I will be in Tirana from Dec 12th-15th.
If you are building a startup and are looking for investment, then let's meet.
Also, make sure to come to the PIRATE Meetup on December 14th.
Great people are going to be there. And Ervin from Publer is going to share his incredible story.
Ping me.🙏
So far, I haven't met anyone who has invested in Albanian ventures.
Either I just haven't met the right people yet (likely), or there aren't any investors/business angels around.
I refuse to believe the latter.
If you have invested in Albania - or know anyone - then please reach out.
To build a functioning #AlbanianStartupEcosystem we need
👉 entrepreneurs willing to take the leap,
👉 talented people who join startups early on,
👉 mentors who have built businesses, and
👉 capital.
We decided to invest directly into an Albanian entity.
Not because it was easy (it wasn't), but because we thought it was the right thing to do.
Also, to show that we are committed to the country for a longer period.
The idea was - and still is - to help build and grow a local startup ecosystem.
We actively scouted small software agencies in selected countries.
A ton of recommendations, lead to ~20 calls.
From those, we selected a few that seemed a great fit.
Then we flew out to meet founding teams.
Eventually, division5 was our favorite option.
We struck a deal and started building.
We invested because it was the right fit.
There was already a connection to Engjell as he had won the Pirates on Shore pitch event in Tirana and later pitched at PIRATE Summit. 🏴☠️
That connection - and many similar ones - helped in our simple investment process.
Where are the business angels in Albania? 🇦🇱🤔
That's what I have been wondering for four years now.
I have invested four years ago and am a regular visitor.
So far, I haven't met a single active(!) angel investor.
Some context 👇
But ultimately - whatever way you turn it - success in business is driven by creating customer value, being profitable (or having a path to profitability), and achieving collective goals.
Unlike in families.
🙏
A trust-based culture that balances freedom, responsibility, and performance.
A place that treats employees like the adults that they are.
Build on the belief that doing well and treating people well can go hand in hand.
It makes a lot of business sense to build a human-centered culture, though.
That's the core idea of how we work at PIRATE.global and the companies from the group.