Over 120 guests join our community meetup in Munich
Over 120 professionals, researchers, entrepreneurs, and members of the Bosnia and Herzegovina diaspora came together in Munich for Connecting Bavaria & Bosnia & Herzegovina, a networking meetup focused on strengthening connections between the two regions. The networking went well beyond 11 PM showing just how important these community connections are.
Organized by the Bosnia & Herzegovina Futures Foundation (BHFF) in collaboration with the Strascheg Centre for Entrepreneurship gGmbH, Masterwerk GmbH, FITT, and ZenDev, the event brought together people from different industries, backgrounds, and generations with one shared interest: creating opportunities through knowledge, collaboration, and connection.
Held at the Strascheg Centre for Entrepreneurship, the evening created space for conversations around business, science, innovation, education, entrepreneurship, and the future of mobility.
From Bosnia and Herzegovina to Bavaria
The event opened with remarks from Muamer Babajić, CEO of Masterwerk GmbH, Prof. Klaus Seiler from the Strascheg Centre for Entrepreneurship, Dr. Edhem (Eddie) Čustović, Founder of BHFF, Dr. Zijad Lugavić, Mayor of the City of Tuzla and Aljosa Kostic from our corporate partner ZenDev.
Their opening messages highlighted the importance of creating stronger links between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Germany, particularly by connecting the people, knowledge, and expertise that already exist across both ecosystems.
For many attendees, these connections are personal as well as professional. Members of the Bosnian and Herzegovinian diaspora in Germany continue to build careers, companies, and research networks while maintaining strong links with their home country.
The meetup created a space where those connections could move beyond conversations and become potential collaborations.
Stories of expertise, ambition and impact
The guest presentations brought five different professional journeys to the stage.
Dr. Ajla Nurkanović, a Bosnian mathematician and financial mathematics specialist, shared her experience moving from her education at the University of Tuzla to completing her PhD at RPTU Kaiserslautern Landau with the distinction summa cum laude, and eventually building a career at Munich Re. Her story connected advanced mathematics, finance, research, and risk management while also highlighting the importance of supporting young scientists from Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Denis Sisić, entrepreneur, investor, and technology executive, brought more than 25 years of experience across software, AI, IT services, recruitment, and business growth. As the founder and former CEO of OSB AG, which he successfully exited to ALTEN Europe in 2020, he offered a perspective shaped by entrepreneurship, leadership, and building technology businesses.
Martina Matusko - Quantum physicist and engineer specializing in quantum hardware, cold atom systems, and precision metrology. Currently Quantum Projects Manager and Quantum Hardware Engineer at planqc in Munich, with research expertise spanning optical atomic clocks, superradiance, cold atoms, and time-frequency metrology.
Lejla Zukic - Krivdic - Senior technology executive with 20+ years of international leadership experience across the United States, Germany, and Central & Eastern Europe. Director for Partner Development at Microsoft Germany, she has built and transformed technology businesses, scaled major cloud partner ecosystems, and previously led Microsoft’s operations in Bosnia & Herzegovina and Croatia.
The programme also featured Nedžad Muslić, an automotive and e mobility expert with professional experience across Germany, the United Kingdom, and Austria. His presentation focused on the rapidly changing mobility landscape and the skills young professionals will need as the transition toward electric vehicles continues.
Together, the speakers demonstrated the breadth of opportunities available to professionals with connections to both Bosnia and Herzegovina and Germany.
The conversations continued beyond the stage
Following the presentations, the formal programme gave way to open networking.
And that was where the evening really came alive.
Around 100 attendees had the opportunity to meet one another, exchange experiences, discuss potential collaborations, and discover common interests across different sectors.
Researchers connected with entrepreneurs. Young professionals met established leaders. Members of the diaspora exchanged ideas with people working in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Conversations moved from business and technology to education, research, career development, and opportunities for future cooperation.
These informal connections are often where meaningful partnerships begin.
Building a network that goes beyond one event
The Munich meetup was more than a single evening of networking. It was another step toward building a stronger bridge between Bavaria and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Both regions have talented people, strong institutions, growing companies, researchers, entrepreneurs, and ambitious young professionals. Creating opportunities for these communities to meet, exchange knowledge, and collaborate can open doors that would otherwise remain disconnected.
For BHFF and its partners, events like this are part of a broader effort to connect Bosnia and Herzegovina with its global talent and professional communities.
Because knowledge becomes more valuable when it is shared.
And connections become more meaningful when they lead to new ideas, opportunities, and collaboration.
Connecting Bavaria & Bosnia & Herzegovina brought over 120 people into the same room. The next step is seeing what those connections can create.
Special thank you
The foundation would like to especially thank the following people and organisations:
Muamer Babajic and Masterwerk - For being our anchor in Munich and helping us bring this event to life.
Damir Huseidic and La Fayette Restaurant - For the incredible catering and supporting our gathering.
ZenDev - For the continous support of our event and being our corporate partner in Munich.
SCE - For hosting us at University of Applied Sciences in Munich for the second year in a row and being our partner.