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The scientific monograph Entrepreneurship at the Breakthrough of Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence: GEM Slovenia 2024 has been published in the "Global Entrepreneurship Monitor Slovenia" collection. Slovenia is recording historically high early entrepreneurial activity, but it is still hampered by administrative barriers, a lack of venture capital, and the slow implementation of digital and sustainable strategies.Author: University of Maribor The scientific monograph Entrepreneurship at the Breakthrough of Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence: GEM Slovenia 2024 was published as part of the international research project Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM). It was prepared by the research team of the Institute for Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management at the Faculty of Economics and Business of the University of Maribor. The implementation is also supported by the Ministry of Economic Development and Technology in cooperation with the SPIRIT Slovenia agency. The GEM Slovenia 2024 research offers a comprehensive insight into entrepreneurial activity in the era of digital transformation. It focuses on the impact of artificial intelligence and digital tools on the business models, growth and international competitiveness of Slovenian entrepreneurs, while also analyzing broader systemic and social factors that affect entrepreneurial dynamics. One of the key indicators of entrepreneurial vitality, total early entrepreneurial activity, reached 8.59 percent in 2024, which is the highest value ever in Slovenia. This breakthrough indicates an encouraging growth in entrepreneurial momentum, but at the same time reveals that Slovenia still lags behind the European (10.59 percent) and global averages of the countries included in the GEM survey (13.18 percent). The ratio between early-stage and established entrepreneurs remains weak - in the EU it is 1.54, and in Slovenia it is only 0.99, which indicates that many new companies do not make it to the stable business phase. As many as 56 percent of Slovenian adults today recognize business opportunities in their environment - which is a significant increase compared to 35 percent five years ago. However, optimism is often hampered by the fear of failure, which remains among the highest in Europe for 46 percent of the population. This gap between perceived opportunities and actual entrepreneurial activity also reflects the lack of access to venture capital and the slow removal of systemic barriers. Slovenian entrepreneurs perceive artificial intelligence (AI) as an important driver of efficiency and innovation. As many as 27.24 percent of early entrepreneurs believe that AI will play a key role in the next three years, which exceeds the European average (22.58 percent). Slovenian early entrepreneurs use digital tools to implement business strategy more often than average - especially cloud services (57.8 percent) and data analytics (56.3 percent), which reflects the good digital orientation of Slovenian entrepreneurs and their willingness to use advanced technological solutions. The small domestic market forces Slovenian entrepreneurs to internationalize. As many as 46.68 percent of companies generate revenue in foreign markets - well above the European average (38.30 percent). According to the National Entrepreneurial Context Index, Slovenia ranked below the European average with 4.1 (on a scale from 0 to 10). Despite good physical infrastructure and a dynamic internal market, key obstacles remain excessive bureaucracy, unpredictable legislation and limited access to finance, which make it difficult for entrepreneurs to move from early-stage to stable growth and international competitiveness. At the same time, Slovenia needs to strengthen investment in digital skills and enable faster transfer of innovations from the research sector to the economy, as current systemic weaknesses are holding back the development of new technologies and business models. Swift and decisive action will be needed to ensure that Slovenia does not continue to lose innovative companies and talent seeking opportunities in more competitive business environments. About the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) is the largest and most advanced entrepreneurship research programme in the world. It was jointly launched in 1999 by Babson College and the London Business School, and Slovenia joined the survey in 2002. GEM is unique primarily because, unlike other databases that measure the characteristics of smaller and new companies, it studies the behavior of individuals in the process of creating and managing a company. It studies the early stages of entrepreneurial activity, established companies and factors that influence the birth of new companies and seeks answers to the questions of how entrepreneurial Slovenia is, where we rank in the field of entrepreneurship on a global scale and how entrepreneurship could be accelerated. We invite you to read the results of the survey Entrepreneurship for a Sustainable Future: GEM Slovenia 2024 Scientific monograph Entrepreneurship at the Breakthrough of Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence: GEM Slovenia 2024
