As we approach the end of the year, reflecting on the startup landscape, the Romanian startup ecosystem remains dynamic and active. We’ve compiled a summary of the most significant startup-related programs and events that have contributed to the vibrancy of the ecosystem.

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The first 6 months review can be found here and now we will present the second part of 2023.

Highlights of Events & Programs in the Romanian Startup Ecosystem (2023) 

1. ABC Incubator has launched the ABC Accelerator, a new initiative designed to support startups in taking their businesses to the next level (link). 

2. StepFWD selected 20 early stage technology startups to enter their 7-month accelerator program (link) and had the demo day on December 12th.

3. The Institute of Excellence in Entrepreneurship (IdEA) successfully hosted the 9th edition of the Commons Accel startup accelerator. At the end of the program, 12 startups have pitched their ideas in front of investors (link). Moreover, idEA, together with Shopoteque, have launched ShopStart Accel, an accelerator for businesses that want to launch an online shop (link).

4. Rubik Hub has completed the fifth edition of the Rubik Garage accelerator where 24 startups took part (link). Also, Rubik Hub, in partnership with Fortech Investments, Google for Startups, WIT Angels Club, and AmCham Romania, has introduced the “Rubik Garage – Scale to USA” acceleration program, tailored for entrepreneurs aiming to grow in the US market (link).

5. Social Innovation Solutions organized the final of the sixth edition of the Future Makers incubator (link).

6. LevelUP Health & Life Sciences Accelerator program by INNO, a department of the North-West Regional Development Agency, has organized the first edition of the accelerator for health and life sciences startups in Romania and held its Demo Day event on 18th of September (link).

7. Startups and scaleups participating in the InnovX-BCR accelerator had the Demo Day and the best ones were awarded. Caut Curier won first place in the Startups category (link).

8. Orange Romania has welcomed six new startups into its Orange Fab acceleration program, chosen in response to the 5G project call earlier this year (link).

9. Startarium PitchDay‘s fifth edition has been organized under a new identity: “Romanians are entrepreneurs.” This competition, initiated by Impact Hub Bucharest and ING Bank and supported by Pluxee, showcased the entrepreneurial spirit of Romanians (link).

10. Impact Hub Bucharest’s Black Sea ClimAccelerator, dedicated to green businesses in Romania had the Demo Day in December. Additionally, the winners of the fourth edition of the Innovators for Children program (link) and the Empowering Women in Agrifood program were announced during the Pitch Days.

11. Activize and Impact Hub Bucharest has launched 2 ecosystem reports this autumn:

• Romanian Agrifood Overview Report – 3rd Edition (supported by EIT Food and Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub)
• Romanian Green Startups Overview Report – 3rd Edition (together with Spherik Accelerator & supported by EIT Climate-KIC and in partnership with Raiffeisen Bank and OMV Petrom)

12. Bright Labs Incubator by Make IT in Oradea organized its Demo Day and unveiled the winner of this cohort: ROCCO, an innovative platform that transforms your smartphone into a restaurant ordering kiosk (link).

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

14. The Romanian Farmers’ Club launched the third series of the “Entrepreneur in Agriculture 4.0” management training program. It aims to increase the performance and competitiveness of Romanian farmers by transforming their own business into a sustainable business model (link).

15. Techcelerator has organized the fourth edition of Investors’ Day – the accelerator’s flagship event, where 8 startups pitched their ideas (link).

16. Launch, the community that supports Romanian founders of early stage startups, has organized the second edition of Launch Health Tech, bringing together the most active players in the health technology ecosystem (link).

17. Activize and FreshBlood, together with Transilvania University of Brașov, have organized Green Tech Hackathon focused on innovative ideas for student-led teams. 

18. SynergistEIC, a program by Spherik Accelerator and its partners, has closed the call for the first edition and selected 15 greentech startups to embark on a journey of innovation, sustainability, and impact.

19. EIT Manufacturing RIS Hub Romania managed by Iceberg has organized the Revive & Reinvent Manufacturing pre-acceleration program (link). 

20. Fix Cluj, an incubator program aimed at young people between the ages of 16 and 26 who are from Cluj-Napoca, announced the winners its latest edition at the closing gala (link).

Conferences & tech events

1. In September, the second edition of the consolid8 Festival was held in Brasov. 

2. Future Banking organized in October a new edition of the Future Banking Summit, the event devoted to the financial and banking industry in Romania (link). 

3. SeedBlink introduced Open Day Bucharest, a series of events providing entrepreneurs with the opportunity to have one-on-one meetings with the company’s investment team to explore financing and equity management (link).

4. In the beginning of October, the Urban Mobility Innovation Day event brought together forward-thinking startups, fostering collaboration and innovation in the face of urban mobility challenges (link).

5. How to Web, Eastern Europe’s leading startup & innovation conference has been organized in October.

6. Edtech Romania has held its inaugural meetup, as a How To Web satellite event. This event provided a platform for edtech enthusiasts to connect, share their thoughts, gain insights and discover collaboration opportunities (link).

7. The fourth edition of Prow – a conference dedicated to tech and digital products, was organized in October.

8. Codecamp has organized two technology dedicated festivals, one in Iași (October) and the other one in Cluj-Napoca (November).

9. The 11th edition of ITDays, a regional conference in Cluj-Napoca, Romania has been organized in November.

10. The second edition of ROStartup Conference was organized in November (link).

11. In November, FreshBlood and Activize organized 2 events in Bucharest: Hubvantage Innovation Forum and Morning HealthTalks event.

12. Start-up.ro have launched the documentary “Roaring Tigers of Europe” about the evolution of the Romanian startup ecosystem – a journey of challenges and growth (link). 

13. Oradea City Hall inaugurated on December 12th, the Business Incubator, named “Cresc Oradea Mare“, welcoming up to 50 startups and offering support services for the ones incubated (link).

Closing

As the year comes to an end, we take note of a robust list, showing the flourishing state of the Romanian startup ecosystem. The collaborative efforts demonstrated through diverse programs and events have not just spurred innovation but have also set the stage for a bright future. With gratitude for the achievements of this year, we bid it farewell, eagerly anticipating the opportunities and advancements the next year will bring.