On the sidelines of the visit, Žmavc held talks on the recently-opened subsidiary of the Ljubljana-based ABC start-up accelerator in San Jose, the Office for Slovenians Abroad said in a press release.

The talks focused on the opportunities for greater cooperation of young Slovenian entrepreneurs working abroad with the home country.

The ministry was shown around University Stanford by Jure Leskovec, one of the most promising young Slovenian researchers working abroad.

Leskovec is also very active in the American-Slovenian Education Foundation (ASEF), which provides scholarships for Slovenian students attending courses of Slovenian professors in the US and helps children of Slovenian immigrants in the US study in Slovenia.

At Stanford University, Žmavc also met Zvonko Fazarinc, an electrical engineer who worked for Hewlett-Packard, and Mia Rode, a teacher of the Slovenian language in San Francisco.

The talks with the latter revolved around the possibility of employing a teacher of the Slovenian language and culture at the university.

At the Slovenian Home in San Francisco, the minister was received by heads of Slovenian groups and institutions in the city.

The Slovenian community there is ageing, but it has gained a new momentum in recent years with the arrival of numerous young researchers, professors, students and entrepreneurs from Slovenia, the press release added.