Romanian Startup Ecosystem Radar (October 16 – November 12)

🩺From our side

Between 21-22 November, join us for an engaging event in Bucharest dedicated to exploring the ecosystem and showcasing the latest innovations from promising Romanian healthtech startups 💉✨. This event is not only an excellent opportunity for informative talks but also a chance to connect and network with individuals who share a keen interest in the dynamic field of healthtech 🤝🌐.

Venture capital, M&A and funding-related news

1. Likeminded, a German B2B provider of mental health services has raised €1.5M in funding to supplement a previous seed round of €5.9M, backed mainly by IBB Ventures and N&V Capital. The startup is co-founded by the Romanian Ștefan Anca (link).

2. SeedBlink introduced new tools to optimize equity management for European companies and investors. At the same time, it has launched a program for SeedBlink ambassadors and offering them shares within the platform (link).

3. Certinvest, the first authorized independent investment fund management company in Romania, launches Certinvest TARGET 2035 and Certinvest TARGET 2045, two investment funds with a predetermined time horizon (link).

4. Bobnet, the local startup that develops hardware and software solutions for the automation of the retail industry, announced the opening of a new financing round worth €50M to continue the development of its own solutions and to be able to expand internationally. So far, Bobnet has obtained financing of €15M, the startup being supported by the American investment fund NCH Capital (link).

Meme break

News related to programs and events

5. start-up.ro and VideoCorp announced that the premiere of the documentary “Romanian Startups: Roaring Tigers of Europe” will be organized on December 5, in Bucharest (link).

6. BANAT Demo Day, a bi-annual regional event organized by ROTSA, took place on October 25. Ten tech project founders had the chance to present their ideas and products to investors (link).

7. The StepFWD accelerator program team has completed the selection process of the 20 early stage technology startups made up of diverse teams that will take part in Phase 1 of the program (link).

8. Simplon Romania and AWS, together with partners with experience in various European countries, announce the start of registrations for the professional reconversion program in Tech, Femme Forward, dedicated to women in Romania (link).

9. Few more events to keep in mind for the month of November:

Hubvantage Forum (21st of November, Bucharest)
Morning HealthTalks (22nd of November, Bucharest)
ROStartup Conference 2023 (23rd of November, Bucharest)
“Românii sunt antreprenori” PitchDay (29th of November, Bucharest)

Various news related to startups

10. FLYST, an AI solution based on image processing that helps online fashion retailers to identify in their oversized inventory those products similar to current trends, is the first startup from Romania that participated in the Sampo Accelerator in Finland (link).

11. Native Teams, a startup that provides payment and payroll services, present in over 55 countries globally, announced its expansion in Romania (link).

12. Linnify is celebrating seven years in digital product development by launching Unbound Design. This subscription service offers design solutions tailored to entrepreneurs’ visions in fields like education, health, well-being, and sustainability (link).

13. EXE Software has launched FindMyDentist, an online dentist directory that connects patients with dentists in their area. The app is available in Romania and the Republic of Moldova (link).

14. Ruuts.travel, Romanian camper rental platform, was named the winner of the WTTC (World Tourism and Travel Council) award at the Touristech Startup Fest 2023 event (link).

15. OVES Enterprise, a Romanian software development company, launches IXXERA, the world’s first security platform for drone networks that secures unmanned aerial vehicles against cyber attacks based on blockchain and AI technology (link).

16. EKA – Centrul stării de bine, the first hub in Romania with integrated psychotherapy, well-being and personal development services, and Hilio, the largest online health and well-being platform in Romania, announce a partnership through which Hilio customers have the opportunity to also meet face-to-face with their therapists and specialists (link).