When he emigrated from Serbia to Canada in 2005, Milan Vrekic had just $1,250 and a suitcase. The young computer enthusiast made mistakes in his new home, but he survived then thrived. Now aged 29, Vrekic has already co-founded one successful company – secure document-sharing venture TitanFile – and is currently Executive Director of Volta Labs, the mentoring and co-working hub in Halifax, where he helps other entrepreneurs attain success. 

Vrekic’s history reads like a classic immigrant-made-good story, but that perspective minimizes his early struggles. After arriving in Vancouver, he began developing online auction systems for Heffel Fine Art Auction House. His salary was reasonable, but he was starting from nothing and needed more income.

“Until then, I hadn’t understood the important role families play in mutual support,” he said. “I started doing contract work on the side and undercharged, competing on price with developers in India and China. I took on projects just so I could bill for them. I stacked projects on top of each other. For three years, it threw me into this downbeat funk: Dark. Dark. Dark.

“One day I wondered -- what was the point of coming here? I’d achieved nothing. I developed a maniacal passion for wanting to achieve. I packed up and moved to Halifax. I said I wanted to attend Dalhousie University, but what I really wanted was a new environment in which to practice everything I’d learned In Vancouver.”

Vrekic attended Dalhousie for a week until, unable to access a student loan, he started Mojo Labs as a testing ground for his projects. Then he met Tony Abou-Assaleh who went on to become his TitanFile co-founder. TitanFile put all Vrekic’s ambition and early experience in Serbia to good use.

Born in Indjija, near Belgrade in 1984, Vrekic witnessed the fall of communism in Eastern Europe and the resulting devastating conflicts. International sanctions created three-hour lineups for milk and bread, but the sanctions forced people to become entrepreneurial. 

“Young people took up entrepreneurship and business, legitimate or illegitimate. At 16, I was producing and editing a tech show on local TV. We got gadgets and equipment to test that we could keep or sell on the black market.

“I also tested my working-under-pressure skills by buying items on credit and then using the week’s credit buffer to figure out how to pay for them. I spent most of my money, and my parents’ phone bill, on the extremely expensive dial-up internet connection. But I learned how to code and do web development so I started a web-design agency that did well.”

This all meant that when he co-founded TitanFile, Vrekic already understood the importance of concepts like exposure and reputation. The company won many awards, starting with Nova Scotia Co-operative Council’s Best Big Idea Competition 2010. Vrekic made sure to get maximum media exposure for every award and development.

After TitanFile opened an office in Communitech, Waterloo’s hub for commercializing innovation, Vrekic divided his time between Halifax and Ontario. He observed Waterloo’s startup ecosystem and made notes for future use in Halifax.

He supported Jevon Macdonald, co-founder of GoInstant, when he advocated creating a local mentoring group for entrepreneurs led by other entrepreneurs. Now established in a casual office on Spring Garden Road, Volta provides startups with working space and guidance.

“We want Volta to be a place where entrepreneurs can show up with a laptop and an idea and access everything they need to succeed. We want Atlantic Canadian companies to stop thinking of themselves as Atlantic Canadian and instead think of themselves as global companies, located in Atlantic Canada.”

Vrekic is known as a vocal advocate for the region’s startup community, but insists others contribute as much and more. He still works a long day, but now enjoys the work. “If Volta becomes what it is shaping up to be, I will be able to say that I have achieved something meaningful.”

Life in Canada is going well for Vrekic, who first became interested in the country while learning English in school and watching MTV. “I have found Canada to be what the USA should have been,” he said.

With Volta and his marriage to Belarusian-born Jenya, whom he met in Halifax, Vrekic is putting down roots. The couple recently celebrated the birth of their son Nikola, named for Nikola Tesla, the Serbian-American inventor.

“I want my son to stay here, and I want his child to see a future in Atlantic Canada. This was once the economic centre of the country; and it can be again if we help the transition from traditional industries and manufacturing to a new, knowledge-based economy.”