Bulgaria and Romania dominate the outsourcing industry in Southeast Europe, with 43% of the region’s service providers located in Sofia and Bucharest. The data is from the Southeast Europe Outsourcing Industry Report, which covers over 2,200 companies from 11 countries and was presented on the second day of the SEE ITS Summit 2024.
The event, organised by AIBEST in partnership with Invest Sofia, was attended today by our CEO Dr Maria Hristova PhD. Head of Investment Analysis, Victor Gusev, took part in the discussion “Ecosystem Review: Overcoming today’s challenges for tomorrow’s improvements”.
“For investors today, the quality of human resources is more important than costs. The economy will only grow if we invest more in developing talent and building a strong city and state brand. Taxes also play a role, but the key to success is people. When investors see quality projects and successful outcomes, they will invest more in their businesses here,” said Victor Gusev. He stressed that Invest Sofia strives to position Sofia as an attractive investment destination for industries with high added value. “We do not want to be a ‘low cost’ destination based only on low taxes and wages. To succeed, we need a serious government policy to develop the human resource, with a long-term vision and stability of the government to ensure at least 3-4 years of predictability. Talent is what drives the economy forward, and it is our main resource for sustainable growth,” said the head of Invest Sofia’s Investment Analysis Department in the discussion.
Europe’s largest technology conference brings together once again the people and companies that are redefining the global technology industry. More than 1,000 speakers and representatives of more than 1,200 start-ups are taking part in the new edition.
The chief expert from the Investment Analysis department at Invest Sofia Kristin Dermendzhiev also joined the forum. More than 40,000 people are expected to attend the event, which runs from the 11th to 14th of November.
Our agency is part of the institutional stand organized by the Bulgarian Small and Medium Enterprises Promotion Agency to promote Bulgaria and sectors of our economy at home and abroad. The project is implemented under the Competitiveness and Innovation in Enterprises Programme 2021 – 2027.
At the institutional booth the participants will present the activities of the organizations they represent, the development of the Bulgarian startup ecosystem and the positioning of Bulgaria as a regional technology hub in the Balkans.
The agreement was signed by our CEO Dr. Maria Hristova PhD. and the company’s manager Bozhidar Georgiev. Stage Coorking’s shared office space offers modern and functional work solutions suitable for freelancers, start-ups, small and medium-sized enterprises, as well as teams of large organizations.
Work&Share Coworking Space strives to build a community that supports innovation and entrepreneurship by providing an environment where people can work, develop and inspire each other. The company has two locations in Sofia and regularly organizes events, lectures and networking gatherings that support the professional development and expansion of client contacts. By partnering with Stage Coaching Ltd, Invest Sofia will be able to more effectively develop Sofia’s entrepreneurial potential and attract innovative companies and professionals.
Invest Sofia is a partner in the organization of AIBEST at the two-day forum for innovation, technology and outsourcing business services Southeast Europe. The forum is under the motto “Unleashing future horizons” and discusses trends and challenges in the sector.
The first roundtable of the programme was attended by the Head of Investment Analysis department at Invest Sofia Viktor Gusev, who will also take part in the panel discussions tomorrow. The Agency’s activities are presented at a special stand, where the experts from the Investment Analysis Department introduce the participants to our various initiatives to support business and innovation. The event concludes with the presentation of the prestigious SEE ITS Awards 2024 for outstanding contributions in the field of good business practices, achievements and the development of a favorable environment for the industry.
Our CEO Dr. Maria Hristova PhD. participated in the event organized by PanEurope Bulgaria, the UN Refugee Agency and the Liberal Institute for Political Analyses (LIPA). Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha hosted the event, called “What do forcibly displaced people contribute to their host country?”, and also spoke on the topic.
The event brought together politicians, community leaders, business and NGO representatives. The goal of the forum was to highlight the importance of inclusive policies that enable refugees’ rights to be respected so that they can actively contribute to the communities that host them.
“People – the most valuable capital” is the theme of the fifth national conference “The business and the regions”.
Radostina Belcheva from the “Investment Analysis” department of Invest Sofia took part in the event organized by the business publication BGlobal, the National Association of Municipalities in Bulgaria and the Institute for Market Economics.
The two main panels of the forum were dedicated to business and education, and were attended by long-term investors in the economy, mayors and representatives of various municipalities in the country.
Among the panelists were senior managers of large companies, local government representatives, principals of leading vocational schools and experts from NGOs.
The event brought together startups from technology parks and innovation zones from Bulgaria, Greece, Romania, Serbia and Turkey, as well as hundreds of representatives of the technology community, entrepreneurs, startups, investors and scientists from Southeast Europe. Victor Goussev, Head of the Investment Analysis department at Invest Sofia participated in a work meeting where joint initiatives and projects for strengthening the cooperation between the business and scientific communities of the countries in the region were discussed between the representatives of science and technology parks and innovation zones, members of the SEE Science & Technology Parks Alliance.
The event is being held at Sofia Tech Park on 28 and 29 October, and is bringing together startups from technology parks and innovation zones from Bulgaria, Greece, Romania, Serbia and Turkey, as well as hundreds of representatives of the technology community, entrepreneurs, startups, investors and academics from South East Europe. The first day of the South East European Innovators Challenge was attended by the CEO of Invest Sofia, Dr. Maria Hristova PhD.
A Memorandum of Cooperation and Collaboration was signed between Sofia Tech Park and representatives of science and technology parks in Southeastern Europe, who created the SEE Science & Technology Parks Alliance, whose goal is to support the development of innovation and technology in the region. The first regional start-up competition also awarded prizes. The international jury of experts, investors and media representatives named the Bulgarian company “Neuromorphica”, part of the Sofia Tech Park ecosystem – as the best startup from South East Europe. The second place was for Pure Solutions from the Ostim Teknopark ecosystem in Turkey. The third place in the competition was taken by another Bulgarian company developing its activities on the territory of Sofia Tech Park – Enthela.
Sofia Tech Park’s special prize went to Magurele Science Park in Romania , and the special prize of the Capital City Municipality was awarded to the start-up City&Me, part of the Technology Park ecosystem in Nis, Serbia. The last category for “Social Impact” in SEEIC, a media jury named the winner Enthela, with operations in Sofia Tech Park.
Be part of the future of digital education! Join DigiEduHack Days between the 8th and 17th of November!
You can host a challenge or take part in a European Commission hackathon.
Hosts can be organizations working in the field of education that want to host a local DigiEduHack event to help develop solutions to a specific challenge and contribute to the transformation of digital education. These could be schools, startups, public institutions, universities, NGOs, etc. Hosting a DigiEduHack Hackathon is easier than you might think: the DigiEduHack team is ready to provide great support to potential hosts at every stage. Hackathons can be online, in-person or hybrid.
Participants: Whether you are a technical major student , a creative genius, a curious learner or just interested in digital education, we invite you to participate in this global movement of enthusiasts in the sphere of digital education by joining one of the challenges posted on the DigiEduHack website. People of all ages and backgrounds can get involved.
Full information about DigiEduHack can be found at https://digieduhack.com/
The initiative of SOFIA DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION “Career opportunities for people 50+” – in partnership with the platform “Young Talents 50+” was officially presented in the capital. The event was attended by the CEO of Invest Sofia Dr. Maria Hristova PhD. The initiative is part of the SINCLUSIVE project, which is funded by the EU’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme and aims to stimulate the inclusion of vulnerable groups in the labour market. “Career opportunities for people 50+” will include access to targeted training in digital and green skills, personal skills, career and psychological counseling.
Mr. Kamel Hameni’s meetings were organized by the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry during his visit to our capital. At Invest Sofia, he held talks with our CEO Dr. Maria Hristova and the Minister Plenipotentiary of Algeria in Bulgaria, Brahim Lenmar, also participated in the meeting. In recent years, trade and economic relations between Bulgaria and the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria have been developing positively. Trade is growing and will reach over 662 million USD in 2023.