Playing Offense | Why the Adriatic is a Strategic Priority for Wonderful
When a founder who raised more than $130M in a single year stands on a stage in Belgrade, it isn't to announce a presence, it’s to validate a high-value market. Wonderful has been active in the Adriatic region for five months, but Bar Winkler’s recent visit to clients in Belgrade and Zagreb marks a new phase in the company’s expansion.
His keynote at UnlockIT conference last week demonstrated why this region is a "winnable" field for global AI leaders. The weight of Bar’s visit was quickly reflected in regional media, with outlets like NIN analyzing Winkler’s insights on why our region is a strategic priority. (His interview was also published before the conference - you can read it HERE)
Beyond English -Winning Complex Markets
While many AI firms stick to English-speaking territories, Wonderful has built its success on mastering complexity. Now operating in over 30 countries, the company thrives in non-English speaking markets where the implementation gap is widest.
As Bar noted during his visit:
"The winners are playing offense. The rest are playing defense."
Playing defense is reactive - implementing AI out of fear. Playing offense is proactive - using AI to restructure business operations before the market forces you to. In an environment shifting week-to-week, "waiting to see" is no longer a viable strategy.
He emphasized that AI transformation is happening now, and there is a specific, narrow window of opportunity. Winkler warned that once large enterprises solidify their internal systems, they will stop looking for external startup partners. At that point, the cost and complexity for any agile partner to integrate will skyrocket. For regional leaders, "waiting and seeing" is the most expensive strategy they can adopt.
Players on the Field - The Adriatic Team
The secret to Wonderful’s rapid scaling isn't just the tech, it's the talent. Bar is clear about his strategy - hiring only the best in the world to solve local problems. This is exemplified by Vedran and the Adriatic team, who provide the boots on the ground that global tech giants lack.
Their team doesn't just deliver software - they sit with employees to identify the actual pain points, the repetitive, soul-crushing tasks that drain productivity. By asking the right questions on the ground, they deploy AI agents that solve real operational problems, sometimes achieving full implementation in as little as 72 hours.
Why Geography is More Important than Industry
Bar shared a perspective that resonated deeply with the audience at UnlockIT - geography is often a stronger indicator of AI needs than the industry itself. A bank in Serbia has more in common with a local telecom provider than with a financial institution in London when it comes to navigating technological and organizational hurdles.
"If the problem is implementation, you have to be on the ground solving technological and political problems," Winkler emphasized. This localized approach is why Wonderful sees the Adriatic not as a sideline, but as a market of immense potential value.
The Bottom Line
Bar Winkler’s visit to Belgrade and Zagreb last week is a true signal to the regional business community that the era of "AI experimentation" has ended. The same high-velocity systems driving global enterprises are now being implemented here, on the ground, by Vedran and the ADR team, operating in Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, North Macedonia and Albania.
The window for this transformation is open, but the speed of the market means it won't stay that way for long. In a landscape that shifts week-to-week, the real risk isn't moving too fast, it's staying still while the implementation gap widens. At Publicity Bureau, we believe the Adriatic market is an active field where the competitive divide between those who lead and those who follow is being drawn today.
The question for your business is simple: Are you ready to stop defending and start attacking?