The final event of the Slovenian Startup of the Year 2025 award took place at the SiTi Theater in Ljubljana, gathering more than 220 startup enthusiasts and key stakeholders from the Slovenian startup ecosystem. The event crowned this year’s winner of the prestigious award, now in its 18th edition. The title Slovenian Startup of the Year 2025 – along with the iconic crystal trophy – went to Astra AI, a startup developing an intelligent learning assistant that uses artificial intelligence to personalize learning content for each student based on their knowledge, pace, and goals.

The award, presented for the eighteenth year in a row by the Start:up Slovenia initiative in cooperation with the Slovene Enterprise Fund, the Ministry of the Economy, Tourism and Sport, and other active stakeholders in the startup ecosystem, honors a startup whose achievements, reputation, and development potential represent a new generation of innovative Slovenian entrepreneurs.

🎧 Listen to what Andrej P. Škraba from the winning team Astra AI had to say upon receiving the award.

As Urban Lapajne from Start:up Slovenia said: "This year, the Slovenian Startup of the Year award has come of age. For eighteen years, we’ve been awarding it with the hope of giving entrepreneurial stories in Slovenia more visibility, support, and admiration. Today, we want even more – for the Slovenian business environment itself to grow up. We want an environment that’s competitive with the best in the world, capable of nurturing, retaining, and attracting top talent and companies. Only then can we truly unlock our innovation potential, create high-value-added jobs, and strengthen Slovenia’s image as a technological and entrepreneurial nation."

Final selection at IEDC – Bled School of Management

For the first time, the final selection of Slovenian Startup of the Year 2025 took place at IEDC – Bled School of Management. Five finalists (Arvio, Astra AI, ErgoHide, Juicefast, and Lime Booking) presented their solutions in front of a distinguished seven-member jury.

The jury evaluated the startups based on four criteria: validation of product-market fit, investment traction (from domestic or international investors), team competencies, commitment, and structure, and potential for rapid growth in foreign markets.

This year’s jury consisted of: Nina Strajnar (Fliqa), Rok Huber (Slovenian Enterprise Fund), Jure Mikuž (South Central Ventures), Aleš Pustovrh (Fil Rouge Capital), Mislav Ante Omazić (IEDC – Bled School of Management), Jure Vajs (Lek Slovenia), and Vuk Lau (Silicon Gardens).

Jure Mikuž, jury member from South Central Ventures, shared what the award means to him and what the jury looked for in the winner:

“The Startup of the Year award goes to a company that embodies what a startup truly represents: courage, persistence, and innovation. The winner should be a role model to all, even to those who didn’t win this year, to inspire them on what they can improve or optimize to be the best next year. We focused on team cohesion – a team we believe will stick together and evolve, and that even if their current product fails, they’ll be able to pivot and succeed with something else.”

Astra AI: Slovenian Startup of the Year 2025

Astra AI impressed the jury with its exceptional innovation, advanced use of AI, and clear potential for global growth. The team developed an intelligent learning assistant that uses artificial intelligence to enable personalized learning across various skill levels.

With Astra AI, users can master subjects like math, physics, chemistry, English, and German. The system automatically generates explanations and exercises tailored to each learner’s knowledge, pace, and goals. The tool is particularly popular for exam preparation – including the national exams (matura & NPZ), and International Baccalaureate (IB) – offering a structured and adaptive learning experience. Astra AI bridges learning with today's digital-native generation and empowers students, parents, and teachers alike.

With more than 170,000 registered users, the platform demonstrates strong market demand for intelligent, accessible educational tools that go beyond traditional methods. By winning the Slovenian Startup of the Year 2025, Astra AI has confirmed its role as a pioneer in regional edtech and a key player in shaping the future of personalized learning.

More about ASTRA AI 

Andrej P. Škraba, CEO and co-founder of Astra AI, said upon receiving the award:

“Receiving this recognition is truly a special moment – full of joy and pride. A heartfelt thank you to the organizers and jury – this means the world to Klemen and me. From the very beginning, when it was just the two of us, we believed we could build something big. And now, as you can see, we’re no longer alone – a strong, dedicated team has grown around us, and our user base has already surpassed 170,000. That’s a clear sign we’re on the right path. As last year’s winner Nina Strajnar emphasized – we’ll continue to follow our vision. Our goals are high and ambitious.”

Looking ahead, Andrej adds:

“We’re wrapping up our second ‘school year’ – because our company operates more according to the academic calendar than the traditional one. While others head off on summer holidays, we’ll be working hard to launch new products and services in September. We’ll keep building what we’ve started – and what keeps us going.”

This prestigious award continues to open many doors – as confirmed by FLIQA, last year’s winner. FLIQA develops two open banking products and provides access to a large number of European banks through its partners.

Nina Strajnar, CEO and co-founder of FLIQA, reflected on the impact of the award:

“The past year has been exciting and transformative for FLIQA. Winning the Slovenian Startup of the Year 2024 gave us momentum and confidence to pursue our vision more boldly. Soon after receiving the title, we strengthened our strategic partnership with a Dutch partner, signed our first major commercial deals validating our platform’s value, and began collaborating with a Slovenian bank on a proof-of-concept for a new credit risk assessment product. We closed a smaller funding round and are now preparing a larger one to expand our presence in Europe and beyond. The media attention that followed our success gave us even more motivation to share our story and inspire others. FLIQA remains committed to innovation and global growth. Thank you for the support that keeps us going!"

A spectacular show at the SiTi Theater

The grand finale of Slovenian Startup of the Year 2025 at the SiTi Theater in Ljubljana was a real spectacle. The event was hosted with humor and musical flair by Tilen Artač, joined by Robert Petan and Igor Bračič, whose performances added a unique charm to the evening. Together, they created a relaxed atmosphere full of laughter and familiar melodies – making the night truly unforgettable for all attendees.

The prestigious Slovenian Startup of the Year 2025 award was presented to the winner at the closing ceremony at the SiTi Theater by Nina Strajnar, last year's recipient of the title Slovenian Startup of the Year 2024, and Matevž Frangež, State Secretary at the Ministry of the Economy, Tourism and Sport.

On the occasion, Matevž Frangež stated:

"I’m glad that the winning company is active in the field of artificial intelligence, which shows that Slovenians know how to apply AI to create smart solutions. As a parent, I also see real added value across a range of areas—if our children are often in front of screens, we should guide them toward making that screen time useful and help them gain new knowledge. I believe Astra AI is a great example of a company that can scale quickly, enter new markets rapidly, and tackle a pressing issue—namely, the shortage of quality teachers."

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The program is co-financed by the Republic of Slovenia and the European Union, specifically from the European Regional Development Fund. It is implemented based on the program ‘Substantive support for faster global and sustainable growth of innovative SMEs (DevelopmentPlus Program)’ within the framework of the Slovenia’s EU Cohesion Policy Programme 2021-2027.

Start:up Slovenija

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