Ivan Ivanović is a digital artist and an owner of Heresy Design, a digital media studio involved in game development, digital graphic design, art, and animation. He is also a lecturer at a college university Algebra Zagreb, teaching conceptual and applied art for videogames. Ivan is a member of P.O.I.N.T. association (education, information, journalism, technology), Atelieri Koprivnica (Koprivnica Ateliers) art association and HU IZ VI (Croatian Association of Videogames Producers).

IVLP Impact Award Project: Future Crossroads: Youth Entrepreneurship Boot Camp

The project empowered high school students with new tools and digital skills to develop their ideas into sustainable business models and successful startups. Participants were be connected with veteran entrepreneurs, mentors, and business professionals from the local community. Teams of young people engaged in workshops conducted by experienced professionals from partner organizations and the local community centered around the topics of digital technologies, social entrepreneurship, and local community improvements.

The two-day intensive “Future Crossroads” bootcamp featured workshops for 18 high school students and public events with 96 attendees, prioritizing young people from underserved communities (rural areas, low-income areas, minority groups). The boot camp included five workshops on design thinking, online promotion, SMART goals, budgeting, and sales pitching, conducted by professionals in the field. It also offered networking opportunities, individual idea development time, and a pitching contest judged by a jury. The public evening program offered lectures, presentations, and two panel discussions with Q&A sessions, along with a networking event for participants, local entrepreneurs, and community members to share experiences and knowledge about entrepreneurship. The project successfully boosted youth entrepreneurship and innovation in a provincial region with limited business education, connecting participants with veteran entrepreneurs, mentors, and business professionals from the local community.

Future Crossroads Wesbite

“This project contributed to the development of entrepreneurial competencies of young people, providing them with the opportunity to acquire the necessary knowledge and skills…I look forward to future collaborations and continued support for similar initiatives in the future!” - Project Partner

IVLP Exchange Experience 

Ivan participated in the IVLP Project Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development organized by the U.S. Department of State and Institute for International Education, in partnership with Global Ties Sacramento, Global Ties San Francisco, World Affairs Council Cincinnati & Northern Kentucky, WorldBoston, and Utah Global Diplomacy.

Ivan’s exchange experience led to the development of his project: “What I find to be the crown jewel of my IVLP experience is understanding the step-by-step workflow of [accelerator programs]…and variables that affect it or might endanger it. In my project, I would like to introduce the participants to this workflow, show them the basic principles…introduce them to key decisionmakers in this process and teach them how the ecosystem can help and support them when they stray off the beaten path. The idea is to empower young people and spark the realization that they are the future businessmen and startup founders, and that they are not alone in this endeavor.”

“During my IVLP program, the meetings that had the most profound effect on me were the experience exchanges with startup founders, entrepreneurs, and educators in the field of business and tech. Their approach to problem solving, [their] entrepreneurial mindset, and the advice they shared were the biggest discoveries during my IVLP trip.” – Ivan Ivanović

U.S. Communities Visited

Sacramento, CA; San Francisco, CA; Washington, DC; Boston, MA; Cincinnati, OH; Salt Lake City, UT

Country: Croatia

 

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