Cineo is a startup founded by Toma Milićević, Luka Stošić, and Karlo Šiljevinac, building what they call a film decision engine. After developing the idea throughout 2025, the team successfully completed the BIRD Incubator program in April 2026 and has since launched a public beta, already building with real users.
Instead of becoming another streaming platform or movie database, Cineo focuses on a problem most users know too well: choosing what to watch. By acting as a smart layer on top of existing platforms, Cineo helps users make faster, better viewing decisions.
Who are you, what’s the name and age of your startup, and what problem are you solving?
We’re Cineo – a three person bootstrapped team building what we call a film decision engine, founded by Toma Milićević, Luka Stošić, and Karlo Šiljevinac. The idea for Cineo was born in early 2025, and we launched our public beta in 2026, so we’re still at an early stage but already building with real users.
The problem we solve is embarrassingly familiar: you spend 40 minutes scrolling through Netflix, can’t agree on anything, and end up rewatching something you’ve already seen. We’re not a catalogue, and we’re not a streaming service. We’re the layer on top of the platforms you already use that helps you decide what to watch faster and better.
How did you first connect with BIRD Incubator, and what made you decide to join the program?
We started at TVZ MC2 in spring 2025, which gave us the foundation to turn the idea into a real product. From there, we were invited to join BIRD, and it was the natural next step. The structured program, access to mentors, and the broader startup ecosystem were exactly what a bootstrapped three-person team needed to move faster and smarter.
Every startup faces challenges, what’s been your toughest obstacle so far, and how did you overcome it?
Our biggest challenge was making sure we were solving the right problem, not just building features we thought were cool. Early on, we realized Cineo shouldn’t be positioned as just another film app or watchlist. The real problem is decision fatigue – people don’t want more options, they want the right option. Once we understood that clearly, our product direction and messaging became much stronger.
What’s one resource, connection, or experience at BIRD Incubator that truly made a difference in your startup’s growth?
Access to experienced mentors who gave us honest, practical guidance on product, business model, and strategy, not just encouragement. BIRD gave us structure, perspective, and access to people who helped us think more seriously about product, growth, and positioning.
Investors and partners are often curious, what makes your business model stand out, and who are your target customers?
Cineo stands out because we’re focused on solving the decision problem, not becoming another streaming platform or movie database. Right now, Cineo is free and ad-free, but over time we see room for a business model that could include lightweight ads, an optional ad-free version, and more advanced premium features.
Our main audience is digitally native film fans between 18 and 35 who use multiple streaming services and want better recommendations, smarter tracking, and an easier way to decide what to watch together.
Long term, we also see strong B2B potential in the data created when users save films they want to watch – not just for streaming platforms and cinemas, but for film festivals too. Understanding what audiences are interested in before they actually watch is valuable, and we’d love for Cineo to become a product that can offer that kind of insight.
Let’s talk about the future, where do you see your startup in five years, what goals are you most excited to achieve, and how can people already start trying out your app?
In five years, we want Cineo to be the go-to film companion for movie lovers – a true all-in-one platform where discovery, tracking, and social film experiences come together in one product.
We’re most excited about Watch Together going fully live, TV series support, mobile app, and deeper integrations with streaming services. These are the features that turn Cineo from a useful tool into something people genuinely build habits around.
People can already try Cineo for free at cineoai.com and join our Discord community to build it with us.
To wrap up, what’s one piece of advice or wisdom from your journey that you believe every founder should know?
The most important thing we’ve learned is that an idea has to be tested in the real market, not just developed as a concept. Real users will always teach you more than your assumptions. The sooner you understand the problem you’re solving, the sooner you can build something people actually need.
Follow Cineo’s journey and latest updates here 🙂
