Matej Fegus is the 2014 CEED entepreneur of the year

The Center for Entrepreneurship and Executive Development (“CEED”) announced the winner of the 2014 CEED Entrepreneur of the Year award during the CEED Global Annual Conference in Casablanca, Morocco on October 23, 2014. The 2014 CEED Entrepreneur of the Year is Matej Feguš, CEO of DONAR d.o.o. Matej Feguš was selected based on his achievements in enhancing the capacity of his company, building his connections in the local and international markets, and developing his local community. Matej Feguš is a CEED mentor and regularly volunteers his time to share his knowledge and lessons learned with the next generation of entrepreneurs. In his application, Matej Feguš attributes his success to CEED programs and the network. He notes that “I have to thank CEED education and its mentors to become majority owner at Donar (2011) and also to start 3 different companies (in different fields of expertise) with foreign investors. Being a member of CEED has given me so many channels where I can share, test and implement ideas with my new entrepreneurial adventures.”

After the award ceremony, Peter Righi, CEED Global Director, remarked “I am excited about the many achievements of our entrepreneurs. I hope that Matej’s successes and contributions inspire all entrepreneurs to continue to create innovative products and services that help their communities and the overall economy.” The 2014 CEED Entrepreneur of the Year will receive US$ 20,000 and the opportunity to spend a day with a renowned entrepreneur of CEED’s international network such as Jeff Hoffman, co-founder of Priceline.com, and Seth Goldman, founder and CEO of Honest Tea. In his application, Matej Feguš indicated that he will “donate cash prize to grow this awareness in our educational system and with this money we can present our course PKP – translation Brave, Creative, Entrepreneurial (NGOs CEED and TiPovej) at minimum 10 high schools in Slovenia and like this give over 300 young people new challenges and new vision for the future.” DONAR d.o.o. helps companies achieve greater efficiency by providing high-quality, dynamic, and active solutions to office furniture. The company has received numerous prestigious design awards. Most notably, DONAR d.o.o. received the Red Dot design award in 2013 for its most popular product Beatnik, a sound station chair. Visit www.donar.si to learn more about the company and its products.

The runner-up for the 2014 CEED Entrepreneur of the Year award came from Morocco, the host country of CEED Global Annual Conference. Adele Mokhtari, owner of BP212.COM, developed an innovative cloud-based platform used by over 160 businesses in Morocco and plans to establish a program to provide training to young graduates on SME best practices. Other finalists include: Vasil Plamenov Karaivanov (Bulgaria), Driton Hapciu (Kosovo), Danica Lichanin-Blazheska (Macedonia), Ionut Radu Popescu (Romania), Uros Ignjacevic (Serbia), and Zied Guiga (Tunisia). Click here to view additional information on each finalist. Matej F.At CEED, we believe that entrepreneurs and the jobs they create are the lifeblood of a prosperous economy. Entrepreneurs exist everywhere, but they thrive when surrounded by ecosystems of support. Our mission is to be the global leader in entrepreneurial support services by developing, connecting, and mentoring high-growth entrepreneurs and fostering the ecosystems in which they operate. We accomplish our mission by providing unique accelerator programs, network learning events, and enlisting successful entrepreneurs to mentor those looking to grow their businesses. CEED is headquartered in Washington, D.C., U.S.A. with centers in Albania, Armenia, Bangladesh, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Kosovo, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Morocco, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, and Tunisia.

Source: http://ceed-slovenia.org/