On Tuesday, June 19, 2018, the first generation of companies gathered for the introductory module of the Ljubljana Stock Exchange’s Partner Programme, a two-year entrepreneurial program of educational and advisory nature. The Partner Programme is intended for all ambitious entrepreneurs, managers and owners who have a clear vision and a desire to elevate their company to a higher level of business and step up the competition.

The first generation of the programme is comprised of eight entrepreneurs who, through the optimization of business processes, will prepare their companies for easier achievement of the set goals and realization of their own visions. With the acquired knowledge and implementation of these in the management itself, their companies will pursue the primary goal of the program - successful and sovereign functioning on the capital markets and obtaining the necessary financial resources.

The first year of the program is dedicated to interactive workshops, presenting the latest business models and entrepreneurial practices. Identifying and solving the relevant issues of an individual company is based on the exchange of participants' own experiences and comparison with the competitive environment. In the second year of the programme, the company's management and moderators implement and upgrade the current business processes with an individual approach.

Aleš Ipavec, MSc, President of the Management Board of the Ljubljana Stock Exchange, said: "The Partner Programme is a project that we at the Ljubljana Stock Exchange see as one of the key projects for the future development of the Slovenian capital market, which is largely composed of small and medium-sized enterprises. This program is aimed specifically at those companies that face different challenges than larger companies. This continues the long-term strategy of the Ljubljana Stock Exchange."

Branko Železnik, Head of Development and Sales and Head of the Partner Program, added: "The new role, accepted by the Ljubljana Stock Exchange in the field of promoting the growth of small and medium-sized enterprises, also through the Partner Programme, very well received by both the public and the investors. The business environment around the Exchange (companies, investors, consultants and other stakeholders) is rapidly expanding and is a good indicator of a successful future development of the domestic capital market."