STARTUP MENTOR: One of the most sought-after mentors in the Slovenian startup community - Niko Klanšek

Day 23. November 2021 posted Anemari Pediček

Niko is considered to be the most successful Slovenian on Kickstarter, having raised more than one million dollars for his projects. He helps startups with business strategy, investment and marketing. Among the companies he has mentored are 0xcert, Yappr, Makerduino, Origin Trail, Ondu and Sipaboards.

 

Niko's other side..

One of the quotes that spoke strongly to him recently is the following: "𝗕𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗱𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗴𝗼 𝗯𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻."
He says that when things don't go according to plan, new possibilities open up - ones you didn't see or believe in before.
He also talked about the experience of one of his mentees whose plan/success on Kickstarter did not work out as expected. He liked the fact that she didn't stop and found her own way to move forward. And she did so very successfully!

 

  • Niko is also one of the "evening" types of people. It is then when he is most creative and things just "flow". Among other things, he likes to listen to podcasts or audio books after a long day of being active. One of the latest ones that has impressed him is Naval's "How to get rich". It teaches him that a man must have 3 hobbies:
    one that makes you money,
    one that makes you physically stronger,
    one that makes you smarter.
  •  
  • How does Niko make decisions and faces doubts?

He says he doesn't usually make decisions QUICKLY.
When he has doubts, he first asks himself WHY? What's the thing that sparked doubt? In the process he often faces personal things and gives them space, but finally makes a decision on a rational level.

 

One last insight into his way of life and thinking: for the last 5 years he has been setting up his personal and business life so that he is not tied to a location. This allows him to learn about the world, other cultures, languages, mindsets, systems and people.
This year, Lisbon is on the agenda. Who knows where the road will take him next.

 

P.S. This picture is from the New York Marathon, which he took part in 2016. It was one of his major goals, which he achieved together with more than 50,000 runners from all over the world. Well done, Niko.

Izvedba: Mojdenar IT d.o.o.