Date: Friday, 12 December 2025
More than 200 women entrepreneurs, together with representatives from the private sector, public institutions, financial organizations, international partners, and business leaders from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo¹, took part in the Women’s Entrepreneurship EXPO 2025 satellite events held in Sarajevo and Pristina.
On 10 November, Sarajevo hosted the satellite event “Seen. Found. Funded,” offering yet another opportunity for women entrepreneurs from Bosnia and Herzegovina to meet with investors, business partners, and explore new market opportunities.
“We at UN Women are so delighted to localize the Women’s Entrepreneurship EXPO here in Sarajevo. We hope that the discussions held here will not only advance business growth but also strengthen the entrepreneurial ecosystem here and across the region,” said Jo-Anne Bishop, UN Women Representative to Bosnia and Herzegovina. 
During the event, participants had the opportunity to boost their business visibility, refine their brand stories, and learning to communicate their value to buyers and investors, expand their networks, and engage in the growing EXPO initiative that is reshaping the landscape for women in business.
For Irma Jakić, 32, from Sarajevo, the founder of MojObrt.ba, an online bookkeeping platform for small business owners and artisans, the event was a chance to meet peers and gain new insights. “There are so many girls and women here who came for the same reason — to learn more, meet new people, and gain knowledge about running a company or a business. It’s always nice to build connections and hear something new,” she said.
Her subscription-based service helps entrepreneurs manage finances without a traditional accountant. In just three months, it has already grown to 180 users. As a micro-business, Irma Jakić aims to expand her customer base, increase revenue, and eventually scale the platform across the region.
Another woman entrepreneur, Ivana Ćulibrk, 24, from Banja Luka, is the founder of „DroidMate“, a digital solutions company specializing in web and mobile applications that streamline daily processes for small and medium-sized businesses. “I was given the opportunity to participate in this programme to expand my knowledge and connect with other entrepreneurs, especially women, who are still a minority in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It’s a great honor to be part of this,” said Ivana Ćulibrk. 
Currently in a growth phase, DroidMate offers tools for work organization, internal communication, and digital marketing, serving entrepreneurs, startups, and organizations looking to modernize their operations. Ivana Ćulibrk’s goal is to scale existing products, position DroidMate as a reliable tech partner, and expand into regional markets.
Over the past four years, the Women’s Entrepreneurship EXPO has connected thousands of women entrepreneurs and supported women-led businesses in Bosnia and Herzegovina through a network of local partners. With expert-led sessions, hands-on workshops, and peer mentoring, entrepreneurs can build stronger business profiles, improve their pitch and financial readiness, and learn directly from women who have navigated similar growth journeys.
In Kosovo, the EXPO satellite event gathered around 150 participants, including 20 women entrepreneurs who presented their businesses digitally, representing sectors from digital innovation and food value chains to fashion, handicrafts, and training.
“The Women’s Entrepreneurship EXPO 2025 Satellite Event has one clear purpose: to build an economy where women not only participate, but lead, influence, and create new opportunities for generations to come,” stated Vlora Tuzi Nushi, Head of UN Women Office in Kosovo.
In the final segment of the event, entrepreneurs joined dedicated Business Connection Hubs, organized according by business category – Innovation and digitalization; food and agrivalue chains; fashion and handicrafts; and education and training. These hubs provided direct with leading companies and industry representatives in Kosovo to explore collaboration, partnership, and market expansion.
“Across Kosovo, nearly one in three new businesses is now led by a woman, proof that when women are given opportunity and support, they lead, innovate, and drive economic transformation,” noted Stephen O’Malley, UN Development Coordinator in Kosovo.
One of those leaders is Bardha Ajvazi, Co-Founder and CEO of Andrra, a digital platform supporting women throughout pregnancy. “They told me that women do not belong in the tech industry. I didn’t listen, and I built a platform, an app that now supports thousands of women around the world,” she stated. Andrra is powered by a dynamic, primarily women-led team of developers, content creators, and collaborating health professionals, all working together to provide reliable information to women when they need it most. 
Both satellite events were organized by UN Women, in the framework of the “EU4 Gender Equality: Women’s Economic Empowerment and Ending Violence against Women,” funded by the European Union.
Launched in 2021, the Women’s Entrepreneurship EXPO is a unique partnership platform to promote women’s entrepreneurship ecosystem building in the Europe and Central Asia region. EXPO provides an interactive space for women entrepreneurs, investors and private sector representatives for networking and collaboration, peer learning, ideas generation, capacity building and business development. EXPO 2025 is organized by UN Women Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia in partnership with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), European Business Angels Network (EBAN) and Women in Tech Global.
^{1 References to Kosovo should be understood to be in the context of UN Security Council Resolution 1244 (1999).}
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