“Western Balkans: unleashing the potential of innovative start-ups and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the Western Balkans: investment readiness program 2.0” is a project aimed to increase investment readiness of innovative start-ups and SMEs in the Western Balkans region. Lack of investment readiness of such firms in the region is the result of several factors. This project is focusing on tackling an issue that is deeply linked to investment readiness and which seems to be consistently present in all of the countries in the region, meaning a low internal demand, which undermines profitability of startups and SMEs.
The report is prepared by the World Bank.
This report summarises focus groups and interviews done in the frame of this project.
The insufficient size of domestic market was brought up as an issue by investors and not only during the first edition of Pioneers of the Balkans, a previous investment readiness program that was run by the World Bank in the Western Balkans, and more qualitative evidence is being collected during the first phase of this current project, as it will be explained more thoroughly below, with a qualitative approach involving focus groups with CEOs and founders of start-ups in six countries of the Western Balkans.
Find the full report here: https://documents.worldbank.org/en/publication/documents-reports/documentdetail/099061623101038230/p16316804e6a110db09ece0422599cc3074