Startup Moldova 2025

Ben Munday, MC Main Stage
Doina Nistor, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Economic Development and Digitalization
H. E. Jānis Mažeiks, Ambassador of the European Union to Moldova
Katarina Fried, Ambassador of Sweden to the Republic of Moldova
Simone Di Stefano, Deputy Director of Cooperation, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation in Moldova

09:27 – 09:37

Presentation: Startup Ecosystem in Moldova in Numbers.

Olga Melniciuc, CEO Startup Moldova

09:42 – 10:02

Fireside: Bridging the Gap: What Eastern European Startups Need to Reach Top-Tier Investors and Global Markets.

Sasha Vidiborskiy, Partner, Atomico
Interviewer: Vasile Tofan, Senior Partner, Horizon Capital

10:07 - 10:47

Panel: European Opportunities for the startup ecosystem in Moldova.

Milda Krauzlis, Regional Portfolio Manager at EIT Food
Julien Schmitt, Project Director, EU4Innovation East
Maria Terentiev, Principal Manager, EBRD

Moderator: Thibault Charlet, Programme Manager, Directorate-General for Enlargement and the Eastern Neighbourhood

10:52 - 11:02

BREAK

11:27 - 11:37

Fireside: Is Moldova a good place to move your startup?

Patrick Hamilton Walsh, CEO and Co-founder, Glotalco

Moderator: Marina Bzovii, Administrator Moldova Innovation Technology Park (MITP)

11:27 - 11:37

Presentation

Marius Ghenea, Managing Partner, Catalyst Romania Fund, Serial Entrepreneur, Business-Angel, Investor from Lions' Arena TV Show

11:42 - 12:02

Fireside: What it takes to build a successful startup ecosystem - The Estonian Way.

Raido Pikkar, Co-founder of Waybiller, of Latitude59, and Startup Garage, Founder of Thorgate Group, Leader at Python Estonia, Angel investor & mentor.

Interviewer: Eugene Tsyrklevich, CEO and Founder, Parkopedia

12:02 - 12:37

Panel: Are accelerators worth the hype?

Mihai Stipanov, CEO Dreamups
Viorica Cerbusca, CEO YEP!Moldova
Vlad Gliga, CEO Rubik Hub
Borja Aznar Bonilla, Managing Director, Plug and Play Tech Center
Renata Ungureanu, CEO XY Partners

Moderator: Stella Jemna, Country Representative UMAEF

12:42 - 13:02

Rapid-Fire Investor Pitching: Part 1

Catalyst Romania
0100 VC
LunchHub Ventures
Early Game VC
Fortech Investments
Sunfish Partners
SmartGate VC
DSI Business Angels Network
Thorgate Ventures
Plug and Play Ventures Team
GapMinder VC

13:02 - 13:57

LUNCH BREAK

14:07 - 14:17

Presentation. Dream Big, Exit Bigger: Lessons from a Moldovan Founder

Eugene Tsyrklevich, CEO and Founder, Parkopedia

14:22 - 14:57

Panel: Growing Pains & Global Gains: Stories from EaP Startups going global

Ana Robakidze, Founder and CEO at Theneo, Georgia
Kateryna Ryabiko, Co-founder at Hydratico, Ukraine
Vladimir Readiboi, CEO at Gardy.me, Moldova

Moderator: Ionela Titirez, Country Lead, EU4Innovation East

15:02 - 15:17

Presentation: Monetization Strategy - Lessons from Netflix on how user experience can shift company growth.

Fonz Morris, Design Lead, Global Conversion & Monetization at Netflix, USA

15:22 - 15:52

Rapid-Fire Investor Pitching: Part 2

TechAngels
MITON VC
Purple Ventures
Longe VC
Angel Group AXEL
Smart Impact Capital
V7 Capital
Keiretsu Forum Southeast Europe
Mozaic
Fortech Investment

15:52 - 16:32

Panel: Trends Shaping Startup Investments in Eastern Europe

Florin Visa, Partner at Early Game VC
Michal Csonga, General Partner at 0100VC
Marcus Erken, Founding Partner at Sunfish Partners

Moderator: Marius Istrate, Chairman of the Board at TechAngels Romania

16:37 - 17:07

Startup World Cup Moldova Finals

Moderator: Alexandru Agatinei, CEO at How To Web, Executive Board Member at Launch Romania

17:12 - 17:22

Closing Remarks and Family Photo, Champaign

10:15 - 10:20

Startup World Cup Moldova. Regional Semi-Finals. Rules.

Alexandru Agatinei, MC Startup World Cup Moldova

10:20 - 10:30

Welcoming Remarks from Pegasus Tech Ventures

Alex Lubnevskiy, Startup World Cup Ambassador

10:30 - 11:00

Startup Pitching – Part 1

(3-minute pitch + 3-minute Q&A)

11:05 - 11:25

Panel: Crossing Oceans – Lessons of Taking Eastern European Startups to the U.S. Market

Vlad Gliga, CEO at Rubik Hub

Moderator: Keo Sar, Serial Entrepreneur, Advisor, Speaker and Angel Investor

11:25 - 11:55

Startup Pitching – Part 2

(3-minute pitch + 3-minute Q&A)

11:55 - 12:00

Next Steps – Investors Jury deliberations.

Alexandru Agatinei, MC Startup World Cup Moldova

12:05 - 12:10

Community Stage Launch

Lidia Scarlat, MC Community Stage

12:10 - 12:20

Presentation: The $60M Raise That Led to a $10M Exit – A Masterclass in Painful Lessons: The brutal reality of fundraising, valuations, and why investor money doesn’t guarantee success.

Vasile Granaci, Head of EMEA Sales at Oyster & Angel Investor

12:20 - 12:30

Presenation: At the turning point of Travel — how TravelTech & AI are fundamentally improving the traveller experience.

Sijue Zhao, Senior Strategy Manager, Booking.com

12:30 - 13:00

TRAVELTECH PANEL: At the turning point of Travel — how TravelTech & AI are fundamentally improving the traveller experience.

Claudiu Petria, Co-founder & COO, Questo (Romania)
Mihai Vozian, Co-founder, Zomni (Moldova)
Victor Nicoara, Product Manager, GemsAround (Moldova)

Moderator: Sijue Zhao, Senior Strategy Manager, Booking.com

13:00 - 14:00

LUNCH

14:00 - 14:10

Presenation: Why building a startup is so hard? The hidden challenges behind the headlines.

Claudiu Petria, Co-founder and COO at Questo (Romania)

14:10 - 14:45

EDTECH PANEL: Next-Gen Learning: How Technology is Redefining Education (tbc)

Vitalii Petrosyan, Founder, LanglyApp (Moldova)
Mihaela Kawinska, Co-founder, Bloomcoding (Moldova)
Irakli Vekua, Co-founder and CEO, Kings Olympiads (Georgia)
Mihai Soltan, Chief of Staff, Ministry of Education, Culture and Research of the Republic of Moldova

Moderator: Krisztián Gál, Ecosystem Lead, EIT Digital

14:50 - 15:10

Fireside with Founders of Footprints AI

Paul Gheorghiu, Co-founder and Chief Revenue Officer, Footprints AI

Moderator: Marius Ghenea, Managing Partner Catalyst Romania

15:10 - 15:45

AI PANEL: Navigating the AI Wave for Startups (tbc)

Edmundas Balčikonis, Co-founder & CEO, Such Much AI (Lithuania)
Ana Robakidze, Founder & CEO, Theneo (Georgia)
Vitalie Esanu, Founder & CTO, Soofragio, AI Expert (Moldova)

Moderator: Cristian Cerneanu, Startup Ecosystem Expert

15:50 - 16:25

HEALTHTECH PANEL: Vertical vs horizontal approach of HealthTech

Mihai Dascal, We4Health President, CEO Baby Medy, CTO & Co-founder, CorLab Tech (Moldova)

Moderator: Stanislav Cobiletchi, Product Manager & Business Analyst, Co-founder, We4Health Association

14 April, 10:00

Brunch with the Creative Community

Non formal discussion at a cup of coffee

Organiser: YEP! Moldova
Speaker: Fonz Morris

14 April, 14:00

Future Creatives

Launching Conference of a programme dedicated to students (inspirational presentation in TEDx style, 25-30 min)

Organiser: YEP! Moldova
Speaker: Fonz Morris

15 April, 10:30 - 17:30

Launch of the EU4Innovation East project in Moldova

U4Innovation East invites all those interested in tech, innovation and the ways in which startups can ignite change to join us for an incredible event.
As part of the project’s launch in Moldova, dynamic sessions and panel discussions with EU leaders will be hosted with regional ecosystem changemakers, successful startup founders, and major investors.

Organiser: EU4 Innovation East
Speakers: Ashot Arzumanyan
Kateryna Ryabico
Tatul Ajamyan
Edmundas Balciconis
Ana Robakidze

15 April, 11:30

Meetup with Dorin Recean

Organiser: MIA
Speakers: Sasha Vidiborsky
Borja Aznar-Bonilla
Marius Ghenea
Florin Visa
Michal Csonga
Ashot Arzumanyan
Irina Misca

15 April, 17:00 - 19:00

Creative Accelerator

Workshop on monetisation

Organiser: YEP! Moldova
Speaker: Fonz Morris

15 April, 14:00 - 15:00

Panel discussion: Romanian Gateway for Moldovan Startups

Explore opportunities for Moldovan startups to expand into Romania, focusing on market insights, funding, and collaboration for growth in the region's startup ecosystem.

Organiser: EU4 Innovation East
Speakers: Adina Simionescu
Cristina Toncu

15 April, 16:00 - 17:30

Panel discussion: AI in Startups: Pioneering the Future

AI in Startups: Pioneering the Future

Organiser: Sigmoid
Speakers: Ana Robakidze
Tatev Avagyan
Edmundas Balcikonis

15 April, 18:00

STARTUP GRIND

Discussion on investment trends, startup growth strategies and the evolution of the venture capital ecosystem in the region.

The format will be Fireside Chat, an open and engaging conversation with a moderator, followed by an interactive session with the audience.

Organiser: Dreamups
Speaker: Marius Ghenea

17 April, 09:30

Startup Coffee

During Startup Coffee, Ashot will share how deeptech startups are challenging industries, how to bridge the gap between scientific research and entrepreneurship, and how founders can tap into global networks to scale disruptive technologies.

The discussion, moderated by Aliona Cotuna, Innovation Program Manager of Technovator, will also dive into how ecosystems like Armenia and Moldova can play a role in the future of AI and frontier technologies.

Organiser: Technovator
Speaker: Ashot Arzumanyan

17 April, 11:00 - 13:00

Brunch with builders

Brunch with Builders – a kind of Meetup for Builders.
A relaxed format, with no official agenda, where we openly talk about our startups, day-to-day challenges, and the lessons worth sharing

Organiser: Launch Romania
Speaker: Claudiu Petria

Full access to all sessions and live Q&A;

GENERAL TICKET

1000 MDL

Buy ticket

Meals and beverages throughout the event.

Access to Executive lounge;

Access to networking and matchmaking platform;

Access to the exclusive post-event networking party;

Access to all side events;

Full access to all sessions and live Q&A;

EXECUTIVE TICKET

2000 mdl

Buy ticket

Meals and beverages throughout the event.

Access to Executive lounge;

Access to networking and matchmaking platform;

Access to the exclusive post-event networking party;

Access to all side events;

Tickets

T.A.N

Transylvania Angels Network

🚀 What Happens in Chisinau Doesn't Stay in Chisinau: The Startup Moldova Conference Recap! 🚀

Just 48 hours ago, Chisinau turned into the place to be in the startup universe with the Startup Moldova Conference — the kind of event where coffee runs through your veins and ideas fly faster than the WiFi connection...

Adrian Suteu

Board Member of Transylvania Angels Network

What happens in Moldova, has to be share outside of Moldova!
Last week I had the chance to attend Startup Moldova Summit 2024 in #amazing Chișinău, event organized by Startup Moldova

I honestly didn't have high expectations about the startup ecosystem in Moldova. Since it's a non-EU country, I had t...

Mihaela Kawinska

Co-founder & COO at Bloomcoding

Was such a pleasure sharing the panel led by Dave Parker together with determined founders as Viorica Vanica and Nicolae Guzun!

We talked about our funders journey with all their highs and lows and hope more and more founders will appear in Moldova, determined to impact the world with their game ...

Viorica Vanica

CEO & Co-founder at Selftalk

I was honored to be one of the startupers together with Tudor Darie to meet the president of Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu at the Startup Moldova Summit. I really loved to see her support to entrepreneurship and startup initiatives in Moldova.

I gave her a book that I and Elena Oprea wrote - I hope she ...

Razvan Suta

FinTech Program Managing Director at Startup Wise Guys

A week ago in Chisinau, 500+ people took to the venue to see what Moldova(s) tech startup scene has to offer 💪

Together with fellow #community #builders, #investors, #speakers and #founders we made sure that the event is buzzing with energy, curiosity and ...

Tal Catran

Startup & Accelerators Guru

🇲🇩 Startup Moldova Summit 2024 lived up to expectations and provided a wide diversity of opportunities to gain experience from local and international experts, to mingle with successful startupers, innovation leaders, VCs & investors as well as to showcase personal and technological values and resilience.
Personally, I enjoyed the opportunity to meetup...

Olga Melniciuc

CEO at Startup Moldova

The year's most anticipated event for the startup community - Startup Moldova Summit 2024 - has concluded, leaving us with a treasure trove of unforgettable memories.

🙏 I want to extend my deepest gratitude to everyone who played a role in supporting our journey: Our amazing speakers and moderators from Moldova, USA, Romania...

Sebastien Toupy

Community builder, storyteller & strategist

🚀 Reflecting on an incredible experience at the Startup Moldova summit last week! 🇲🇩

I want to extend my deepest gratitude to Olga Melniciuc, Ilinca Crudu and Mircea-Florin Sandu for entrusting me with the role of host and ambassador of their flagship event. It was truly an honour to work with such wonderful people...

Adrian Gheorghe

Startup Enthusiast; Championing B2B Growth & Innovation in CEMA

🚀🌟 What an electrifying kickoff at the Startup Moldova Summit 2024! 🌟🚀

From jaw-dropping speakers to mind-blowing messages, this event shattered all expectations! Huge thanks to Olga and the incredible team at Startup Moldova for the invitation to Chisinau! 🙌...

Alexandru Bogdan

Chief Executive Officer at ROCA X, Strategist, Investor, Growth Marketer

Great energy and enthusiasm over the last 2 days at Startup Moldova Summit in hashtag#chisinau. A lot of ROmanian CApital and attention from us at ROCA X , Marius Istrate - TechAngels Romania , Florin Visa Early Game Ventures , Robert Herscovici GapMinder VC, Growceanu with ✨ Andrei Cosmin Munteanu, Transylvania Angels Network (T.A.N.) with Mircea...

Mary Nemciuc

CEO and Founder TECHNOVATOR

Moldova's tech scene is blossoming!
This week's events showcased a vibrant ecosystem overflowing with innovation and fresh ideas, and these are top highlights:
The Startup Moldova Summit, which was held at BR Media Group, a new venue in town, buzzed with over 300 startup enthusiasts. Impressively, the average fundraising rate for startups rocketed to 2.2 phases within ....

Innovate Moldova

Communication platform of the Future Technologies Activity project in Moldova

🚀 The Startup Moldova Summit 2024, organized by the Startup Moldova Foundation, was a significant event that brought together over 400 participants this year! Alongside startups, media, and investors, President Maia Sandu and Ambassadors Kent D. Logsdon, Katarina Fried, and Fern Horine added to the event's prestige, encouraging the youth and ...

Sergiu Placinta

Director @Orange Systems

💡At Orange Systems, we're not just observers; we're dreamers, innovators and partners!
I was excited to be part of the Moldova's dynamic startup community at the hashtag#StartupMoldovaSummit 2024. The caliber of presentations and speakers has left me captivated. It's inspiring to witness the innovative ideas and groundbreaking ...

Mihai Coşleţ

Robolex founder

In the wake of an exhilarating experience at the Startup Moldova Summit 2024, my heart 💙 is brimming with gratitude and my mind with newfound knowledge.

Thank you to Dreamups 🚀 for giving me the opportunity to serve as their ambassador at the event. It was an honour to represent such an awesome organization...

Anton Waschuk

Director of Innovation, Education and Entrepreneurship at UMAEF

🚀 Last week, I had the chance to speak at Startup Moldova's Startup Moldova Summit, where I laid out our vision at Ukraine-Moldova American Enterprise Fund's VC Fund u.ventures. It was a straightforward talk about the tangible benefits we offer to startups and our role in enhancing Moldova’s tech scene.
With u.ventures, it’s about more than just the...

Andreas Flodstrom

Founder of Beetroot

Intense week in Bulgaria and Moldova.
Caught up with some of our Beetroot and Beetroot Academy crews, upgrading our activities and plans for this spring further.
Thank you Startup Moldova for a great Summit yesterday and for the chance to share our experience in a Keynote! It's been over a decade since we started building ...

EU4Entrepreneurship

Youth4Entrepreneurship

Youth4Entrepreneurship Hub, along with beneficiaries, couldn't miss the Startup Moldova Summit 2024!
Here are some key takeaways to share:
🚀 Growth is in the air! With over 400 attendees including startups, support associations, and high-ranking officials, the popularity of the event was evident. It's estimated that Moldova has over 250 startups...

Andrei Cosmin Munteanu

Co-Founder & CEO at Cowork Timisoara

Last week we officially opened hashtag#travelseason2024
Startup Moldova Summit kicked off on Thursday. Amazing job Ilinca & team. It was a pleasure to reconnect with the ecosystem in MD, meet new people, stumble upon Techstars Startup Weekend founders & veterans, and meet friends....

Aliona Rotaru

COO at gardy.me

Startup Moldova Summit first panel discussion with 3 local startups selftalk.space, Sumboard, Bloomcoding.
Very proud of Viorica Vanica, Nicolae Guzun and Mihaela Kawinska 🦄🦄🦄
Welcome to the Republic of Moldova Dave Parker 🙌
Great job Olga Melniciuc and team Startup Moldova ...

Robolex

robolex docs

🚀 This past week, robolex had the incredible opportunity to be part of a truly remarkable community event - Startup Moldova Summit 2024. It wasn't just an event; it was a convergence of brilliant minds, innovative technology, and visionary leaders from Moldova, Europe, and worldwide.
Our journey at Summit was nothing short of extraordinary...

Nicolae Guzun

Tech Entrepreneur; CEO of Bend.dev

I was honoured to join the first panel for local startups, at the Startup Moldova Summit 2024, with Dave Parker leading the dive into the startup journey.
I shared the tales of Sumboard and bend.dev navigating through the ups and downs, from inception to launch. Alongside insights from Mihaela Kawinska and Viorica Vanica, we unpacked the lessons learned and the unexpected hurdles...

Softpeak

Startup Moldova Summit 2024
From the 1st Summit to now the 3rd, Softpeak has been a reliable partner of Startup Moldova, contributing to the event's success.
The website designed and developed by us, served as the digital face of the summit, for both providing essential information together with registration capabilities, and attracting event partnerships...

Stoyan Yancov

Professional Speaker | Corporate Trainer at Stoyan Consult ApS

Startup Moldova Summit is on 🚀
President Maia Sandu 🇲🇩 opened the event this morning.
Look forward to a day filled with inspiration and making meaningful connections. If you are around ==> My keynote is from 11:40.
Come join the fun!
And let's catch up for ☕

Doru Curoşu

CEO at CAMELOT Partners SRL

🇲🇩 Deși e abia la a 3-a ediție, Startup Moldova Summit 2024 a ajuns la un nou nivel - locația, speakerii, comunitatea.. 💙
Impresionant cât potențial și creativitate avem în Moldova 🙏😍
***

Gheorghe Ghirjev

CEO at BSW TECH

Attended Startup Moldova Summit event. I'm quite impressed by the Moldovan community of startups and tech field that is growing each year. And I'm proud that we as BSW TECH are part of this growing community....