KosICT 2025 wraps its 14th edition
The 14th edition of KosICT – Kosovo’s flagship technology festival, powered by STIKK, closed after two intensive days at Tech Park Prishtina with 2,798 registered participants, 208 companies represented, 47 speakers across 22 sessions (14 Main Stage, 8 Developers Stage), 40 exhibitors, and a Future Developers Corner featuring 50 children aged 6–15 learning coding and robotics. Around 20% of attendees were C-level executives, signaling growing demand for practical content, credible partners, and investable opportunities in Kosovo’s tech ecosystem.
The festival opened the OctoberTech Kosova season, a nationwide umbrella for innovation supported by public and private partners, and featured high-level participation including Vjosa Osmani, President of the Republic of Kosovo, alongside national and international stakeholders. Across two stages, the program connected strategy to execution: from AI-driven skills and founder scale-ups to secure cloud communications, municipal digitalization, applied QA for AI systems, and leadership designed for growth.
On the Main Stage, Coursera’s Andy Poole framed skills as the economy’s new currency in the age of AI; Krenar Komoni (Tive) translated founder lessons into operator discipline; WithSecure Intelligence’s Paolo Palumbo mapped the dual-use security reality of AI; and Rachel Mooney (RMM People) distilled two decades of people leadership into decision-rights and feedback systems that compound execution. An EBRD-supported masterclass with Robert Garcia (former CEO, Resonate) explored how leaders scale and then deliberately hand off—structuring ownership, making processes legible, and ensuring customers recognize the product more than the personality. UNDP Kosovo supported a greentech conversation moderated by Louise Skärvall (BOOST), with PI Labs, Electric Mobility, and the Municipality of Prishtina discussing outcome-based procurement, interoperable data, and pilot ownership that residents can feel.
The Developers Stage stayed close to code and delivery. Ericsson Nikola Tesla examined where ML truly helps in embedded systems; CloudAstro unpacked real-world DevOps pipelines; LuxDev convened employers and educators on dual-VET pathways; the Embassy of Finland and Finnpartnership mapped Kosovo–Finland collaboration in private 5G and cybersecurity; Ligna Energy presented ultra-thin, greener power for ambient IoT; ISA Robotics bridged heritage and mechatronics; HERCyber and the British Council pushed privacy-by-design and threat-modeling into daily routines; and ScanwAi Oy reminded teams that clear communication and sales turn technology into business.
Investment flowed in parallel to content. In an EBRD-supported Investors Pitch, nine startups presented to a six-member panel; €50,000 was committed by Krenar Komoni, divided equally among five teams—Foton, Planomate, Me Zemër, Kosova Global Talent Center, and Hamatics—rewarding product clarity, evidence of demand, and execution capacity. Deal-making extended beyond the stage through a hybrid B2B Matchmaking format, powered by the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) Kosovo, where 40 companies coordinated online and on-site meetings via the b2match platform to scope pilots, integrations, distribution, and co-development.
On the exhibition floor, Trailblazers and Innovation Fairs brought 40 exhibitors into a working marketplace of short demos and fast follow-ups, linking discovery to concrete next steps. The Future Developers Corner showcased 50 children from schools and academies who learn coding and robotics from an early age; their projects and Main Stage appearance offered a glimpse of the pipeline already forming beneath today’s teams. Community energy carried into the eSports Showdown, where eight corporate teams competed in Counter-Strike 2.0 and FIFA; Mikena Global took the trophy, while a professional 1v1 League of Legends tournament organized by Xportal and supported by Red Bull Kosova added a competitive edge with a charitable purpose.
“KosICT exists to convert attention into outcomes—skills into jobs, demos into pilots, and stage time into capital,” said Burbuqe Hashimi, Chairwoman of the STIKK Board. “This year’s edition proved again that Kosovo can host world-class conversations while moving real deals forward.” Vjollca Çavolli, Executive Director of STIKK, added: “The collaboration across government, donors, investors, and companies is what makes OctoberTech Kosova special. We’re proud that KosICT continues to be the operating system for those partnerships.”
About KosICT
Founded in 2011 and curated by STIKK (Kosovo ICT Association), KosICT is the country’s leading technology festival, bringing together founders, engineers, investors, policymakers, educators, and students to advance the digital economy. The festival blends high-level talks with hands-on tracks, exhibitions, B2B matchmaking, and community activations.
About STIKK
STIKK – Kosovo ICT Association is the umbrella organization for Kosovo’s ICT industry, representing 120+ member companies. STIKK promotes sector growth through advocacy, capacity building, market access, research, and the production of Kosovo’s flagship tech events.
