Next, led by Jan Dobrilovič and David Mohar, had the proverbial million dollar idea in setting up a platform that connects households with reliable cleaning service providers.

The company, which has so far made a mark on the Slovenian and Croatian markets, more precisely in Ljubljana and Zagreb, has 16,000 registered users that can choose among 100 providers.

It has already struck deals with international corporations such as Generali Insurance and the Henkel Group as well as with the Slovenian bank NLB.

These partnerships will facilitate Next's plans to expand operations to other capitals in Central and Eastern Europe such as Budapest, Prague and Warsaw.

While it could be a million dollar idea, the company is still not at the landmark, planning to generate around EUR 400,000 in revenue this year.

But the award at the Podim festival for start-ups could facilitate reaching the landmark, because it entails a personal consulting with Marvin Liao, a partner in the US seed accelerator 500 Starups, and participation package at the Pioneers Festivals in Vienna.

The award was handed out for the 11th time this year by the Startup Slovenija initiative in collaboration with the Slovenian Enterprise Fund, the Economy Ministry and other partners in the Slovenian start-up ecosystem.

The Podim conference is considered one of the leading start-up events in the Alpe Adria region and the Western Balkans. This year it is attended by more than 1,000 participants from 25 countries.