DOKU.TECH 2015: Bringing the Future Closer!

IPKO Foundation has been long involved in the spectrum of technological innovations and has inspired the development of technology through various projects within Kosovo. As to exemplify its core values and main objective to uphold this steady increase in growth both in social and technological terms, the IPKO Foundation team, along with Share Foundation and Dokufest, organized the second edition of DOKU.TECH in Prizren. This edition was held on August 08 – 09, 2015. 

DOKU.TECH continued its mission of exploring and challenging the social implications of technological innovations and took on technology from different points of view. Thus, DOKU.TECH was open to everyone and it sought to be challenging and inspiring by known founders, entrepreneurs and doers coming from more than 20 countries. DOKU.TECH once again offered to the audience a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet individuals with a large impact in their respective fields around the world whose feedback, ideas, and points of view are not only relevant to technology enthusiasts but also to common individuals with other interests. The event gathered in one place reputable speakers, observers, explorers and builders from around the world to talk about the future of technology, innovation, decentralized technology, social challenges in the era of technology, gender disparities in technological industries, startup stories from Silicon Valley, space, and many other interesting topics. The programme was designed to inspire and explore minds. It featured an incredibly diverse range of inspirational and internationally known speakers and topics and highlighted the tremendous innovation occurring in the global stage. Talks included topics such as putting the knowledge in good use and making a difference via entrepreneurship, how great entrepreneurs create their own luck, the mindset of innovators that leads to technological breakthroughs, gender equality in tech, the future of decentralized technology, looking in the past and exploring the next technology frontier, rescuing social change from the cult of technology, and others. 

One of the main goals of this tech conference was to raise the profile of Kosovo both in local and international terms by making Kosovo the focal point of technological discussions. By exposing guest speakers from all around the world, as well as inviting highly profiled individuals, to a high quality experimental conference, DOKU.TECH aimed to show them the high dedication and professionalism that can be performed in Kosovo. At the very same time, the conference managed to fulfill one of its other goals. By bringing those speakers to the city of Prizren, the outside world beyond the borders of Kosovo was brought directly to Kosovars who have limited opportunities to travel.

During this edition, out of 606 participants, 40.10% of them were females and 59.90% were males. Hence, the outreach of the conference was evident in Prizren and complied with the partnering organizations’ cooperation with multiple organizations beyond the borders of Kosovo such as Metamorphosis in Macedonia and Talent Garden Tirana in Albania.