These Startups Are Going to Make You Think Twice About Moldova

With most of the world’s investment capital focused in a few key places, markets such as Moldova often get overlooked. Situated between Romania and Ukraine, this small eastern European country with a little more than two million inhabitants, still has a young ecosystem full of potential.

The country’s geographical and political positions have made it a “virtual bridge” between the West and the East. Moldova has economic agreements with both the European Union (EU) and the Commonwealth of Independet States (CIS), allowing them certain leeways and benefits on both sides. The population is often multilingual which means that entrepreneurs from Moldova can serve many global markets and there is a strong diaspora in major hubs around the world. The combination of these factors makes up for an unique entrepreneurial system.

International organizations and investors have recognized the opportunities within the country and the local government is working on building an innovative ecosystem as well. Seedstars has been organizing local events within the Seedstars World Competition in the capital Chisinau since 2016. Every year startups from all around the country apply for a chance to pitch their solutions and win a ticket to the regional and global stage of the competition. Over the years, we had the chance to hear from the most promising entrepreneurs working to make Moldova a better place to live and work in and combat issues such as a rapid population decline and high unemployment rates. Here are some of the startups that were a part of the Competition and where they are now:

  1. Fentury
    Fentury
     was the first Moldovan winner of the Seedstars Chisinau local competition. It is a personal finance advisor app where users can manage all their accounts from a single place and receive proactive advice on areas that can be improved. Fentury supports over 2,500 banks and is used in 75 countries worldwide. Since the competition they have also pivoted towards a B2B product called SaltEdge which enables businesses to connect with end-customers’ bank accounts from across the globe and has been featured in The Fintech Power 50 Cohort Members and Influencers 2021.
  2. Retently
    Retently helps businesses increase their revenue by reducing churn and improving customer retention. They offer a variety of products for a better customer and product experience and have worked with over a thousand companies.
  3. Codifun
    Codifun provides online and offline solutions to educate youth code while gaming, using innovative learning methods to teach design, animation, developing, 3D printing and software testing. They have had over 9000 students so far.
  4. MedicalTourismReview
    This HealthTech startup is the biggest database of clinics and hospitals worldwide with over 5000 medical institutions from 109 countries in their database. MedicalTourismReview is helping patients find the most effective affordable and accessible treatments in a variety of medical fields by offering information and reviews, and is a place to reach international customers for clinics and hospitals.
  5. Shelfalytics
    The team behind this startup provides solutions for real time data analytics from the shelves with their modules, sensors and cameras, directly to producers, retailers, and distributors.
  6. Babymoon
    The winner of the second edition of the local competition was Babymoon, a startup that developed a smart baby carrier which enables parents to communicate with their child’s doctor, prevent illness, and optimize their parenting.
  7. Gustos Life
    Gustos Life is a wine ecosystem platform offering a variety of IT solutions to wine marketers, such as a mobile marketplace, SaaS solution that implements blind tasting by experts, a system for online management of your wine collection, tech solutions for organizing wine tastings etc. They have recently been recognized as one of the top startups in the wine industry.
  8. FunEasyLearn
    FunEasyLearn is a free and offline language learning platform that helps any user learn a foreign language from their mother tongue. They offer courses in 34 languages taught in 62 mother tongues. Using science and game-based methods they adjust the learning experience to personal interests, knowledge level and learning abilities of every user. The app has been downloaded 60 million times and has about a million active users every month.
  9. Staf.Online
    The 2020 local winner from Moldova was Staf.Online, a global job board that connects employers and job seekers in a transparent and accessible way. They offer jobs across the EU and in seven different countries.
  10. Fastboss OU
    Fastboss is developing an AI Voice Assistant APP that helps users generate business documents even when out of office by using automation. Their solutions help the sales team focus more on customers and spend 35 % less sales time.
  11. Smartest
    This online platform helps students and educational institutions accurately evaluate their knowledge and potential gaps in several school subjects. The platform can also pinpoint specific learning needs of a student and track their learning progress.

 

The variety and success of previous contestants shows that even though Moldovan startup ecosystem might still be developing, the potential is there and the local government and foreign partners are seeing entrepreneurship as the way forward . The 2020/21 Moldova Local Competition was supported by SDC’s Optim project. Optim “Opportunities through Technologies and Innovation in Moldova’’ is a project of Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation SDC, implemented by Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation.
This event as well as other related to developing entrepreneurship with Startup Moldova are organized with the support of developing partners USAID MoldovaGovernment of Sweden and in the framework of Tekwill project.

 

The article was written by Seedstars.

Startups attending list

Description
viarliveViar.live allows any 360 ̊ enthusiasts and business owners to create and share amazing VR experiences with ease
respiroMarket place for psychological support
easyplanSAAS solution for dental clinics
bloomcodingBloomcoding is reinventing online coding education for children, by teaching kids how to code through Virtual and Augmented Reality experiences.
enabldEmpowering Communication Service Providers to offer smart and cost-effective business communications services
xorXOR builds modern communication software for recruiting and HR to hire and retain talent more efficiently.
faguraP2P credit platform
donkeyDonkey.io makes code deployments simple and fun, regardless of the location you are delivering your software solution to.
metafarmA WEB 3.0 platform where for tokenizing real assets in agriculture using Blockchain, NFT and Metaverse technologies.
selftalkSelftalk is a behavioural health app that helps tech employees deal with anxiety, stress, depression, and negative inner conversation.
delyA set of white label delivery solutions that features the whole package of software required to set up and run your own delivery business
undeA platform for event pages management with tools for events promotion, tickets sale and community building
brizyBrizy is a multiplatform website builder that anyone can use.
sonr_musicSONR Music is a compact disc-shaped 100% waterproof audio player.
boldA platform that brings together specialists from the NEW MEDIA ART area for promoting and re-imagining new products.
langlyA non-standard platform for learning English based on the Oxford English course.
stilioStilio is web platform and booking app designed for Beauty industry, an online digital solution for making online appointments to beauty salons and specialists.
watznowWatznow offers a quick way to share videos with people around you or anywhere in the world with an interactive map.
fastbossFastBoss is Integrated mobile-first CRM-like tools with embedded Virtual Assistant for salesmen and business owners
enamplyAI-assisted productivity management platform that reduces bias in performance improvement and creates a habit of feedback.
influenceInfluence.md is a platform that connects brands with digital storytellers, influencers, and content creators in order to personalize their brand story.
aml_cryptoBlockchain Analytics & Crypto Investigation.
baby_medBaby Medy inspire hope and contribute to the health and well-being of parents and their kids by providing the best care through medicine and modern technology.
doctor_chatDoctorchat is an online clinic platform.
renterRenter is a long term electric bicycle rental service for couriers
my_idMyID provides identification and validation process tools for businesses
music24Platform for music artists where they can sell their songs and merchandise, directly communicating with their fans
clickschoolClick School provides online training and career guidance services in the IT field that the beneficiary pays upon employment.
kicklyA platform for sports organizations to create graphic content in minutes
toutoringOnline tutoring for students
startupProvide a set of products and services that allow the creation of applications and websites without code.
consulterFind the right expert advice for your business with Consulter - the marketplace for top-notch consultants across industries.
inst_expertInstant online help from reliable therapists
sahInteractive online chess courses for children
swiftSaasS solution to connect with customers who leave their contacts online
greenoGreenoSoil is a ClimateTech and AgTech company building the first and the largest global geospatial data marketplace in agriculture
iAsigiAsig is a property and casualty insurance agency powered by technology.
indexIndex is a global network of vetted, world-class software developers, that helps enterprises to find and hire top-caliber engineering talent.
planablePlanable is a content review and marketing collaboration platform used by over 5,000 teams.
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