Nina Nikolich: Building Bridges from the Balkans – Globally

Nina Nikolich is an ecosystem builder from North Macedonia who connects startups, investors, and innovation actors across borders. A natural “superconnector,” she focuses on turning collaboration into opportunities for founders in emerging startup ecosystems.

With a background in program management, business development, and storytelling, Nina has spent over a decade supporting entrepreneurs and innovation communities. Her work is rooted in building trust, aligning stakeholders, and helping ecosystems grow together rather than in isolation.

This vision led Nina to co-found the Western Balkan Startup Alliance (WBSA), a regional association uniting accelerators, incubators, and startup hubs across the Western Balkans. Today, WBSA brings together 18 ecosystem organizations and supports more than 1,000 startups, positioning the region as a credible innovation hub.

Before launching WBSA, Nina worked with the Swiss Entrepreneurship Program, where she supported more than 500 startups.Alongside her professional roles, she has mentored founders through initiatives such as Techstars Startup Weekend and the Social Impact Award, and launched Womenpreneurs Stories, an initiative addressing the underrepresentation of female founders and C-level managers in the startup and tech sectors. The initiative celebrates inspirational women in business, sharing their stories and inspiring the next generation through event formats. Based on audience feedback, the initiative expanded into a five-day Bootcamp supporting first-time female founders from all 11 Balkan countries.