Results of the Public Call
Katapult 2026 Cohort
Katapult Joins Europe’s Leading Startup Hubs
In recent years, Serbia’s startup ecosystem has experienced strong growth, while the Katapult acceleration program has established itself as a key support mechanism enabling innovative companies to scale and access global markets.
Through the fifth public call, the Innovation Fund has selected nine startup companies that will receive mentorship and financial support through the program, as well as opportunities to connect with investors and international partners to support further business growth and development.
During the three-month program, companies will refine their business models, strengthen market strategies, and prepare for future investment rounds while further developing and positioning their solutions.
The Katapult 2026 cohort brings together companies that continue developing their products and businesses with the support of international mentors and experts from various fields. The acceleration component of the program is implemented with the expertise and implementation support of the World Bank, enabling startups to access global knowledge and experience, as well as networks of investors and business partners.
Financial support for companies within the fifth public call has been provided from the budget of the Republic of Serbia in the total amount of EUR 3 million, with the support of the Ministry of Science, Technological Development and Innovation.
The results of the Katapult program in recent years clearly demonstrate the progress of Serbia’s startup ecosystem. Through four program cohorts so far, 80 startup companies have participated, attracting more than USD 30 million in private investment within one year of entering the program. The total market value of companies from the Katapult portfolio now exceeds USD 330 million.
The significance and quality of the program have also recently been recognized at the European level. According to the Financial Times ranking, Katapult has been listed among the 50 leading startup hubs in Europe, while ranking 11th in Europe for the quality of its mentorship. Notably, Katapult is the only hub from outside the European Union, the United Kingdom, and Switzerland to be ranked among the top 180 European startup hubs.
This recognition reflects the long-term development of Serbia’s innovation ecosystem and is the result of continuous cooperation between the Government of the Republic of Serbia, the European Union, and the World Bank in strengthening institutional support for innovative entrepreneurship. Through joint investments and program support, more than EUR 25 million has been secured for the development and implementation of the Katapult program, including a World Bank loan and technical assistance in the amount of EUR 15.1 million and a EUR 10 million grant from the European Union.
List of Selected Startups
Brutefix
Location: Belgrade
Industry: Cyber Security
Category: Scale-up
UpSec provides an easy-to-use cybersecurity platform that continuously tests company systems for internal and external vulnerabilities. It helps mid-sized businesses gain clear security insights, remediate threats faster, and maintain compliance with EU standards.
hvala.tips
Location: Belgrade
Industry: FinTech
Category: Scale-up
hvala.tips transforms standard POS terminals into tools for staff motivation and customer engagement by enabling instant digital tipping and real-time customer feedback during payment. The solution requires no hardware changes and helps banks and POS providers enhance their services while allowing employees to receive tips directly to their personal bank accounts.
Rewardly
Location: Belgrade
Industry: Software and application development
Category: Scale-up
Rewardly is a smart compensation platform that helps companies align pay with market benchmarks to improve employee satisfaction and manage long-term costs. The platform provides up-to-date insights on salaries, benefits, and bonuses, enabling HR teams and leadership to build fair, competitive, and data-driven compensation strategies.
Dynamic Mockups
Location: Belgrade
Industry: Artificial Intelligence
Category: Scale-up
Dynamic Mockups provides API infrastructure that enables businesses to automatically generate realistic lifestyle product visuals at scale. Its mesh-mapping technology creates dimensionally accurate images in real environments and integrates directly into e-commerce workflows, automating product photography for online stores.
Ethernal
Location: Novi Sad
Industry: Blockchain
Category: Ideation
Ethernal develops scalable and secure blockchain infrastructure for building and deploying Web3 solutions. The company specializes in cross-chain interoperability, smart contract engineering, and protocol audits, helping projects integrate reliable blockchain components into their ecosystems.
Metastack
Location: Belgrade
Industry: Software and application development
Category: Ideation
Metastack is an esports workspace and education platform that helps competitive players organize, develop, and share game knowledge. Its SaaS platform enables users to create and manage tactical content while discovering strategies from a growing content library, initially focused on Counter-Strike.
Solarise Technologies
Location: Novi Sad
Industry: Artificial Intelligence
Category: Scale-up
Solarise provides an AI-powered website plugin that enables solar companies to generate instant preliminary solar installation quotes. By analyzing a property’s solar potential in minutes, the solution helps companies capture leads, shorten sales cycles, and increase conversion rates.
WERSIRIUS
Location: Niš
Industry: Transportation
Category: Ideation
Wersirius delivers digital services and technology solutions for the global logistics and trucking industry. Its platform supports multiple operational functions, including dispatch, brokerage, recruitment, accounting and compliance, helping logistics companies streamline operations and scale their business primarily in the U.S. market.
LongShot Studio
Location: Belgrade
Industry: Interactive media
Category: Ideation
LongShot Studio is a video game development company creating original games for global distribution. Its titles are developed for major digital platforms such as Steam and Epic Games.