions, the accountant receives a notification and validates the structured data from the document for further postings, which will automatically be reflected in the reports on the company’s operations that are available live in the system to their owner. In the video, listen to Zoran Mastilović from the company Data Design about their participation in the Web Summit. Montenegro also had a startup in the field of the green economy – Prezla, a startup that aims to raise awareness towards reducing food waste, a healthier environment, and a happier society. Their team developed an application that connects everyone who has surplus food (hotels, supermarkets, restaurants) with those who want to buy that food for themselves or those who want to donate it to others. With one move, the user can influence the solution of the pressing problems of food waste, environmental pollution, and the increasing growth of the malnourished part of society. The company Oykos Development presented its startup, Dixi Digital, at the Web Summit. Dixi digital is a social network where all users earn money. All content, interactions, and time spent on this social network are a direct source of income for users – both creators and audiences. In the video, you can learn more about this startup from the founder of Dixi Digital and the CEO of Oykos development, Filip Anđelić. Startup Flourish is at the Web Summit for the second time, this year as a BETA startup. Flourish is a smart assistant for the development of the emotional intelligence of employees, a software solution that develops and maintains emotional intelligence through personalized educational exercises. Jasna Pejović, co-founder and CEO of Flourish, spoke more about the Flourish startup and their second participation at the Web Summit. In addition to startups, the Montenegrin delegation at the Web Summit also included representatives of the executive office of the Montenegrin ICT cluster Cortex, who had the opportunity to learn
