SIADUS

Attending the Adria Business Forum for the first time was a truly memorable experience.

The highlight was hearing Nobel Prize laureate and Why Nations Fail co-author James Robinson speak about the importance of investing in people, education, and inclusive institutions as foundations for innovation and prosperity.

His message about cooperation between innovators and institutions strongly resonated with everything we are building through SIADUS.

Definitely an experience I will remember for a long time.

Chapter 31 – In Front of the Community

One morning, while going through my emails before heading to the Faculty of Economics & Business, University of Zagreb, I came across a message from Professor Mirjana Pejić Bach.
She asked Leon Benković and me to help her present the faculty to new students with disabilities, something we gladly agreed to do.
That evening, before the meeting, an idea came to mind: after the official part, why not briefly introduce SIADUS as well?
We didn’t even manage to finish explaining the idea before the professor agreed.
After the official part of the meeting, Leon and I talked with the other students with disabilities and presented SIADUS.
What followed was truly surprising.
Not only did they like the initiative, but they also confirmed that such a solution would be genuinely useful in practice.
They enthusiastically agreed to participate and use SIADUS, which made us very happy.
I was genuinely glad knowing that through this project, we’d be helping exactly those it was created for.

If you want to learn more, contact us at: [email protected], leave a comment, or visit our website www.siadus.com, or visit our other social media channels.

P.S. In the next chapter, I’ll be writing about presenting our project to the community.

Other chapters can be found in the posts on my personal profile, as well as on the SIADUS project profile.

Chapter 30 – The First Interview (Part Two)

On the day of the recording, Leon Benković and I arrived at the faculty together.
Right after we got there, we were greeted by Irina Čulinović and cameraman Tomislav Mataić, who welcomed us in front of the faculty building, and from that moment on, everything was captured on camera.
Together, we headed to a lecture by Professor Marijana Ivanov, so the video could also show what a typical lecture at the Faculty of Economics & Business looks like.
Shortly after that came the main part, the interview.
While Tomislav was setting up the equipment to make sure everything went smoothly, Leon and I talked with Irina.
She immediately showed genuine interest in us and in SIADUS, shared her experiences, and gave us plenty of valuable advice.
Both Irina and Tomislav were truly great to work with, so much so that we even discussed potential collaboration in the future.
When everything was ready, it was time to step in front of the camera.
Honestly, I was a bit nervous, but as always, what did we have to lose?
We talked about our experience as students at the Faculty of Economics & Business and presented SIADUS.
I was quite happy with how it all turned out.
After the recording, we all went for a drink together before I headed back to class.
It was truly one of those days to remember.

If you want to learn more, contact us at: [email protected], leave a comment, or visit our website www.siadus.com, or visit our other social media channels.

P.S. In the next chapter, I’ll be writing about presenting our project to the community.
Other chapters can be found in the posts on my personal profile, as well as on the SIADUS project profile.

Last week, we presented SIADUS at a poster exhibition organized by the University of Zagreb.

It was a great opportunity to attend valuable lectures, exchange perspectives, and speak with people working on topics closely connected to inclusion and accessibility in higher education.

We are especially grateful that our poster received special recognition for the best poster, giving SIADUS additional visibility and motivation to keep moving forward.

More information is available on the official University of Zagreb website:
https://www.unizg.hr/nc/vijest/article/dvodnevni-strucni-skup-inkluzija-i-razlicitost-osnazivanje-akademske-zajednice/

Thank you to Valentina Novak and the University of Zagreb for the invitation and recognition.

Last week, we attended the PODIM Conference in Maribor.

During the three-day event, we had the opportunity to listen to inspiring lectures, meet other entrepreneurs, speak with potential investors and representatives of the education sector, and present SIADUS to people from Slovenia and beyond.

It was a great experience, full of useful conversations, new contacts, and encouraging feedback about the importance of building more inclusive, accessible, and supportive higher education.

Thank you, PODIM, for the opportunity.

🚀 Prijavite se na ZICER akcelerator – ne propustite rok do 7. svibnja u 12:00!

„Sudjelovanje u programu Startup Factory omogućilo nam je da od početne ideje razvijemo konkretno i tržišno validirano rješenje koje danas pilotira na Ekonomskom fakultetu Sveučilišta u Zagrebu te je u procesu širenja na druge fakultete. Kroz program smo stekli znanja o svim ključnim aspektima razvoja startupa, od validacije ideje, izrade poslovne dokumentacije i razumijevanja pravnih aspekata, preko razumijevanja tržišta i prodajnih aktivnosti, do marketinga i pitchiranja, uz kontinuiranu podršku mentora i stručnjaka iz različitih industrija“, ispričali su nam Fran Krasnić i Leon Benković, suosnivači startupa SIADUS.

SIADUS je digitalna platforma koja rješava problem nedostatka strukturirane i pouzdane podrške za studente s invaliditetom u visokom obrazovanju. 🎓

„To postižemo povezivanjem studenata s invaliditetom s njihovim kolegama studentima-asistentima koji su im voljni pružiti podršku. Dugoročno razvijamo SIADUS kao cjelovit sustav koji će, uz postojeće funkcionalnosti, uključivati i povezivanje studenata s invaliditetom s poslodavcima, čime želimo omogućiti kontinuiranu podršku od obrazovanja do zapošljavanja“, pojašnjava Fran.

Iz tima SIADUS poručuju i pozivaju na prijavu u ZICER akceleratore: „Posebnu vrijednost programa čini zajednica ljudi koja potiče međusobnu podršku i razmjenu iskustava, neovisno o fazi razvoja u kojoj se pojedini startup nalazi. Upravo zbog toga, sudjelovanje u programu pokazalo se kao jedna od najboljih odluka na našem poduzetničkom putu.“

✨ Inspirirajte se SIADUS-ovim iskustvom i razvijajte svoju startup priču uz ZICER akcelerator!

⏰ Prijave su otvorene do 7. svibnja 2026. u 12:00.
🔗 https://www.zicer.hr/akcelerator/

Chapter 29 – The First Interview (Part One)

It all started with a meeting with Kosjenka Dumančić, professor at the Faculty of Economics & Business, University of Zagreb.
Since she’s a lawyer, Leon Benković and I met with her to discuss the legal aspects of developing SIADUS.
Naturally, we arrived a bit early to prepare.
After a while, two people approached us and asked if they could briefly record us for a video marking the 105th anniversary of the faculty.
Of course, we agreed.
Shortly after, Professor Dumančić arrived, and after a short planned discussion, she asked us a completely unexpected question:
“Guys, would you be up for an interview with Irina, where you’d briefly share your experience as students and present the SIADUS project you’re working on?”
We immediately said yes.
We went over all the details and gave a short overview of what we were working on. Soon after, we also learned what the interview would be about.
While preparing, we noticed in the email with the questions who we’d actually be working with, Irina Čulinović, a communication expert with remarkable experience gained through years of work in radio and television, numerous collaborations in the business sector, and involvement with our faculty.
I thought to myself: “Okay, this is getting pretty interesting…”
That evening, Leon and I prepared everything for the upcoming interview.

If you want to learn more, contact us at: [email protected], leave a comment, or visit our website www.siadus.com, or visit our other social media channels.

P.S. In the next chapter, I’ll be writing the second part of this story.
Other chapters can be found in the posts on my personal profile, as well as on the SIADUS project profile.

Chapter 28 – Another LEAP Forward

It all started with an invitation from ZICER to participate in the LEAP Summit, an event that brings together more than 1,500 participants from over 30 countries.
It would’ve been foolish to miss such an opportunity.
Joining me, of course, were Leon Benković and Hrvoje Pažin, who by now had already become our go-to photographer for all kinds of events, and I have to say, working with him is always a pleasure.
We set up all the promotional materials and started presenting.
Throughout the day, we had the chance to meet many kind and inspiring people, both from Croatia and abroad, and introduce them to SIADUS.
We also spent time socializing and exchanging experiences with other participants from ZICER, whose initiatives were truly interesting and inspiring.
Naturally, Hrvoje captured all of it through his lens.
Later that day, a networking gathering was organized for the participants, and as it often goes, the evening ended with a drink, conversation, and great company.

If you want to learn more, contact us at: [email protected], leave a comment, or visit our website www.siadus.com, or visit our other social media channels.

P.S. In the next chapter, I’ll be writing about an interview.
Other chapters can be found in the posts on my personal profile, as well as on the SIADUS project profile.

Chapter 27 – The First Trip (Part Two)

The next morning, we met up with Professor Jakša Krišto and set up our booth together.
Throughout the day, we presented SIADUS to many interesting people, from those in the education sector to the business world.
Some of them expressed interest in further collaboration and even suggested specific opportunities they believed could be valuable for us.
During moments when we weren’t talking to visitors, I noticed that the booth next to ours belonged to Ana.
Little by little, we started talking about the projects we were working on, and she not only showed genuine interest but also shared plenty of helpful advice and insights she had gained throughout her entrepreneurial journey.
Yet another reminder that entrepreneurs truly do help one another.
After a while, we attended a few discussion panels, one of which featured Professor Krišto as a speaker.
He talked about what’s most important for innovation development and said something I completely agree with, that the key elements needed to foster innovation shouldn’t be viewed in isolation, but rather as an interconnected mechanism where the educational, financial, and business sectors must continuously collaborate.
When the official part of the evening was over, the informal one began.
A dinner for participants was organized, where, in a relaxed setting, we connected with even more people and talked with Professor Krišto about our impressions of the event and the next steps ahead.
Of course, it wasn’t all business, we had a great time, too.
This was one of those experiences I’m sure all of us will remember for a long time.

If you want to learn more, contact us at: [email protected], leave a comment, or visit our website www.siadus.com, or visit our other social media channels.

P.S. In the next chapter, I’ll be writing about one of our jumps forward.
You can find the previous chapters in the posts on my personal profile, as well as on the SIADUS project profile.