Theme: Brain Force One

“Ideas create impact, but what creates ideas?”

The human brain is a truly fascinating device which is able to create on average 50.000 thoughts a day. Just imagine what ideas come out of that. The thinkers, the innovators, the artists and the entertainers all utilize their brain on ideas that can be ground breaking.

Brain Force One symbolises the potential thoughts and ideas represented across various areas and fields in the now ever more complex world full of routines and comfort zones.

At the 9th of March we aim to challenge the status quo and bring together all the truly sensational minds of today’s age.

Sarajevo Youth Theatre
Kulovića 8
Sarajevo, Kanton Sarajevo, 71000
Bosnia and Herzegovina

Aleksandar Mastilović

IEEE Conferences Technical Program Integrity Subcommittee, Member at IEEE

Aleksandar Mastilovic is a researcher, businessman, and tech agitator. Aleksandar is currently employed as the Expert Advisor to the Director General of the Communications Regulatory Agency Bosnia and Herzegovina. He serves in the IEEE (The Insitute of Electrical and Electronics Engineering), the biggest engineering organization in the world, in a few global executive boards and committees: IEEE Publications Services and Products Board, IEEE Conferences Committee, IEEE Young Professionals Committee, IEEE Platform Guidance Group, IEEE Internet of Things Standards Steering Committee.

Andrej Jagar

Graphics Designer

Starting his career as Character Animator in 2010 (Prime Time), then becoming Head of Animation Department in 2013, and finally creating the first Gaming Department in BiH. Andrej studied Animschool, where studens are tutored in the arts of Animation by industry finest who work in studios such as Dreamworks, Disney, Sony... He worked on first Bosnian 3D Feature Movie - Birds Like Us, then moved to Victoria Grande, Ragtag Adventurers and more than 50 Freelance Gaming projects. Currently he is working with a team of 30 Artists and Programmers on a game he’s been preparing for years - Wa The First Dream.

Arundhati Katju

Arundhati Katju practices law before the Supreme Court of India. Her criminal litigation practice addresses the intersection of criminal law, gender and sexuality, poverty, and constitutional rights. She has acted as a legal aid lawyer on behalf of the Delhi High Court in nearly 100 appellate cases, represented trafficking and child sexual abuse survivors, and defended LGBTQ rights activists and transgender persons, aside from representing the lead petitioners in Navtej Singh Johar and others v Union of India. Arundhati has taught at the National Law University, Delhi, and worked with India’s National Commission for Protection of Child Rights to draft India’s Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012. She has also advised India’s leading public university and acted as a prosecutor for pollution regulators. Her writing has been published in the Times of India, Indian Express, Scroll.in, and constitutionnet.org.

Ceco Gaković

IT & Telecommunication

As a founder, CTO, BoD member and Advisor, Ceco has been part of many successful San Francisco Internet and mobile startups. Ceco and his teams have specialized on social networks and built web and mobile platforms for some of the world's largest brands like: U2.com, Madonna.com, NFL, NHL, NBA and alike. During his career Ceco has lived and worked in 10 countries on 4 continents. He is also a helicopter pilot, skipper, rock-climber, skier, diver, paraglider, and a jiu-jitsu veteran. He retired at the age of 35 and has since been dedicating his time to helping kick-of IOT (smart cities), Internet and mobile startups around the world.

Chenyu Zheng

Author & Tech Marketer

Chenyu Zheng is a best-selling author, lifestyle trailblazer and visual artist with over 300k followers in China. Her story and book 606 Days Without A Lease have inspired people of all age to explore different possibilities in life. She regularly shares insights about China’s consumer trends, Internet landscape, and sharing economy around the world. She has been a guest lecturer at Tencent, Alibaba, Baidu, and a speaker at Airbnb Open. Zheng graduated from Princeton University with a B.A. degree of Economics and studied abroad at Oxford University. Professionally, she has been a tech marketer and culture bridge who brought U.S. companies to China, including Whisper and Uber. In addition, she writes for leading tech and lifestyle publications and media outlets in China. Her lifestyle experiment to live in local people’s homes for 606 days have instilled courage and inspired a new way to travel for the emerging Chinese travelers.

Esin Pektas

Architect

Esin Pektas is a registered New York architect, a certified structural engineer in training, and an immigrant from Eastern Turkey. Her parents are from Malatya, the apricot capital of the world. A town of Turks, Kurds, Armenians, and Bektashis. With an ever-growing curiosity for science and buildings Esin grew up to become a building professional. She studied both architecture and engineering, and worked on projects in North America, Europe, and Asia. Esin’s practice focuses on skyscrapers and adaptive renovations specific to New York City’s unique historical and environmental context including commercial, residential, and institutional properties. A number of the buildings Esin worked on were those governed by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission and The National Register of Historic Places.

Haris Jusović

Haris is a designer and influencer with a unique visual language. He breathes new life into common phrases and sayings and manages to turn everyday language, thoughts and ideas into original concepts. In doing so Haris creates genuinely funny visual experiences that inspire and make people laugh.

Larisa Halilović

Director at British Council

Larisa Halilovic is an education expert, speaker and executive coach with over 20 years of experience in leadership, management and professional development. Over the course of her career, Larisa has led international teams and projects in Education and Digital Industry in eight countries of the world, including two global pilots: Blended Learning and Digital Cities. Larisa holds qualifications from Cambridge University, UK and Auckland University, New Zealand, in the area of Adult Education, Linguistics and Psychology.

Maja Hadžiselimović

Robotics Engineer

Experienced Robotics Engineer with a demonstrated history of working in the automotive industry. Skilled in developing human-robot applications, programming KUKA iiwa LBR, research and development of the first industrial exoskeleton, participating in several EU funded research projects.

Mirela Badurina

Gestalt psychotherapist and child and adolescent integrative psychotherapist

Ph.D. Mirela Badurina, born in 1968 in Sarajevo, is an European certified gestalt psychotherapist and child and adolescent integrative psychotherapist. During the Sarajevo war, she stayed in Sarajevo and pursued projects aimed at salubrity of children’s soul through theatrical performances, participated in numerous psychodrama plays in the Sarajevo Children’s War Theater. She has organized many humanitarian activities for children of the besieged Sarajevo. For the last twenty-five years, through professional and academic development focusing on the preservation of the health and well-being of children and youth - she is the author and co-author of numerous scientific and professional papers, as well as, an exhibitor at numerous domestic and international congresses and conferences.

Rešad Začina

IT

Resad is a technology leader and startup specialist with 12 years of experience, part of 3 of the top 50 digital startups in Europe for 2016 ( Google/McKinsey), namely: Fishbrain, Stylemarks ( now Juniqe ) & NAGA. Succeeded and failed in all major startup ecosystems in Europe: London, Stockholm, Berlin.

Tanja Magaš

Chair of the John Weidner Foundation for Altruism & Specializing in commercializing data science products

Specializing in commercializing data science products, Tanja Magaš leads a team at a diversified investment manager and one of the world’s largest algorithmic hedge funds and has over a decade of experience in financial services between New York, London and Dubai. Tanja is also the Chair of the John Weidner Foundation for Altruism, whose mission is to cultivate selfless and courageous action in the spirit of John Weidner and the Dutch-Paris Line. She holds an MBA in Finance from the Wharton School, an MA in International Relations from the Lauder Institute at the University of Pennsylvania and a BA in Political Science and Philosophy from Columbia University. She enjoys playing backgammon, working on startup ideas, boxing and traveling – having visited 59 countries to date.