The first HoReCa MeetUp turned up to be a real crowd-puller!

On Friday, February 17th, METRO Cash & Carry and Croatian Business Angel Network (CRANE) organized the first HoReCa MeetUp and facilitated networking between 12 startups and more than 70 Croatian restaurants, hotels and other caterers in order to strengthen their digital capacities and connect the startups with their potential partners from the business sector.

Alexander Zumdieck,  the director of the program METRO Accelerator (Powered by Tech Stars) held the keynote speech in which he presented the latest digital and technological trends in the digital sector as well as the digital solutions that the startups proposed and developed for the HoReCa sector within the METRO Accelerator program.

“Thanks to its participation in METRO Accelerator program, “Reputize“, the startup which developed an application for rating hotel accommodations, had doubled the number of their hotel collaborations. I am pleased to announce that they have showed interest for the Croatian market and have already made the first steps in that direction” said Alexander Zumdieck and encouraged all startups to apply for METRO Accelerator.

Croatian startup teams IncheckIn, Unlimited Communication and Trakbar, along with visiting team Facility from Slovenia and Belopp from Bosnia and Herzegovina, have presented their products and ideas for business improvement to Croatian caterers and hoteliers like Hotel Esplanada, Amelie pastry shop, and restaurants Agava, Mundoaka and Mano.

Davorin Štetner, president of the  Croatian business angels network, stated the importance of the HoReCa meetup for a better detection of startups in the catering and tourist sector and added: “We have chosen METRO as a partner because of its business platform that comprises more than 160,000 small and medium-sized enterprises and that will be available to Croatian network of business angels in an effort to further develop the startup scene in Croatia. “

“With the Agreement on Cooperation signed between METRO and CRANE, we have defined the joint activities through which we want to strengthen the digital capacities of small and medium-sized enterprises. HoReCa MeetUp is the first step in our collective effort to contribute to the modernization and development of the HoReCa sector, and to provide the startups with the access to METRO’s professional customers. We are proud to be joined by Zagreb Entrepreneurship Incubator as one of the strongest startup incubators in the market.” said Marc Carena, CEO of METRO Cash & Carry Croatia.

All of the startups gathered in the HUB385 Innovation Center had the opportunity to talk to hoteliers and caterers, present their ideas and find out the technological solutions for the Croatian HoReCa sector.