News
KD Funds, the Proud Patron of the DELO Business Stars Project 2018
(14 September 2018) KD Funds and the Delo media enterprise are this year cooperating on the second edition of the Delo Business Stars project. In November, the prestigious statuette will be awarded at Brdo pri Kranju to one of the ten best SMEs in Slovenia by the Delo editorial team and the professional jury. One of its members is Luka Podlogar, the President of the Management Board of KD Funds.
KD Funds has been supporting projects promoting innovative and development-oriented companies aspiring for excellence and long-term success for a number of years. KD Funds itself is a company whose DNA includes similar values – excellence, long-term focus, passion, winning and team spirit.
“Whilst small and medium-sized companies are the engine of every economy, they are quite often misunderstood. Most of the Slovenian SMEs we assess to be the companies of the future come from the manufacturing, technological and health sectors. They have good human resources, development-oriented ideas and a growth attitude but lack proper equity financing. They tell us that banks are not necessarily their long-term partners in every development phase, which became clear in the recent crisis. This is where we see our potential as well as the mission of our industry,” says Luka Podlogar, the President of the Management Board of KD Funds.
On the basis of a list of companies prepared by the project partner, the Agency of the Republic of Slovenia for Public Legal Records and Related Services (AJPES), the Delo editorial team short-listed 115 companies and selected ten nominees – companies that are innovative, export and development oriented, with at least EUR 3 million of annual revenues, a minimum of five employees and an added value per employee of at least EUR 35,000. At the same time, they are aware that people are of key importance for their success.
The companies nominated for this prestigious award – Pipistrel, Polycom Škofja Loka, Solis Straža, D. Labs, Vasco, Acies Bio, Labena, Mineralka, Mi elektronika and Resalta – are presented on the www.delo.si/delove-podjetniske-zvezde website, where readers can vote for their favourite nominee.
The Delo Business Star 2018 will be announced at the big gala event to take place on 8 November at Brdo pri Kranju. This will be one of the ten SMEs chosen by the Delo editorial team and the professional jury, including Luka Podlogar, the President of the Management Board. On the same day, a seminar hub ‘Business – the Story of Human Capital’ will be organised for the first time as part of the Delo Business Stars project, connecting topics on the significance of human capital, the meaning and objectives of entrepreneurship, and understanding and introducing new business models required by the 4th Industrial Revolution. Luka Podlogar, the President of the Management Board, and his guests will be speaking about how to manage a company’s growth phase.
