{"id":14595,"date":"2026-03-08T10:49:40","date_gmt":"2026-03-08T09:49:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/inova.to\/the-biggest-problem-for-slovak-business-isnt-capital-companies-are-held-back-by-isolation-more-than-anything-else\/"},"modified":"2026-03-08T10:49:40","modified_gmt":"2026-03-08T09:49:40","slug":"the-biggest-problem-for-slovak-business-isnt-capital-companies-are-held-back-by-isolation-more-than-anything-else","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/inova.to\/en\/the-biggest-problem-for-slovak-business-isnt-capital-companies-are-held-back-by-isolation-more-than-anything-else\/","title":{"rendered":"The biggest problem for Slovak business isn\u2019t capital: companies are held back by isolation more than anything else"},"content":{"rendered":"

Slovak business has a problem that isn\u2019t talked about much. It\u2019s not a lack of talent or capital. It\u2019s isolation. <\/strong> Companies operate side by side and tackle similar problems on their own.<\/strong> They look for solutions someone else found long ago, yet they don\u2019t even know about each other. Inovato was created as a response to this situation. <\/span><\/p>\n

Not through yet another contact database, but through real relationships, joint projects, and an environment where people meet who have something to offer and are also open to collaboration.<\/span><\/p>\n

We brought together three members from different industries: an engineering design office, a financial advisory firm, and an accounting firm. We asked them directly: what does membership in the INOVATO Cluster actually give you?<\/strong> Where has collaboration translated into real practice? <\/span><\/p>\n

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Viktor Albert: Machines, paper, and people solving real problems<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Viktor Albert runs the engineering design office Vida Design, which specializes in building single-purpose machines. It\u2019s not an industry where you\u2019d intuitively look for a community overlap. And yet. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI meet many C-level people here. They\u2019re people who are working on innovative things in their companies. This networking is very valuable to me,\u201d <\/span><\/i>says Viktor. They\u2019re not big projects yet, but he says the collaboration is gradually and genuinely turning into concrete business relationships between companies.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Vida Design works on equipment for recycling paper and refurbishing old production lines. Sustainability not as a marketing pledge, but as a real machine on the shop floor that turns waste into raw material. <\/span><\/p>\n

Viktor sees the circular economy in its most tangible form as an opportunity where Slovak industry has something to say.<\/span><\/p>\n

Why join Inovato? Viktor puts it simply <\/span>: \u201cIt\u2019s good for everyone to meet new people and attend events like these. Besides networking, there are regular webinars and meetups of more narrowly specialized people and companies focused on specific topics.<\/strong>\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

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Dana Behulov\u00e1: Measurable results and the question no one asks out loud<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Dana Behulov\u00e1 represents Finlinea and has been involved with Inovato for several years. When she talks about results, she doesn\u2019t need to wrap her answer in vague words about the benefits of community. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMembership has brought our company\u2014and me personally\u2014a lot of contacts, many good friendships, and of course business collaborations, and it has helped us grow as a company.\u201d <\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n

Specifically: webinars for Inovato, projects in the energy sector, research collaboration, innovation vouchers<\/span>. \u201cWe got opportunities that helped us grow.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

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When we asked her what topics the community should open up, she didn\u2019t hesitate. And her answer was surprisingly direct: <\/span>Slovakia\u2019s macroeconomics<\/b>. Not digital transformation, not AI, not sustainability. The fundamental question: where our country is heading, where it\u2019s stagnating, and where the real opportunities are. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m seeing that many companies are starting to struggle. Experts\u2019 perspective on Slovakia\u2019s macroeconomics\u2014that\u2019s a topic we\u2019d all like to hear.\u201d <\/span><\/i> It\u2019s a topic that\u2019s usually avoided at conferences. Dana says that\u2019s exactly why it should be heard. <\/span><\/p>\n

Her message for those considering membership is honest to the very end:<\/span> \u201cYou\u2019ll definitely be welcomed here by great people, you\u2019ll get opportunities to collaborate, but how well you do will also depend on you.\u201d<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Juraj Krnavec: Efficiency isn\u2019t a buzzword\u2014it\u2019s a way of thinking<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Juraj Krnavec leads Reform Office and doesn\u2019t talk about Inovato\u2019s benefits only in theory. He actively provides services to Inovato itself and several of its members. The business didn\u2019t come from reaching out to unknown contacts or paid advertising, but directly from the community\u2014through relationships built gradually and naturally. <\/span><\/p>\n

What does membership give him beyond contracts? <\/span>“A broader perspective. Meetings with companies from different industries, with entrepreneurs living a similar life. <\/strong> Problems across different industries are often the same, and here you have space to talk about it with someone who\u2019s living it too, and to look at things from multiple angles.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

In his business, Juraj focuses on a topic that\u2019s resonating more and more: <\/span>eliminating unnecessary manual and duplicate tasks and achieving real efficiency in company processes<\/b>. Not as a technology topic, but as a management one\u2014so entrepreneurs have the capacity to think strategically and not just put out operational fires.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI want people to have time for things that bring real added value\u2014for the company and for clients.\u201d <\/span><\/i>His recommendation for those interested in membership is shorter than any marketing copy: <\/span>\u201cGo, meet, experience it, and try it.\u201d<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n