Blu Capital Partners (BCP) is an entrepreneurial investment banking advisory firm that specializes in providing comprehensive services to technology entrepreneurs. As an investment banking advisory firm, BCP offers a range of expertise, including M&A Advisory, Financing Advisory (Equity and Debt), and CEO & Board Advisory. These core areas encompass strategic guidance on mergers and acquisitions, assistance in securing financing through equity or debt, and tailored advice for CEOs and boards to optimize their decision-making processes.

As Techsylvania 2023 approaches, BCP is ready to showcase its unique approach and commitment to technology entrepreneurs. Let’s explore how BCP’s participation highlights its distinctive qualities through the words of Tudor Mafteianu, Founder and CEO of the company and Dragos Tudose, Senior Manager.

Expertise and Market Intelligence:

BCP has carved a niche for itself by focusing solely on the technology sector, understanding its unique needs, trends, and challenges. According to Tudor Mafteianu, “Our deep expertise with both product and service Technology firms allows us to fully apprehend the value that our clients bring to the market.” BCP’s relentless focus on technology enables it to provide tailored advice that no other investment banking advisory firm can match. With their comprehensive proprietary database and extensive research capabilities, BCP leverages data to drive exceptional results for its clients.

Success Stories:

BCP has successfully supported its technology clients in various areas, including M&A, strategy, and financing advice. Tudor Mafteianu highlights a few examples: “We recently guided a Technology firm through a crucial Series A funding round, connecting them with an array of investors globally.” BCP’s expertise in structuring complex debt financing deals was instrumental in helping a FinTech company in the Baltics balance growth and profitability. Additionally, BCP facilitated a successful M&A transaction for an Eastern European software development company, accelerating their expansion into new markets. These success stories exemplify BCP’s ability to deliver tailored solutions and maximize client potential.

Proactive Approach:

In the rapidly evolving technology sector, BCP proactively identifies key opportunities and challenges for its clients. Dragos Tudose (Senior Manager) acknowledges the dynamic nature of the industry, stating, “We often see clients grappling with finding suitable investors who understand their product, navigating regulatory complexities, or deciding on the right time for an exit.” BCP leverages its data-driven approach, extensive network, and industry experience to help clients overcome these challenges and seize opportunities. By staying ahead of regulatory shifts and providing strategic guidance, BCP empowers its clients to navigate the ever-changing landscape of the technology sector.

Building Strong Client Relationships:

BCP’s client-centric approach revolves around building strong, long-lasting relationships based on trust, integrity, and transparency. They consistently communicate with clients, deliver tailored advice, and prioritize their interests. BCP’s alignment of interests ensures that the firm’s compensation is directly tied to client outcomes, fostering a seamless partnership.

As Techsylvania 2023 approaches, Blu Capital Partners is poised to showcase its expertise, market intelligence, and client-centric approach. With a track record of successful transactions and a proactive stance in navigating the evolving technology landscape, BCP is committed to empowering tech entrepreneurs and driving their success. As Tudor Mafteianu states, “Our deep expertise, proactive approach, and strong client relationships are the cornerstones of our firm’s philosophy.” Through their participation at Techsylvania 2023, BCP aims to expand its reach and make an even greater impact within the technology sector.

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Excitement is reaching its peak for the highly awaited Techsylvania event, where Happening, a leading player in transforming the way sports fans engage with their favorite games, is set to captivate attendees with innovations in the sports entertainment industry. As a Gold Partner at Techsylvania`s 10th edition, Happening is prepared to make an impression with its state-of-the-art technology and revolutionary experiences.

Giuseppe Madonna, the Chief Product Officer at Superbet and Managing Director at Happening is an expert in product experience and a driving force behind Superbet’s success. He shares his excitement for the event:

“We are thrilled to participate in Techsylvania. It provides us with an outstanding platform to expand our network, engage in current conversations, and stay updated on the latest trends in the tech industry. Additionally, as we’re actively hiring in Romania, we’re confident that we’ll meet skilled professionals who share our passion for innovation and technology.”

Unleashing the Power of Technology

By leveraging advanced data analytics and captivating platforms, Happening offers sports fans an unprecedented level of engagement, elevating their experience of their favorite sports.

Giuseppe elaborates on Happening’s tech-driven approach:

“With a focus on user-centric design, innovation, and leveraging technology and data, Happening is uniquely positioned to play a pivotal role in this evolution. By staying ahead of technological trends and industry shifts, we will continue to shape the betting and gaming industry, delivering exceptional experiences that redefine user engagement and satisfaction.”

Happening serves as Superbet’s dedicated technology hub, powering all three consumer brands within the Superbet Group: Superbet, Napoleon Sports & Casino, and Lucky 7. Leveraging the latest technology, Happening strives to provide the best sports entertainment experience across these brands.

Connecting with Visionaries and Industry Leaders

Happening capitalizes on the possibilities presented at Techsylvania, the event that, each year, attracts a diverse community of industry leaders, entrepreneurs, and tech enthusiasts. Through its participation and booth in the expo area, Happening will connect with like-minded individuals and showcase its innovative solutions. Through meaningful discussions, Happening strives to foster collaborations and build valuable relationships with industry leaders who share a mutual objective of shaping a brighter future.

Inspiring the Future of Sports Entertainment

Through its presence at Techsylvania, Happening aims to inspire and challenge the status quo in the sports entertainment industry. By showcasing innovative solutions and sharing their visionary outlook, they hope to foster a community of forward-thinking individuals who believe in the transformative power of technology in revolutionizing the sports experience.

Giuseppe emphasizes the significance of Techsylvania in advancing their mission:

“Techsylvania stands out as one of the most prominent tech events in Romania, bringing together a diverse group of tech professionals, entrepreneurs, and innovators. It provides us with the ideal platform to showcase our innovative technological solutions and the complexity of our product, while also enabling us to learn about the latest trends in the technology industry and establish valuable relationships in Romania.”

Meanwhile, on the main stage, Tijana Kovačević (VP of People @Happening) will discuss what it takes to preserve the startup spirit and culture at your company, and how to avoid bureaucracy as you scale up. Don’t miss the chance to experience Happening’s remarkable presence at Techsylvania and be part of the revolution that is reshaping the sports entertainment industry.

Techsylvania serves as a catalyst for innovation and collaboration, and Happening is poised to make an unforgettable impression at this year`s edition. With their advanced technology, fascinating experiences, and visionary approach to the future of sports entertainment, Happening is set to revolutionize the way sports fans engage with their favorite games. As they connect with industry leaders, exchange ideas, and inspire others, the impact of Happening’s involvement at Techsylvania will resonate throughout the tech landscape.

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Exciting news has emerged from the tech industry as Oveit, a pioneering company, joins forces with Techsylvania as a new production partner. With a strong commitment to supporting the tech community, Oveit’s collaboration with Techsylvania aims to ignite creativity, foster collaboration, and drive technological advancements. In a recent interview, we had the privilege of delving into Oveit’s vision and exploring their innovative solutions that are set to revolutionize the event management landscape.

Revolutionizing Event Management: The Birth of Oveit

Oveit’s co-founder, Mihai Dragan, shares the story behind the inception of the company, rooted in the desire to overcome the challenges faced by event organizers and attendees. Traditional event management methods often fell short of meeting expectations, particularly in terms of ticketing and payment processing. Oveit recognized the need for a technology-driven platform that could streamline operations and enhance the overall event experience. Their vision is centered on empowering humans to focus on what truly matters — creating communities and unforgettable event experiences.

According to Mihai Dragan (COO & Co-founder Oveit), “Technology should take care of all the repetitive tasks while we, as humans, focus on what really matters — creating a community around our events, interests, and surroundings.”

Enhancing Visitor Experiences: The Concept of Experiential Shopping

Oveit introduces the concept of experiential shopping, which aims to provide customers with immersive and engaging experiences while they shop. By seamlessly integrating shopping opportunities into events, venues, and hospitality operations, Oveit’s cashless payment solutions eliminate the need for traditional payment methods. Visitors can now make purchases with a simple tap of the hand, enhancing the overall visitor experience and fostering a deeper connection between brands and shoppers.

Oveit envisions a bright future for experiential shopping across various industries, including music, entertainment, conferences, trade shows, and retail. By adopting this approach, businesses can forge stronger connections with customers, boost brand loyalty, and unlock new revenue streams. Oveit is positioned as a leader in this evolving landscape, empowering organizers with cutting-edge technology, seamless integrations, and actionable insights. Their commitment to continuous innovation ensures that they remain at the forefront of shaping the future of experiential shopping.

As Oveit’s co-founder states, “Our goal is to be one of the leaders of this revolution, continuously innovating and adapting to meet the evolving needs of both organizers and attendees.”

Building Sustainable and Circular Local Economies

Oveit’s objective is not only to revolutionize the event management landscape but also to build sustainable and circular local economies. Their technology enables increased spending by outside visitors in the local community, fostering inclusivity, sustainability, and economic equity. By providing innovative alternatives for digital payments, Oveit facilitates the onboarding of local vendors and ensures that the economic benefits generated through events remain within the community. This approach supports local businesses, stimulates economic growth, and improves the well-being of the community.

Techsylvania Experience: A Catalyst for Growth and Objectives

As Oveit prepares to participate in Techsylvania, they have high expectations for the event and anticipate significant contributions to their growth and objectives. Techsylvania provides an excellent platform for Oveit to showcase their services and interact with like-minded individuals, industry experts, and potential partners. The event’s networking opportunities and wealth of knowledge will undoubtedly propel Oveit and fellow participants forward in their business endeavors.

Advancing Event Technology: Oveit’s Goals and Aspirations

Looking ahead, Oveit aims to advance the field of events technology and continue providing innovative solutions that enhance the overall experience for both organizers and visitors. Their key goals include embracing NFT ticketing, adopting AI chatbots for personalized onboarding, and incorporating video shopping support for event tickets. These advancements aim to create immersive experiences, eliminate friction in event registration, and foster brand loyalty. Oveit’s commitment to continuous innovation ensures that they remain at the forefront of the industry, driving transformative change.

With Oveit’s recent partnership with Techsylvania, the tech industry is on the brink of a remarkable transformation. Their unwavering dedication to empowering event organizers, fostering unforgettable experiences, and revolutionizing the way we shop is set to ignite a new era of innovation.

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While in 2021 we were required to talk about the future only in the online world, this year we can finally meet again in person and talk about revolutionary ideas!

This year’s hybrid format allows you to either watch the event from the comfort of your own home or meet us in person and be together for the entire conference. Companies like Grab, Chili Piper, Superbet, Sequoia, MongoDB or OLX Group are going to have amazing representatives to go on stage on June 28 and June 29 2022.

CEOs, founders, executives and technical experts of some of the most successful companies in the world will be present at the 9th edition of Techsylvania.

Alina Vandenberghe is the co-founder and co-CEO of Chili Piper, the second unicorn of the United States of America founded by a Romanian.

Sacha Dragic is the founder and executive chairman of Superbet Group with more than 10 years of activity in the industry. Even though the business was initially founded and developed locally, 5 years ago it started expanding internationally.

Other important names that are going to be on this year’s stage are: Mark Porter — CTO at MongoDB, Suthen Thomas — CTO at Grab, Lloyed Lobo — co-founder at Boast.AI, Trang Nguyen — co-founder at TI Platform, Zach Coelius — Managing Partner at Coelius Capital. They are just a small part of the +60 speakers that will share their secrets and experiences of their professional careers at Techsylvania 2022.

Executive roundtables, workshops or exhibition areas are making the Techsylvania experience complete

The core of Techsylvania is represented by the conference which brings over 60 inspirational speakers from all around the world, but there are many other components like:

• Workshops
• Networking Area
• Executive Roundtables
• Startup Alley
• Satellite Events
• Q&A Sessions

Executive Roundtables

If you want to discuss the latest technologies, trends and innovations with the best and brightest minds, then this is the place for you. Executive Roundtables are 1.5 — hour-long discussions between up to 10 members. It’s a mix of speakers and top executives from national companies and the purpose is to create an engaging conversation that could eventually stir up collaborations between the participants.

Technical Workshops

We add a learning dimension to our annual Techsylvania experience by inviting experts from leading companies to host technical workshops. Techsylvania 2022 is going back to tech with a series of workshops dedicated to engineers and their skill-set enhancement. During the two days, you can select from 10 workshop sessions featuring a wide array of topics, focused only on cutting-edge areas of technology.

Exhibition Area

Each year, our event partners strive to create memorable experiences for the curious minds attending Techsylvania. In the expo area, you can find an eclectic mix of products and services showcased by some of the newest and intriguing companies in tech.

How Techsylvania looked like through our speakers’ eyes ‘till now:

“There is a lot of talent here in Cluj, talent that with the proper mentorship can really turn into a great innovation ecosystem that will be dominant in Europe.” — Jon Gruen, Founding Partner at Gothams.

“Techsylvania and Romania is a tech hub. I thought I would take the opportunity to see startups, companies and to meet with engineers, developers.” — Sakshi Chhabra Mittal, Ex-Investor SoftBank Vision Fund.

“I think that the event here is very impressive as well. And for me with all of the events I go to, it’s always all about the people and I think you do a great job here bringing them together.” — Peter Vesterbacka, Founder at FinEst bay Area.

If you are thinking about joining us online, here’s what it looked like last year:

But if you really want to understand and feel what Techsylvania is all about, then here’s a glimpse of what you should expect:

You can get your ticket right now from our website: www.techsylvania.com/tickets

Until June 20, here are the prices for Regular Tickets:

• Builder Virtual: 49€
• Builder In-Person: 69€
• Premium Virtual: 79€
• Premium In-Person: 249€

This edition would not happen without the support from our partners and sponsors: OLX Group, Google for StartUps, Halcyon Mobile, Telenav, AboutYou, Make <IT> in Oradea, Appssemble, We are crafting software, Cicada Technologies and Freshbyte.

Follow us:

https://techsylvania.com/| FB: Techsylvania | Twitter: techsylvania | Instagram: Techsylvania

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“I came to the US, a completely foreign country to me with a completely different culture, with a desire to work in tech. I felt like an outsider. Understood no political or sports references in work conversations. Understood no business references. My colleagues would often make me repeat myself because of my accent. I even got reported to HR for “acting strange” because I had hugged a colleague who just found had cancer for what they deemed too long. I felt I didn’t understand anything about this strange world I found myself in.

To make matters worse I was paid a meager hourly rate; my job was in NYC so it was challenging to pay the rent and food at the same time. So I was piling up debt — a concept I didn’t understand at all because in my home country no one was able to do such a thing. The concept of debt was completely new to me as well.

From my past life experiences in Romania, I knew that if I worked harder and smarter than everyone else I would prevail over my circumstances. And I did. After 10 years of hustle, I had climbed the corporate ladder and made the kind of salary I couldn’t even think I could dream of. $300 000 a year was the kind of money that could buy anything I could have wanted.

So when I sold everything I had and told everyone I’m quitting my corporate life everyone thought I was out of my mind. Starting a company with zero experience in an environment where most companies fail was not something anyone expected. But to me, it was the right time. I had learned enough to know how the economy works in the US. How products are built. How products are sold and marketed. And in addition, I had no fear of failing. I was ok to be completely broke. I was ok to sleep on the streets if I failed.

In addition, I had the right encouragement from the people that mattered to me. My friend from Romania, Carmen who has a successful fashion business on her own kept prompting me to try it, saying that I would love it because it matches my ever entrepreneurial spirit. And my husband was whispering in my ear for years to come join him and use my product skills to build something from scratch.

All of that was happening at a time when I was watching companies like SAP and Oracle building massive businesses on products that I thought at that time had suboptimal UX and felt I could do a lot better. In 2016 I poured all my knowledge and all the grit I mustered throughout the years to build the kind of company I always wanted to work for, into Chili Piper.

The kind of company where I can work from anywhere, where I know how I can progress in my career. Where we can have an impact on social issues. Where I can directly see the impact of my work in my stock options. Where my colleagues would be the best in the world at what they do. All while having fun. It was a long journey but now 6 years into our company is evaluated at a billion dollars. And I’m having the time of my life.

I came back to Techsylvania because I want to give back to the country that shaped my spirit, my work ethic. I hope that by employing talented people from Romania at Chili Piper they can be exposed to the same opportunities I was exposed to and have the same kind of opportunities to give back.

My early employees became millionaires already, the ones that are joining now have the same kind of opportunity to build their stock options into the kind of wealth that propel their dreams forward.”

These being said, we cannot emphasize enough how excited we are to have Alina again on our stage because we still have so much to learn from her journey and experience. She is the living proof that if you believe in yourself and your skills there is nothing that can stop you from achieving great things.

Motivational stories are what drives us sometimes and inspire us to start working on our own projects, so this time we’re in luck, because Alina will be at Techsylvania in person and tell us everything we need to know.

Alina Vandenberghe is a Romanian native that created a tech billion dollar company from nothing, Chili Piper, and this is exactly the topic she’ll be talking about on Techsylvania’s stage on June 28 and 29.

Co-founded with her husband Nicolas, Chili Piper boosts buyer engagement for companies like Spotify, Airbnb, Twilio, Shopify, and many more. With more than 240 employees in over 40 countries, Chili Piper has been spicing sales up since 2016.

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Carlo Driussi is the Executive Vice President & COO of UniCredit Bank Romania. His banking career started in 1997 and he has held leadership positions since 2003. After moving to Bank of Rome in HR department, he took part to the start-up of Capitalia Holding and took over the position of Head of HR of CSJV, a joint venture company between Capitalia and Archon Group (Goldman Sacks)

He took part to the start-up of Capitalia Informatica (currently UniCredit Services) in 2005, before moving to Milan in 2008 for the merger with UniCredit as Head of HR Business Partners in Finance, Communication and holding functions. He moved to UniCredit Bank Serbia as HR Director in 2011 and became the COO of the same Bank in 2015.

He has amazing background and experience so we thought we just had to sit down with him and ask him a few questions about the company and Techsylvania.

Q: You say that digitalization is in your company’s DNA. How does UniCredit use innovation to provide clients with experiences that fit their needs and lifestyle?

A: Digitalization has been a key priority to UniCredit for many years, as we put our customers at the centre of our business strategy. Today, especially in a post-pandemic world, customers ask for state-of-the-art digital solutions oriented towards their needs, flexible and simple products and processes, access to innovative solutions. The pandemic changed an option for digitalization in a concrete need. We, at UniCredit, started to increase the solutions for companies to handle some of the contracts and documents digitally years ago and gradually, we saw a growing number of companies adopting this way of doing business.

We also enhanced our new mobile banking application for private individuals customers, developed in partnership with an innovative Finnish fintech, Meniga. Now the application includes a personal finance manager (PFM module) solution that tracks transactions, categorizes them, and gives the customer a very easy view on their spending. It integrates, as well, the functionality ShopSmart (cashback offers), instant virtual debit cards issuing directly in the application, remote customer data update via photo ID upload and smart multifunctional ATMs withdrawal without using a plastic card. UniCredit was also a pioneer in integrating AI in its services through the robot “Ioana” (a Natural Language Understanding solution) which is continuously enhanced to improve customers’ experience.

Q: What is that „something” that makes you stand out from the crowd?

A: Through everything we do, we want to offer communities the opportunity to progress, building on the unique expertise that comes from the synergy of the 13 markets in our European banking network. In line with our ambition to be a truly digital bank, powered by data in everything we do, we have a plan to invest heavily at group level until 2024 on IT services, improving the user experience, creating a new digital offering, making simpler and faster international payments, and strengthening our cyber defences. These are precisely the differentiators and success factors that make us stand out from the crowd and our focus on the Romanian market. By the way, did I mention that UniCredit offered, in world premiere, the first credit card on the name of an artificial intelligence user, Sophia The Robot?

Q: What will a future employee find at UniCredit that’s going to make him love his job?

A: I believe that our openness to digital and innovation are also key elements of our employer branding profile, appealing precisely to new talents that want to explore, develop and have a native curiosity to explore new territories of business. So, in this logic, we are very proud to present our new digital “baby”: Tech School. Briefly, Tech school is a program meant to increase awareness on digital solutions and the adoption of new technologies inside the organization and keep our colleagues connected to the digital world, often restricted to a group of experts. Tech School is also a tool we designed to attract and retain external young talents with technical skills and make them part of UniCredit team, by offering them a ticket in the “back stage” of the digital knowledge areas.

The Tech School connects top speakers all around the world with our internal audience during monthly events on different trending digital topics (such as Blockchain, Artificial intelligence, Metaverse, Cloud Computing, etc). The first selected topic was Artificial Intelligence, which was detailed by a well-known, reputable speaker from Cotrugli Business School — Terence Tse, as UniCredit Bank is already using RPA technology (Robotic Process Automation) in order to automatize the internal processes. The second topic on the agenda will be Blockchain Innovation in Banking. Additionally, starting June 2022, we will also launch an IT internship program for students from top Tech Universities, with a duration of 6 months. At the end of this program our commitment is to have onboarded young talents willing to build the digital future.

On a broader umbrella, Tech School is also part of our commitment that aims at empowering communities to progress and in this specific case we talk about a community of young students that can access various learning opportunities such as internships and trainings on the job. Tech School is their access ticket to the business world at an early stage of their professional life. The success of the program is already given by the number of CVs we received so far from students willing to join our team.

Q: What are the objectives for Techsylvania and what do you want to leave this conference with?

A: We are very happy to be partners of Techsylvania, one of the important technology events in the SEE, as for UniCredit the digitization of banking services is the backbone of our business strategy. Moreover, we share the same goals of empowering communities to progress through enabling passionate talks about the digital trends and also encourage the young innovators to pitch their ideas and give them the possibility to implement them. I am sure that the content I will find at Techsylvania will inspire me and my team to further consolidate our innovation and digital agenda within UniCredit Bank.

We are really excited that we had the opportunity to talk to Carlo before Techsylvania, but now we are even more excited to see him on stage on June 28 and 29 in Cluj Napoca! See you there!

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We just concluded the first day and we can’t wait to find out what other big surprises we’ll encounter on the second day of the event. The 9th edition of Techsylvania takes place between 28–29 of June, in a hybrid mode, allowing local and international tech enthusiasts to take part in the most exciting tech event in Eastern Europe. First day of 2022’s Techsylvania edition was a blast. After 2 years of virtual-only events, Techsylvania is back with a both in-person and virtual event reuniting founders, CEOs, technical experts and digital innovation professionals from successful tech companies around the world. The 9th edition brought together, on the first day of the event, more than 30 speakers who shared their experiences, innovations and valuable information to thousands of national and international participants.

On the first day of the event, we had extremely enthusiastic and eager guests for communication and networking. These included Silicon Valley corporations and innovative start-ups in the tech industry. Attendees had the opportunity to follow them on the 2 main stages of the event, participate in Workshops and address all their curiosities in interactive Q&A sessions.

The grand opening of the first day started on Center Stage with Mark Porter, Chief Technical Officer (CTO) of MongoDB. He had a structured and clear message about organizational culture and its importance for scaling companies. One of the most interesting aspects presented was about how an organization’s culture is made up of the unspoken and unwritten practices and rules which drive how humans and systems act — and react.

Shortly after, another interesting and highly skilled speakers followed on Center Stage, eager to share their knowledge with the participants, in a back to normal context, after 2 years when the pandemic limited such events. Margaret Hollendoner (Google) live streamed about the Product Development at Fitbit and achieving a healthy way of life with less effort, while Aniela Crișan (OLX) introduced us to a Team Driven development mentality. And so much more. She taught us about the mantra of Test-Driven Development and how the team is keeping the operational excellence by continuous learning, testing and setting sustainable, people-centered values.

Fast forward, after the lunch break, Ciprian Zamfirescu, Digital Transformation & Innovation Manager at Vodafone Romania clarified the way technology can revolutionize every industry, including the Telecom. He spoke about systems automation, the internet of things, cloud analytics for automated network planning and optimization, 5G, drones and other aspects that can be integrated in the process of migration to complete inter connectivity.

Another highly awaited speaker on the center stage was Daniel Myers, Senior Developer Relations Manager at Snowflake inc. What have we learned from his speech? That data application or data driven-applications provide the rich, speedy insights, automation and integration that data-driven businesses are using to gain competitive advantages. And we really need a solid competitive advantage to win the clients hearts and money.

And if ”studying behavior more than money” sounds like something you would do, it is clear that you already paid attention to Josh Little (Volley) speech. In today’s market, it is all about demand and supply, so testing and understanding your target audience becomes such valuable assets. His speech, Stuck like glue by building products that users can’t live without, was a must for every company, for start-ups to international corporations. We really hope you didn’t miss it.

After the lunch break, Zoltan Vardy shared with us his secrets of The Launch Code, his 9-step business development framework that helps B2B tech startups boost their revenues by adapting corporate planning, sales, and management techniques to a startup environment.

One of the awaited subjects of the first day was about the crypto bear market, or How to survive crypto winter: Founding, Funding and Building Web3 companies that last. Wui Ngiap Foo & Henry Foo from Ethlas matched the expectations of our participants and taught us what investing in game platforms & cryptocurrency really means, how does its volatility translate on an individual level and its impact on platforms or companies. Nevertheless, they got a little deeper on the subject, discussing the future we are heading towards and what percentage of the market reaction can be anticipated.

Mansoor Ahmed-Rengers, co-founder and CEO at OpenOrigins spoke about authenticity in the age of disinformation, followed on center stage by Carlo Driussi — Executive Vice President & COO Unicredit Bank — responsible for global banking services division, with a hot topic about the culture of innovation.

Another challenging talk on the Center Stage was the conference session with Razvan Roman from TwoTap and Zoltan Vardy from The Launch Code. They debated about A Founders Journey: Europe to the US, startup to exit, entrepreneur to investor and all the participants could express their curiosities about this topic in the Q&A session. Adrian Pica, the product management leader from Bolt was virtually with us and he shared amazing insights about the economics of digital marketplaces.

Our final speakers on the Center Stage gave us very insightful information on various topics. First of all, Zach Coelius, the founder of entrepreneurial early stage capital for technology startups — Coelius Capital from whom we learned a new business tactic: choose something you are good at and you can describe it sincerely & clearly within a single sentence. After 6 long years of constantly inviting him to join us, Stan Chudnovsky from NFX has honored us with his presence on Techsylvania’s stage and made every second count with his valuable lessons on how to get from investing in early teams to running the large organizations at Meta, the importance of feedback, coherent message and making sure you get your entire team on the same page. A big dream is what gets you on in uncertain times like these. And this type of attitude is contagious. You need to match up big ambitions in order to be successful — but first, sit down and figure out what you want to achieve with your ambition.

Last, but not least, Alina Vandenberghe — Co-founder & Co-CEO Chili Piper — the latest Romanian unicorn company in the United States, gave us billion dollars advice on how to build a durable strategy around a completely remote company idea, measure success and where to go after achieving everything, while still managing to deliver it all in a modest manner.

That was all. But just for the Center Stage. On the Impact Stage, the speakers were also delivering great knowledge, word by word. With the stage moderated by Irina Obushtarova (the Recursive), Aaron Lee & Dexter Ligot-Gordon (Swarm) broke the ice with insightful information about how CTOs and CEOs should collaborate in early stage startups. Going further, Andrei Dudoiu, CEO Seedblink shared tips & tricks about collaborative work of european investors and tech startups. The next speaker on the Impact Stage was Oana Florescu from Youtube who had a great talk about fast-growing XFN teams and scaling tech products, remaining also very passionate about her work in this industry. And this really shows in everything we do, isn’t it?

When it comes to keeping an eye open for context and seeking new perspectives Deniz Tuncalp from Istanbul Technical University gave us the best advice. We discussed cultural changes and how they could help us to develop the next startup triangle, following his path. Shortly after, Tomer Dean, representing Audiolabs, taught us a very valuable lesson: don’t fall in love with your idea and start the r&d before validating the product with real users. Do you agree with him? We sure do.

Our final guest on the Impact Stage was FIX Cluj — the first innovation fund dedicated to financing the bold entrepreneurial initiatives of young creative minds. They had to make a tough decision: who will be the next 4 winners of Final Demo Day? After 3 hours of analyzing pitches and deliberating, FIX Cluj decided: Badea Neaoș, Magic Team, OHMYDOG and Manuscrito deserve the funds for developing their businesses. Such a beautiful way to end a day! And for the participants who didn’t get the prizes, they sure got some extremely valuable information from our speakers — and maybe some new wonderful connections to get their projects going further.

The Q&A stage and the technical workshop stage got us a deeper understanding of the digital world of tomorrow, through applicable processes and various contexts, focused on all the hottest topics there are. Diego Freniche Brito & Jorge Ortiz Fuentes (MongoDB) taught us how to Write an Android App with Sync from Scratch, Aaron Lee & Dexter Ligot-Gordon (Swarm) guided us on some Creative Tension: How Should CTOs and CEOs Collaborate in Early Stage Startups? Mihaela Lungu from About You shed some light on how to Craft authentic e-commerce shops: “Brands can personalize their shops, including language, Add to cart and when we implement new features their shops won’t crash.” In the end, Flaviu Samarghitan & Mathias Maciossek (Neurolabs) challenged the visual wizards out there with automate visual tasks without training any algorithms tips & tricks.

That was all for the first day, fellow techsylvanians! Are you ready for another one tomorrow? We will bring some fresh insightful info — you bring your A game! Do we have a deal?

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Day 2 officially started on the Center Stage with the opening remarks from 𝐏𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐩 𝐊𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐥, Techsylvania Chairman, Moderator and a keen observer of technology by default and through a lot of valuable experience! First we had Sacha Dragic who talked about the secrets and 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐦𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢 𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐲. Shortly after Sacha, Suthen Thomas (CTO Grab) shared with us how the company is currently bringing big changes to Southeast Asia’s digital economy and how Grab has grown into a legitimate Super App.

Moving on, Pranay Prakash (Windsor) talked about deepfakes and how unethical they are. Although it’s an industry where you can earn a lot of money it is dangerous and deepfakes leverage powerful techniques from machine learning and A.I. to manipulate or generate content that can more easily deceive. Unfortunately, “Deepfakes are here to stay”, said Pranay.

Jasper Schulte, Director of Engineering at Getir, encouraged us to change our mindset and embrace failure. YES, “You should fail more”, said Jasper. This main advice is based on more than 10 years of solid experience as entrepreneur, engineering leader, professional skydiver and pilot. Remember: “If you feel protected, you eventually become lazy and you will make mistakes.”

What a busy morning on Center Stage! But after having a freshly brewed coffee we got back in business with Jan Matas from Deepnote talking about how to build your data stack for your startup as you grow and that “You don’t need the right data to make the right decision. There is a right time to implement different technologies.”

The Metaverse is a Universe that is still unknown to many of us. But QuHarrison Terry, Growth Marketer at Mark Cuban Companies gave us some insights about this new chapter of the Internet. “You will interact with the internet as you can interact with reality. We are here — it is not SF anymore.” Big companies like Nike and Disney have already created a Metaverse department. What about your business?

Right before lunch break Vladimir Dănilă, founder & CEO of Vectornator wants to change the future of design and dethrone the big red giant. Also, he has great advice for us: ”Get the best advisors, of course, that can handle the most. Don’t try to learn everything from 0. It takes a lot of time which nobody has.”

”Artificial intelligence is the simulation of human intelligence processes by machines, especially computer systems.” Artificial Intelligence is still one of the most controversial topics — Why? Because we assume that it will perform the majority of work in the future. We had an interesting conversation with 𝐍𝐞𝐰𝐭𝐨𝐧 𝐇𝐨𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 (ni2o Inc.) and 𝐃𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐝 𝐉𝐨𝐡𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐧 (Center for Advanced Defense Studies) about A.I vs Hybrid Intelligence.

Many thanks to our moderator Irina Obushtarova for a great welcome on Day 2 at Impact Stage! Rumen Iliev from LAUNCHub Ventures talked about the metrics and KPIs that both investors and CEOs should follow. “The more complexity you build in the sales process the harder will be the recovery. The growth of the company can come from the existing customers. There is a timing for everything. “

Radu Negulescu (Sessions) is another prodigy who founded his first company at 16 and he is still managing the company he founded in high-school. He talked about Switching Models From Service to Product Company. “Everybody dreams of building a product company, a global one. My wish is also to have a product with global impact. It is hard when you want to create a product company because you have to build something unique, the biggest companies started with a unique idea and that is why it is complicated to find references. But for the services it is easier because you have a lot of models around you.”

Julie Xu, senior product designer at Carta talked on the Impact Stage about versioning vs visioning: “An experience vision visualizes the story of how a customer is impacted by your product experience in the future. Best companies foster emotional loyalty like Tesla, Disney or Apple.”

Marie Astrid Molina from Scaleway gave us some tips about the learning process of the day showing how to design for a product you understand nothing about. “No one understands everything 100%. The challenge in the tech industry is to demistify the knowledge. Bring a positive and significant experience to our clients.”

Pavlo Pedenko from Wise was very excited for being for the first time at Techsylvania. He told us that he was surprised by the hospitality and how nice people are. We couldn’t agree more! He talked about having a product mindset when launching a charity or fundraising: “Launching a new charity is like launching a product in a red ocean full of generic products with unclear positioning.”

Being an entrepreneur requires a lot of determination, courage and an ongoing willingness to learn. Ingvar Kraatz, Co-Founder & COO at Bidnamic suggested that from time to time we should “Step backwards and try to see where you are, communicate with the others to reassess.”

Scaling is always a challenge. When is the right time to scale? Owen Meyer from Meyer Global Equity told us why startups fail: “Over 1/3 stated that it is because of NO MARKET NEED.”

Aarik Mudgal, Solutions Architect at METRO.digital showed us some fancy ways of coding. “In the Web Development world, to achieve these important goals we need to introduce a new idea, called “Component”. It’s not a new concept and it has been around for a long time. I can think about Component like a Class in OOP.”

We ended the day at Impact Stage with 𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐩 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐰𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 Endeavor 𝐆𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥! Endeavor’s network of entrepreneurs transforms economies, fuels job creation and inspires future generations of leaders. There were 9 start-ups and each one of them had 9 minutes to present their pitch and demos. Hope you did not miss their stories.

But we also had interesting moments at the Q&A Stage and Technical Workshops Stage. The first workshop of the day was hosted by Sorin Peste (Cloud Solution Architect, Data & AI Microsoft) who talked about Intelligent Forms Processing with the innovative Microsoft Form Recognizer tool. From Linnify, Razvan Bretoiu and Bogdan Darius shared a faster way of developing backend APIs with the help of automatic code & infrastructure generation. Then Dan Belibov and Cezar Socoteanu from CrowdStrike were challenged to demystify some of the stream processing at scale stories. We also learned how to create a well-defined notification system that would contribute to the overall user experience, improve productivity and help users accomplish their goals from Salt & Pepper experts, Lucian Lutas and Geo Apopei. Victor Ionescu from .msg Systems Romania delivered a greatly applicable 1 hour workshop and helped us how to understand high 𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞. Ksenia Redunova from Capgemini ended the day at the Tech Workshops Stage and she talked about making a shift of perspective and taught how to be Agile at Scale vs Agile in Startups.

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Databases are more important than ever and having a great management tool especially for big data applications is a must. Flexibility is the keyword when companies are looking for the best database system management solutions. But that is not the only challenge they are facing today. Let’s see what organizations face nowadays and why many of them are failing, but also what developers need in order to be successful with Mark Porter, the Chief Technical Officer (CTO) of MongoDB. Mark is responsible for crafting the long-term technology roadmap and vision for the company.

Innovation and continuous improvement is required especially when you want to grow in a specific area. The future looks bright for MongoDB in Eastern Europe but also for developers and companies that are ready to embrace new technology from Mark’s point of view.

“At the moment we have a team operating out of Poland that supports our customers in

Eastern Europe. This region, as well as EMEA as a whole, is a priority for the business and we are planning to continue investing resources in this area to support current and prospective customers. We also have developers in small groups in various parts of Eastern Europe. In addition we have major offices in Berlin, Barcelona, and Dublin, meaning that we can onboard Eastern European teams without time-zone problems relative to the rest of the World.

I have led multiple teams in Eastern Europe during my career and have found them to be deeply technical, committed to having impact, and with a great work ethic. We plan to continue hiring great technical talent here on an ongoing basis.

From a broader point of view, in the coming years, hundreds of millions of applications will be developed and Eastern Europe is quickly proving itself to be an area that will contribute to this innovation. So I want to focus not only on growing the MongoDB team, but also on helping developers be more productive by using MongoDB — so they can move fast. Our developer data platform will make this innovation easier, faster and more impactful.”

To have a business that is successful, organizations need to take into consideration how to build and scale modern applications, the speed and flexibility and constantly implement innovative features. However, having data that is more and more complex and changing all the time might be a greater challenge than expected.

“We are past the point of debating an organization’s dependence on software, but what is now up for discussion is how an organization makes innovation a key differentiator. And how they build and scale modern applications. The speed at which a new application can be deployed, along with the number of innovative features it includes, has a direct correlation to business success. And, from an executive’s point of view, it’s important to make application development more predictable, both in terms of cost and timeliness. Small teams, working with data flexibly, with great API’s all help this out. Development rules like separation of concerns, test-first, and others all fit well with MongoDB’s products.

One of the biggest challenges organizations face is the ever-increasing sprawl of their data infrastructure. With the cloud providers pushing their own multitude of databases, developers have to spend their time wiring up all the data plumbing — ETL/ELT, governance, batch jobs, monitoring, etc. We believe that a smaller number of datastores — likely one for operational data and one for data warehousing — is the right approach.

Putting these needs together, we’re focused on a simpler platform that ties together all of the different operational data an organization is managing. However, that data is complex, and constantly changing. And if you don’t get your data store right, then it won’t be as flexible as you need it to be for your business. So developers find themselves dealing with needlessly complex data architectures, and wildly different frameworks, toolchains, and programming languages. This ultimately creates technical debt almost as fast as business value. We often call that ‘The Innovation Tax.’

This metaphor works better than you might think. Like a tax, you have to pay it, and like taxes, the longer you don’t pay it down, the more it expands. It applies to every new project, making each one a little more difficult as new components, frameworks, and API’s are added — and as each of these has to be managed and maintained. And it applies to operations as well — because operability, like availability and scalability, are key requirements in today’s 24×7 and global application environment.

There is a tipping point in innovation for a team when the tax has become too high for either the developers to pay or the management to understand. And this is why many projects fail or declare bankruptcy and start over.

Organizations need to face these challenges head-on, with candid discussions, so that they can be resolved before things get worse.” said Mark.

The key to success is communication. But also the ability to understand the market, the context and, the most important, to understand and support your people, developers that are giving their best to meet the requirements of the projects and satisfy the demands.

“Context and mutual understanding are one of the biggest things developers need. Developers need to work to be understood in the whole context of the organization and its innovation. They need to be empowered and supported when they propose to remove obstacles to their productivity. As I’ve written before, though, this has to be a two-way street. We have to make sure our developers don’t live in any ivory towers where they don’t understand the business context of what they do. So, they need to stand up and take time to understand the business more broadly and add value to the decisions being made that aren’t directly related to the code.

From an application point of view, companies need to understand that rigid data structures, fragmented developer experiences, and low-value undifferentiated work needs to go — both internally and for their customers. Developers need leaders who are willing to take chances to move to entire new frameworks, to go fully CI/CD if appropriate, and to fund having security, privacy and compliance considered from the very beginning of a project. It’s a false choice to think you can’t go fast and also have these things — it just requires thought and commitment up and down the management chain.

In summary, developers need to both understand and be understood in the context of the business as a whole.That lets them move at the speed which is possible with modern technology — and the speed that is required to be competitive in today’s business climate.”, he concluded.

The post The biggest challenge for today’s organisations ‘The Innovation Tax’ 2.0 appeared first on Techsylvania.

Great skills, a fertile business environment and a rising level of competitiveness have brought Romania on the innovation and business radar landscape. To complete this finely developed scenario, a programme that can propel the right business ideas into success has also joined the party — meet BCR-InnovX, the business accelerator you need to keep an eye on if you want to take your ideas to the next level.

Fostering the power of knowledge and innovation altogether, BCR’s dedicated programme has gathered elite resources and opportunities to offer their candidates, from carefully-detailed educational materials to global display and European funding. We had a chat with Ana Cretu, Head of Social Banking, to find out more about their plans and history:

When has BCR-InnovX been initiated and what are the best accomplishments of this programme so far?

BCR-InnovX accelerator officially started in February 2019 and we are proud to see that it’s grown and developed to be one of the most reliable and professional business accelerators on the market. The proof for this is the growing number of candidates applying for each phase and, moreover, the quality of the solutions and ideas they present. We are proud to say we have had over 70 start-ups and scale-ups participating in the incubation and acceleration phases so far. And the most important accomplishment is the fact that after finishing the program, almost all of them have had a great course, either by receiving funding (EU-Horizon 2020 grant, Norway grants), being part of international programs (Startup Grind Europe — Asia Connect, Tech Crunch), partnering with strong companies (BCR, Microsoft, UiPath), winning important awards (The Seal of Excellence from the European Commission) and becoming well known in their field of expertise.

By supporting and having a deep understanding of tech-startups, you have had a valuable impact on our entrepreneurial ecosystem. Can you tell us more about what the trends observed within the Romanian businesses and where are they headed?

Since the start of the program we have indeed had the opportunity to get familiarized with the entrepreneurial ecosystem and not just train and teach, but in turn, learn about the trends of the ecosystem and the needs of entrepreneurs. We are happy to say that there are many opportunities ahead and the fact that more and more funds, particularly from angel investors and crowdfunding are becoming available. The accelerator program is preparing entrepreneurs to scale-up globally and to have the mindset and knowledge to do that.

In the pandemic context, some tech start-ups had the chance to come up with solutions to the new way of working and doing business, proving very adaptable and resilient. They have transformed potential threats into opportunities. On the other hand, the associated economic crisis took its toll on some enterprises, so it will be very important for accelerators and educational programs like BCR-InnnovX to continue their work and support young businesses.

BCR-InnovX includes unique opportunities for all business development stages. Please give us some examples of what it has to offer and which are the most sought-after.

One of the biggest advantages of the program is that it brings the startups that are just taking off face to face with experienced entrepreneurs, active in important companies that can offer them first-hand advice and mentoring about how to grow a business. The power of example, as we know, is very important and seasoned practitioners, both clients and investors, have many stories of both success and failure to share.

Moreover, we prepare young companies for funding opportunities that are very important in the early phases. When you have a big investor backing you up it not only proves you have financial support but also endorsement and recognition for your business. And last but not least, we pride ourselves with our MIT curricula that is constantly tested and improved according to feedback and results reached so far.

…

BCR-InnovX is one of the official partners of Techsylvania 2020. Discover more about them at: https://www.bcr.ro/ro/business

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