RIT Croatia celebrates Antonia Kurtović and Jakov Kukin: Honorees of VIDI's “30 Under 30” Awards

International Business student Antonia Kurtović, and International Business alumnus Jakov Kukin (Class of 2024), have been named among the Top 30 Under 30 in the ICT industry by the prestigious VIDI Awards. First introduced in 2018, VIDI’s “30 Under 30” awards recognize young individuals who exhibit exceptional potential and achievements across various fields, including technology, science, entrepreneurship, and the arts. The initiative seeks to celebrate and support the next generation of leaders who are shaping Croatia’s future.

Antonia Kurtović: Innovating Mental Health Support

Antonia is well known when it comes to student startups and entrepreneurship. Her plan for the following year is to continue contributing to the development of the student startup ecosystem through educational projects: the startup conference and academy for high school students that she organizes on our campus. She will also continue working on her startup Michi, an application designed for teenagers and young adults with a variety of different digital tools. Michi combines mental health care and life coaching by providing packages with online therapy sessions and coaching. Antonia commented on the VIDI award achievement saying “The recognition was both a confirmation that I am going in the right direction and a sign that the hard work I put into my previous projects is impacting the broader community”.

Jakov Kukin: Advancing Sustainable Technology

Jakov founded his startup Total Energy with Stjepan Dolić, to develop and license a production line for perovskite solar cells and issue their licenses to manufacturing companies. His team just won the 1^st place at the renowned EIT Jumpstarter (Raw Materials category). Jakov reflected on this achievement: “This recognition is a validation of the hard work, not just mine, but also my cofounder's and everyone else involved in the project. It acknowledges the dedication and effort that’s gone into bringing our vision to life and motivates us to keep pushing forward toward our goals”. Looking to the future, Jakov’s business plans focus on accelerating the development of his technology, securing key partnerships, and scaling up to make the solutions commercially viable. He emphasized his commitment to innovation, expanding market reach, and establishing a strong presence in the industry, with the ultimate goal of contributing to the evolution of sustainable tech solutions.

Antonia and Jakov’s innovative ideas and dedication to making the world a better place through entrepreneurship and the start-up community are shining examples of the incredible potential within our students and alumni. And we could not be more proud of them!