What to resolve before the application · Updated March 15, 2026
KEY INSIGHT The 25%/15%/10% figures in the regulation are reference starting points, not hard limits.
From the regulation (Section 6): percentages can change based on project goals. Every line item must be justified (value, timeline, budget). The evaluation committee can negotiate amounts within their ceilings to better reflect the project.
| Category | Reference % | Reference Max (42K) | Reality |
|---|---|---|---|
| Staff/salaries (gross incl. taxes) | 25% | ~10,500 | Negotiable upward if justified |
| Expert services / R&D / testing | 10% | ~4,200 | Negotiable |
| Sales & marketing | 15% | ~6,300 | Negotiable |
| Goods & services for development | No cap listed | — | Hardware, SaaS, app store fees |
| General expenses (subscriptions, tools) | No cap listed | — | Cloud, domains, monitoring |
| IP protection (patents, trademarks) | No cap listed | — | Trademark registration |
Pitfall: Assuming staff is hard-capped at 25% and building the budget around that. The sole developer IS the primary cost — argue for a higher staff allocation in the application.
The business plan prices development at $50/hr (market rate). For the grant, the realistic rate is $20/hr (Albanian market). This changes everything:
| Scenario | Monthly Pay | Equity | 8mo Total Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| A 50% equity, $20/hr | $3,200 | 50% | $25,600 |
| B 33% equity, max salary | $4,000 | 33% | $32,000 |
| C 33% equity, side project | $1,500 | 33% | $12,000 |
Without vesting: someone quits after 2 weeks and keeps 33% forever.
With vesting: equity unlocks over time. Leave early = keep only what you earned.
Standard structure: 4-year vesting, 1-year cliff, monthly thereafter.
| Period | What happens | Equity earned (of 33%) |
|---|---|---|
| Month 1-11 | Cliff Nothing vested yet. Leave = 0%. | 0% |
| Month 12 | Cliff vests 25% of total equity unlocks at once. | 8.25% |
| Month 13-48 | Monthly vesting ~0.69% per month. | +0.69%/mo |
| Month 48 | Fully vested Full equity earned. | 33% |
The grant covers 8 months, but the company lives longer. Vesting should match the company's timeline, not the grant's.
CRITICAL You define your own deliverables in the application. The committee approves them. Then you're held to what you promised. Over-promising to score higher = under-delivering at tranche reporting.
The grant evaluates a Phase 2 (validation) startup. They expect market validation, not a finished product.
After contract signing
Translation: "we started"
After phase 1 + financial report
After final financial report
No real transactions promised — banking integration depends on partner timelines outside your control. Document the effort, not the outcome.
The regulation (Section 22-24) specifies:
UNRESOLVED Questions for the meeting:
| Item | Cost (EUR) | Category |
|---|---|---|
| Developer salary — 8 months gross | 20,000-25,000 | Staff |
| Mac for iOS builds (Albanian market price) | 900-1,200 | Goods & services |
| Test devices (iPhone SE + Android) | 600-800 | Goods & services |
| Cloud infrastructure (8 months) | 500-1,000 | General expenses |
| SaaS tools (Sentry, email, monitoring) | 500-800 | General expenses |
| App Store + Play Store fees | ~125 | General expenses |
| Design (Albanian freelancer) | 1,500-2,500 | Expert services |
| Security audit / external testing | 2,000-4,000 | Expert services |
| Marketing / merchant acquisition | 3,000-5,000 | Marketing |
| Legal (LLC + contracts) | 1,000-2,000 | General expenses |
| Trademark / IP filing | 200-400 | IP protection |
| Domain, certs, misc | 200-400 | General expenses |
| Total | 30,500-43,125 |
FITS At $20/hr, the project fits within the 42K EUR grant. The budget is honest and justifiable — not padded, not wasteful. The committee scores "budget appropriateness" (10 pts).
PITFALL The business plan doc uses US retail prices. Albanian/EU prices are 30-50% higher due to import markups, VAT, and no Apple Store presence. The grant committee knows local prices — US pricing looks uninformed.
| Item | US Price | Albanian Market Price |
|---|---|---|
| Mac Mini M2 | $600-800 | €900-1,200 |
| iPhone SE (test device) | $400-500 | €450-600 |
| Android mid-range (test device) | $200-300 | €200-350 |
Grant covers 85%. The remaining 15% (~6,300 EUR) must come from the founders.
Eligible sources: personal funds, operating revenue, private investment, equity financing, or any legal source excluding other state funding in the same fiscal year.
RESOLVE IN MEETING Who pays the 6,300 EUR? Split equally (2,100 each)? Proportional to equity? One co-founder covers it? This needs an answer before the application.
Updated March 15, 2026 · Based on Grant 2026 Regulation (Rregullore e Thirrjes Grant2026, Versioni 1, Shkurt 2026) + co-founder meeting prep