"A Founder Who Stays in the Game Has a Real Chance": Miljan Ilić on Building Recikom and Serbia's Startup Pipeline

The Founder and CEO of Recikom and Regional Partner for Startup World Cup Serbia discusses entrepreneurship, resilience, innovation, artificial intelligence, and building businesses for long-term growth.

"A founder who keeps learning and comes back stronger each time has a real chance to build a serious company."

Entrepreneurship is often associated with rapid growth and breakthrough ideas, but long-term success is usually built through persistence, continuous learning, and the ability to adapt to changes. Those qualities have shaped the professional journey of Miljan Ilić, the Founder and CEO of Recikom and Regional Partner for Startup World Cup Serbia.

Alongside developing a digital platform focused on the traceability of waste and secondary raw material flows, Mr. Ilić works with founders, investors, corporations, and mentors across the international startup ecosystem. His experience spans building his own company, participating in global accelerator programmes, mentoring entrepreneurs, and helping connect promising startups from the Western Balkans with international opportunities.

In this interview, Mr. Ilić discusses the lessons that shaped his entrepreneurial journey, the importance of resilience, how artificial intelligence is changing business, and why founders—not ideas—remain the most valuable asset behind every successful company.

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For readers who may not know you yet, could you briefly introduce yourself and tell us what you’re currently working on?

I am Miljan Ilić, Founder and CEO of Recikom MM innovation, a Startup World Cup mentor, and Regional Partner for Startup World Cup Serbia, licensed by Pegasus Tech Ventures from Silicon Valley. I am also a Founder Institute alumnus. Founder Institute is a San Francisco-based global pre-seed accelerator. Through Recikom, we are building a digital system for the traceability of waste and secondary raw material flows. We connect data on where materials originate, who collects them, how they move, and where they ultimately end up, so that this data can become a practical tool for business decision-making and more efficient resource management. Recikom connects waste generators, collectors, recyclers, and industry. Waste generators gain better records and visibility into material flows, collectors and recyclers can manage those flows more efficiently, and industry gains better insight into the availability of secondary raw materials. Better data can also help identify business and investment opportunities within the circular economy. At the same time, through Startup World Cup Serbia, I work on connecting high-quality startups with corporations, investors, mentors, and the international startup ecosystem. My focus is on connecting people, data, and business opportunities to create concrete, long-term value.

Your career has taken you from building companies to the Startup World Cup ecosystem. What has that journey looked like?

That journey was not planned in advance. It was built step by step. I started with Recikom and with a concrete problem that I wanted to address through technology, data, and material traceability. One of the important moments in my journey was Founder Institute. The first time I applied, I did not pass the selection process. I could have concluded that it was not for me, but I did not. I continued working, improved the way I developed and presented the company, and applied again. Later, I completed the program and became part of its global alumni network. Recikom then reached the finals of Serbia’s national competition for the Best Technological Innovation, as one of six finalist teams. As Recikom developed, I became increasingly involved in the international startup ecosystem. I spoke with founders, mentors, corporations, and investors, and built my network step by step. Later, my work was recognized and I was scouted by Startup World Cup. I first became a mentor within its global ecosystem and then Regional Partner for Startup World Cup Serbia. That was particularly important to me because I did not come from a major investment fund or one of Europe’s largest startup hubs. I came as a founder who had spent years building a company, going through selection processes, learning, and building relationships. Today, I am developing Recikom and Startup World Cup Serbia in parallel. Recikom keeps me in the daily reality of being a founder — product, market, people, and capital. Startup World Cup gives me the opportunity to meet other founders, analyze their companies, and understand much earlier how they think and build. Those two experiences complement each other very well. I do not observe founders only from the outside. I am still one of them.

"I do not observe founders only from the outside. I am still one of them."

What inspired you to found Recikom, and what opportunity did you see?

Recikom began after a very specific situation I witnessed outside the building where I live. Residents were separating waste, but during collection I saw that previously sorted materials were being placed together. I started asking questions. Where does the material originate? Who collects it? How does it move? Where does it end up? What information follows that material throughout the entire process? That is where I recognized significant potential for digitalization and traceability. When data is connected and reliable, materials can be managed more efficiently. Secondary raw materials can be better connected with the needs of industry, companies can plan more precisely, and data can also help identify new business and investment opportunities. Recikom grew out of those questions. Today, we are building a system that connects waste generators, collectors, recyclers, and industry through data on the movement of materials.

Entrepreneurship is rarely a straight path. What has been one of the defining challenges in your career, and how did it shape you as a leader?

One of the most important challenges was learning how to react when validation does not come immediately. Founder Institute is a good example. The first time I applied, I did not pass the selection process. Of course, I was disappointed. But I did not look for excuses. I had to look objectively at what was not good enough, what was not clear enough, and what I could do better. I continued working and applied again. The second time, I completed the program. That experience shaped me significantly. I learned that rejection is not the end, but it is also not something you should simply ignore. You need to listen to feedback, analyze it, and correct what genuinely needs to change. Today, I expect the same from the people I work with. Making a mistake is not the biggest problem. The real problem begins when we refuse to see it, hide it, or fail to learn from it.

"Rejection is not the end. You need to listen to feedback, analyze it, and correct what genuinely needs to change."

As Regional Partner for Startup World Cup Serbia, you meet founders from different parts of the region. What separates the startups that succeed from those that struggle to develop?

I can see an excellent pitch in five minutes. But only through conversation do you understand whether a founder truly knows their business. The best founders understand the problem they are solving, their customer, and their numbers. They know who makes the purchasing decision, why someone would use their product, and what they need to prove in the next stage of development. But the biggest difference, in my view, is still the founder. A team can change. People can come and go. Even someone you were certain would stay with you until the end may leave. The first product may fail. The market may push you in a different direction. The plan you had at the beginning will probably not look the same several years later. But the founder stays in the game. The founder has to get back up, bring people together again, make a decision, and continue. And not only continue - they have to become better than they were before the problem. That is why, when I look at a startup, I do not look only at the pitch deck, the technology, or the current team. I look at the founder. How do they think when things do not go according to plan? How do they react when they lose an important person? Do they take responsibility? Do they learn? Can they build again? A company will change people, plans, and probably several versions of its product during its development. A founder who stays in the game, keeps learning, and comes back stronger each time has a real chance to build a serious company.

What strengths do startups from the Western Balkans have that are often overlooked internationally?

People from the Western Balkans are often highly adaptable and very rational in the way they use resources. We have strong technical and engineering talent and teams that can build serious products with relatively small numbers of people. Another advantage is that founders from smaller markets start thinking internationally very early. If you want serious growth, it is natural to look beyond one city or one country. People from our region are also accustomed to working across different markets, languages, and business cultures. That can develop strong adaptability and operational discipline. There is significant room to connect high-quality regional companies more strongly with international corporations, investors, and markets. That is where I see the importance of the Startup World Cup platform. A high-quality startup should be identified early enough and connected with the right people at the right time.

"A founder who stays in the game, keeps learning, and comes back stronger each time has a real chance to build a serious company."

If you could give only one piece of advice to someone beginning their journey in entrepreneurship, what would it be?

Start before you feel completely ready. I say that from personal experience. The first time I applied to Founder Institute, I did not get in. I could have said, “This is not for me.” I did not. I continued learning, came back better prepared, and completed the program. People often wait for the perfect moment. More money. More knowledge. The right team. Complete confidence. But that moment may never come. You start with what you have and what you know today. You speak with the market. You make mistakes. You learn. You correct them. What matters is that each time, you become better than you were before.

Artificial intelligence is transforming almost every industry. How do you see AI changing entrepreneurship over the next five years? Do you think AI could actually replace so many jobs?

Artificial intelligence is already changing the economics of building companies. Small teams can now achieve results that previously required much larger organizations. Market analysis, research, software development, data processing, and many business processes are becoming faster. Founders can test more assumptions with less capital and reach the market earlier. But when the same tools become available to everyone, simply using AI will no longer be an advantage. The advantage will belong to those who use it better, who have higher-quality data, and who clearly understand the business problem they are solving. I do not expect all jobs to simply disappear. Tasks, roles, and team structures will change. People who learn how to use AI will become more productive and will be able to take on more complex responsibilities. At the same time, trust, data governance, and cybersecurity will become even more important. The more processes we connect to AI systems, the more clearly we need to understand what data we use, who has access to it, how decisions are made, and who is accountable for those decisions. Over the next five years, it will not be enough to build intelligent technology. We will have to build technology that people and companies can trust.

"It will not be enough to build intelligent technology. We will have to build technology that people and companies can trust."

What qualities do you value most in the people you choose to work with?

I value trust, responsibility, initiative, and open communication the most. If there is a problem, I want to know about it as early as possible. Mistakes are a normal part of any serious business. It is acceptable to make a mistake, openly explain what happened, and immediately start working on a solution. Hiding a problem is not acceptable to me. A small mistake that is hidden can very quickly become a serious business risk. I also value people who take initiative. I do not expect someone to simply bring me a problem. I want them to think about a possible solution as well. And I highly value people who have enough confidence to tell me they disagree with me and explain why. I do not need people who confirm every decision I make. I need people who can help us make a better decision.

What does success mean to you today compared to ten years ago?

Ten years ago, I viewed success more through personal achievements and financial goals. Today, I see it more broadly. Money is important. A company without revenue, capital, and financial discipline cannot grow seriously or remain independent. But over time, I have learned that trust and access are also forms of business capital. Access to the right people. Markets. Information. Capital. Opportunities. You do not always see these things immediately on a balance sheet, but they often determine who gets an opportunity and who can turn that opportunity into a serious business. Today, I see success as the ability to build a sustainable system that creates value and can grow over the long term. If everything depends on one person, then you have not built a system yet.

"Trust and access are also forms of business capital."

What are the biggest goals you are pursuing for both Recikom and Startup World Cup Serbia?

For Recikom, the goal is clear: the continued development of a digital system for the traceability of waste and secondary raw material flows. We connect waste generators, collectors, recyclers, and industry so that material data can become a high-quality tool for resource management and business decision-making. We want waste generators to have better records and visibility, collectors and recyclers to manage material flows more efficiently, and industry to gain better insight into the availability of secondary raw materials. High-quality data can also help companies and investors identify where business opportunities and sustainable investment opportunities exist. For Startup World Cup Serbia, the goal is not simply to organize one competition. We are building a structured startup pipeline through which we identify high-quality companies at an early stage and connect them with corporations, investors, mentors, and international markets. Through Startup World Cup Serbia, we bring together and follow high-quality startups from Serbia and the wider region, including Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Croatia. Startup World Cup is a global startup platform with more than 100 regional competitions worldwide. Regional winners advance to the global finals in San Francisco, where the main investment prize is one million US dollars. Behind the platform is Pegasus Tech Ventures from Silicon Valley, a venture capital firm managing more than $2 billion in assets, with more than 300 investments globally. My goal is to give high-quality companies from our region the opportunity to present themselves within a global ecosystem, while corporations and investors gain access to a high-quality startup pipeline and new business opportunities through a structured process. For me, Startup World Cup Serbia is not simply an event. The event is the moment when the public sees part of the work. The real value is in the companies, people, and relationships we build throughout the year.

Finally, what message would you like to leave to entrepreneurs who are still hesitating to take the first step?

No one is going to give you permission to start. When I started thinking about Recikom, everything began with an ordinary situation outside my building and a few questions about where materials actually end up. At that time, I could not have known where that path would take me. I did not know that I would complete Founder Institute, that Recikom would reach the finals of Serbia's national technological innovation competition, or that one day I would become a Startup World Cup mentor and Regional Partner for Startup World Cup Serbia. That is why I tell people not to wait until they have all the answers. I did not have them. Start. Ask questions. Learn. If you make a mistake, correct it. If you are rejected, come back better prepared. You do not have to see the entire path. Start now.

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Miljan Ilić's career reflects an entrepreneurial approach built on resilience, practical execution, and continuous learning. Through Recikom and Startup World Cup Serbia, he continues to support innovation while helping founders connect with international markets, investors, and strategic partners. His perspective offers a reminder that sustainable businesses are built over time through consistent improvement, informed decision-making, and the willingness to keep moving forward.

Interview by Alexij K. Fartelj