The recent convening of the Startup Moldova Summit 2024 on March 14, 2024, marked an important moment for Moldova’s tech landscape. With over 500 participants and over 30 VCs and angel investors present, and more than 350 networking sessions with startups, the summit served as a dynamic platform for collaboration, insight sharing, and networking. Distinguished guests, including President Maia Sandu, Deputy Prime Minister Dumitru Alaiba and leading industry experts, converged to explore opportunities for nurturing innovation and fostering growth within Moldova’s tech sector.
President Maia Sandu affirmed, “[Startups] are not just building businesses, but transforming our country into that modern European state awaited by our entire society”. The Government of Moldova is actively streamlining administrative processes to strengthen a conducive business environment, a pivotal step in our journey towards digital transformation and bolstering Moldova’s entrepreneurial ecosystem within the European integration framework.
The startup community in Moldova burgeons, with over 250 companies fostering innovative solutions across sectors such as Healthtech, EdTech, FinTech, MarTech, E-commerce, PropTech, and more. In the past two years alone, 25 Moldovan startups have secured over 15 million USD in funding from angel investors and venture capital funds. These achievements are a testament to recent reforms in legal, trade, and labor liberalization, coupled with the digitization of our economy. Moldova aspires to achieve a 100% “digital state” rate, with unique tech-enabling frameworks like the Moldova Innovation Technology Park, offering entrepreneurs a single 7% tax incentive, extended until 2035.
Olga Melniciuc, Executive Director at Startup Moldova, envisions, “Through innovation and collaboration, we aim to transform Moldova into a fertile ground for startups, where bold ideas meet the necessary resources to grow and thrive.”
The summit spotlighted Moldova’s trajectory as a growing tech hub in Central and Eastern Europe. Keynote speaker Dave Parker shared insights on prudent decision-making and agile adaptation in the entrepreneurial journey, resonating with attendees. Additionally, success stories from startup founders like Mihaela Kawinska (Bloomcoding), Viorica Vanica (SelfTalk), and Nicolae Guzun (Sumboard) inspired aspiring innovators.
Industry leaders such as Kristina Poustovan of Google Romania and Andreas Flodstrom of Beetroot emphasized technology’s transformative potential in driving societal progress and global impact, further solidifying Moldova’s standing in the global tech arena.
The Startup Moldova Summit 2024 stands as a guide of inspiration, uniting people involved to propel Moldova towards a future defined by technological excellence and entrepreneurial dynamism.
The event was organized by the Startup Moldova Foundation, under the umbrella of the Ministry of Economic Development and Digitalization of the Republic of Moldova, General Partner Startup Moldova Foundation: Orange Systems, with the support of the Future Technologies Project, funded by USAID, Sweden, and the United Kingdom, and the Moldova Innovation Technology Park. Additionally, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development with the support of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and the Central European Initiative, the European Union through the Inotek project, and Helvetas through the OPTIM Project, funded by the Government of Switzerland. With the support of Maib Business and Turkish Airlines, General Media Partner: Diez.
