On April 11, the Moldovan startup community had the opportunity to connect with the Deputy Prime Minister, the Minister of Economic Development and Digitalization – Dumitru Alaiba. #FoundersMeetUp

The event was organised by Startup Moldova in partnership with Yep Moldova, Dreamups and XY Partners, with the support of Innovate Moldova and development partners USAID, Sweden and UKAid.

At the event – the startup community had a chance to address concerns and challenges and present ideas for improving infrastructure for ecosystem development alongside the Deputy Prime Minister! Moreover, they shared their vision of the future of entrepreneurship in Moldova and highlighted the potential of the country’s technological ecosystem.

Deputy Prime Minister Dumitru Alaiba expressed his support for the startup community and emphasised the government’s commitment to creating a favourable environment for startups to thrive in Moldova.

I want us to build an authentic culture of startups in Moldova because we can do much more and have room for it. Startups are where new and innovative ideas emerge. So to have a vibrant and dynamic economy, we need a startup culture. We know this. This is our vision. This is what we promote. This is what we will continue to support.

The Deputy Prime Minister mentioned.

He also mentioned initiatives and policies aimed at supporting entrepreneurship, such as reducing bureaucratic barriers and ensuring access to finance and resources and others that will facilitate the creation of sustainable space.

Some of the topics covered can be seen below!

Startup support:

  1. The use of labour contracts, 0-hour contracts and service provision in startups
  2. Deferred payments and taxes for startups at the beginning of their activity
  3. Need to expand support for MITP, scaling local startup incubator/accelerator programs

Bureaucracy and foreign investment:

  1. Potential to streamline bureaucracy, especially for foreign nationals, registration and employment processes
  2. Lack of regulations for foreign venture capital investments in Moldovan startups
  3. Discussion of potential legislation to address this issue

Cooperation and access to data:

  1. The need to strengthen collaboration between state institutions, startups and SMEs
  2. The importance of accessing critical data for startups and SMEs

Payment systems and fees:

  1. The absence of payment systems like Stripe and digital banks like Revolut and PayPal
  2. The need to reduce interchange fees for banks

The meeting was an excellent opportunity for Moldovan startups to create a direct dialogue with a government official and present the potential to stimulate economic growth and innovation in Moldova. It also emphasises the importance of collaboration between the public and private sectors to support the development of the startup ecosystem.

Also, during the event, the new Secretary of State in the field of Digitalization from the Ministry of Economic Development and Digitalization – Mihai Lupașco – was presented.

The event was a success and demonstrated the openness from both sides to create a bright future for the entrepreneurial landscape of the Republic of Moldova.

With continued support from organisations such as Startup Moldova, Yep Moldova, Dreamups and XY Partners and the support of development partners such as USAID, Sweden and UKAid and event partners ArtCor and Purcari Wines – the future looks promising for the Moldovan startup ecosystem.

You can contact the Startup Moldova Foundation for any questions and suggestions at community@startupmoldova.digital and follow our social networks to stay up to date with our work and opportunities for the community here.