From May 9th to 10th, 2023, we attended the DSI 2023 conference at Hotel Bernardin in Portorož. Although we did not place in the top three projects, the conference provided us with valuable insights.
The DSI conference served as a platform for entrepreneurs and innovators to showcase their ideas and projects to prominent figures in the industry and academia, and for experts to provide their insight into how digitization should be integrated into Slovenian infrastructure. We eagerly anticipated the opportunity to present our work and benefit from this excellent platform. To this end, we refined our business pitch, and Luka presented our project to the audience.
The event was filled with an exhilarating atmosphere, as participants passionately shared their projects. We took advantage of this opportunity to meet other participants, network with industry leaders, and establish connections that could prove beneficial to our project.
Despite not winning the competition, we left feeling motivated and inspired. We encountered many passionate and talented individuals who were working diligently to make a difference in the world. It was an honor to be part of such a community, and we were grateful for the opportunity to showcase our project.
The first place was awarded to pickUpPal, created by Tjaž Valentinčič and Aljaž Starc. It is a simple and intuitive mobile application designed to address the challenge of maintaining clean streets and surroundings in tourist destinations. The app allows users to report full garbage bins in cities or rural areas with a single click, using a QR code and an intelligent waste bin recognition model.
The second place was achieved by zemljevid mobilnosti, created by Miha Frangež, Nedžad Beus, and Nejc Drobnič. It is a mobile and web application that allows users to see all available modes of transport near them on one vendor-neutral map, as well as intelligently plan a trip from point A to point B using any combination of the supported providers. This project has the potential to reduce the carbon footprint of its users by optimizing their movement from point A to point B.
The third place was won by binBrain, a project brought to us by Bojan Petroski, Tanja Grozdani, and Emilija Dunoska. A possible solution for recycling, binBrain allows the user to deposit any kind of trash which is then sorted inside the trash canister, leading to a simplified experience for the user.
Honorable mention goes to SpremljAI, created by Gregor Gabrovšek, an ingenious solution to detect bot accounts. Bot accounts are an ever-increasing issue, used to spread fake news or defend a point of view. SpremljAI detects patterns in messages by different users to detect similarities.
Congratulations to all the winners!
We extend our sincere gratitude to the organizers of the DSI conference for putting together such a remarkable event. We would also like to express our appreciation to the attendees for fostering a great atmosphere and providing invaluable feedback that will undoubtedly assist us in improving our project and business model.
In conclusion, attending the DSI conference was a valuable experience that provided us with an opportunity to share our project with a wider audience, enhance our pitching abilities, and improve our overall presentation skills.