In her op-ed originally published in Blic, Tanja Kuzman, director of the unlockit conference and the Digital Serbia Initiative, writes about the global reset of the technology ecosystem, artificial intelligence as a turning point, and why the key conversations about the future of growth and global positioning will take place at the unlockit conference on February 19-20 in Belgrade.
Over the past year, artificial intelligence (AI) has evolved from a technological trend into a systemic transformation of business models and markets. While early discussions focused on efficiency gains, smarter tools, and improved processes, it is now clear that AI represents something far more profound. It is redefining how startups and companies are created, how they grow, and how they disappear. The question is whether our local ecosystem is ready for a global game that has already begun. My impression is that we still tend to believe most of these changes are happening outside our ecosystem, assuming there is time for gradual adaptation.
The new rules are not written locally
Startups reaching hundreds of millions of euros in revenue within their first year of operation are no longer exceptions – they are signals of a deep structural shift. AI enables companies to build products for global markets in a short time, without traditional infrastructure, large teams, or years of development. Industries are being reshaped by new approaches and business models. For local ecosystems, these trends should be seen as a clear warning.
If we continue to focus primarily on regional problems, local customers, and closed networks, we risk becoming invisible at a moment when value is increasingly created on a global scale. I often hear that the global market feels abstract or distant, when in reality it has never been closer. Audiences, users, and partners are only a few clicks away, and competition is global – whether we acknowledge it or not.
Skills for the world, not just the local scene
One of the most persistent misconceptions is that local startups and companies fail to scale globally because their products are not technically strong enough. While this can sometimes be true, what increasingly makes the difference today are skills that are still not being developed systematically: understanding global users, sales, innovative monetization models, marketing, and go-to-market strategies.
A global mindset means the ability to view problems from a global perspective rather than a local one, supported by the skills mentioned above. From my perspective, this mindset can largely be learned and cultivated, and it is essential that it becomes an integral part of our education system.
The critical step: connectivity
One of the key drivers of ecosystem development is creation of meaningful connection with other ecosystems. Investors, mentors, and partners from the most advanced markets are still rarely part of our everyday business conversations and flows. In a world where decisions are made quickly and capital and knowledge move globally, a lack of connectivity can become a costly mistake.
With this in mind, we decided to build the unlockit conference, which on February 19–20 will bring to Belgrade startup founders who have successfully exited their companies, AI experts shaping global markets and industries, and professionals who have built sales and marketing strategies for some of the world’s most successful companies and startups. This is only the first – but an extremely important – step toward an ecosystem that is globally positioned and internationally recognized.
