At Share IT, we care deeply about connecting with like-minded people. We believe the IT industry is a vivid and exciting one, filled with inspiring and outstanding professionals and innovators.
This is especially true for the Serbian tech scene.
Looking at the past four years, the IT sector has been the largest contributor to the Serbian economy. Currently, there are more than 2500 software companies and over 30.000 IT people active in Serbia. About two-thirds of them operate with outsourcing as their main business focus, while the remaining one-third develops their own products.
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The tech scene is definitely booming and we’re proud to be a part of it. This is why we joined Tesla Nation, a project by SEE ICT / Startit.
Tesla Nation is a project started with the goal of choosing the best technology inventors and professionals of Serbian heritage, and connect them to partners from all around the world. It is inspired by Nikola Tesla, one of the greatest inventors of all time, the “genius who lit the world”.
Nikola Tesla has gained global recognition in recent years, especially when Elon Musk named his electric car model after the brilliant scientist. Nikola Tesla had around 300 patents in his lifetime but the thing that carved his name in human history is the development of alternating current. This laid the foundation for futuristic technologies such as wireless transmission. Without any doubt, Tesla’s contribution in the field of electricity, radio, and robotics is truly unprecedented.
The late 19th and beginning of the 20th century have been bright years for Serbian science. In the following decades, technical universities were blooming and receiving funding for research. This tradition and the culture of knowledge-sharing continued to live.
Computer science is very present in the Serbian educational system and young kids as little as 11 years old are encouraged to learn different program languages. Some of the languages such as Python are now a mandatory part of the elementary school curriculum.
This is really good news since kids have an opportunity to explore their interests very early and might discover they have a huge talent for a specific STEM field.
In the light of this rich heritage and equally bright future that awaits, Tesla Nation was formed. Today, it gathers many perspective companies in IT looking to make their own impact in the world.
The success of Serbian tech scene is huge.
Serbia has truly exquisite engineers which rank among the top 5 in the world according to the Global Startup Ecosystem report. In addition, it became the first European country to enjoy the support of Google for its startup accelerator. Not to mention that the Microsoft Development Centre Serbia became one of the most reliable stations in the world with its highly talented and forward-thinking people.
Simply put, Tesla Nation is one of those projects that aim to help this positive image of Serbia come to the surface while tackling prejudice and ignorance.
Indeed, the country has a complex past and political history that many find too complicated to comprehend. However, the false idea of Serbia as an undeveloped or even primitive country is a myth worth busting. Here, some of the finest brains in the world are accomplishing a lot in the field of AI, cloud infrastructure, digital entertainment, and security.
Serbia also attracts a lot of expats because of exciting projects that take place here and intriguing, mission-driven startup stories people want to join. There are also many networking events and plenty of room for professional development.
In such a climate, Tesla Nation acts like a catalyst: it connects people and supports their collaboration.
For instance, if you’re someone who needs help with validating your product hypotheses or you need assistance in the R&D department, Tesla Nation will gladly accept your inquiry and connect you with the right people. Likewise, if you happen to have an idea for building something and you’re looking for an experienced person to take their place as a co-founder, Tesla Nation can help you out.
The ultimate goal of Tesla Nation is to position Serbia as one of the leading countries in the fields of technology, science, and innovation.
This is a cause we too believe in and something we can definitely relate to. Connections and partnerships are equally important as the projects we work on.
Here’s what Share IT’s founder and CEO Stevan Bebic has to say about this partnership:
“We see Tesla Nation as a global PR of the Serbian IT industry. Showcasing the incredible talent pool of Serbia, their accomplishments and success, can surely influence the image of our country in the most positive way. In addition, this project will contribute to the recognition of the great potential we have and build additional trust in our knowledge, capabilities, and education centers. Consequently, I believe, this will lead to further growth and development of our IT companies.”
It can be tiring to deal with all the misconceptions people might have about Serbia, but it has to be done in order to rehabilitate the country's reputation, and protect and grow the international business operations, too. Acting as a whole and utilizing the power of community is much more efficient than flying solo and taking the role of Don Quichote, explained Stevan:
“At Share IT, we feel we always have to prove ourselves and go the extra mile because the market looks down on us due to the poor image of the country we come from. Fighting these prejudice alone is exhausting and the achieved results are often short-term. We do note great success in doing so through our everyday work, with individual clients and projects. The high quality of our work can be particularly disarming.
But making a greater impact demands a lot of money and time. By connecting with others and joining Tesla Nation, we have an opportunity to be part of one big, significant story that has goals we feel passionate about. The decision to join was good for both Share IT as a business and the individuals who make the company what it is.”
Our experience has shown that nurturing a sense of community, especially in fast-paced industries such as IT, can be beneficial for all the key stakeholders. Supporting the workforce by exchanging knowledge and unanimously fighting for an important cause such as improving the image of the Serbian IT sector, is something we stand by.
The tech market is truly big and we believe there is a place for everyone.
Like in any other industry, it is possible to distinguish yourself from the competition with the quality of your services, the level of expertise and tech knowledge, the way you handle client communication, the speed of turnarounds, and more.
Since many companies in the region lack marketing and sales skills but excel at technical knowledge, projects like Tesla Nation are more than welcome. They help by filling in the skill gaps and promote those who deserve it the most, thus creating a win-win situation for everyone involved.
We thank Tesla Nation for recognizing Share IT as their valuable strategic partner and look forward to doing great things together. To paraphrase Tesla, the great scientist who inspired this project - the future for which we work will be ours.