The CEO of Invest Sofia, Maria Hristova PhD., attended the event, which honoured the people, institutions and companies that have contributed to the development of information and communication technologies.

The winners in the seven categories were selected from 60 projects. The category “Youth Award” was awarded to a team from the School of Technology “Electronic Systems”, the educational award was given to the Faculty of Economics of Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”, and Sofia Municipality with the civic participation platform “Sofia Decides” became the winner in the category “Public Administration”.

Among the start-ups the company TouchMenu was awarded. In the category “Successful Bulgarian ICT product or service” the award went to Logisoft Ltd., and for the project implemented outside the ICT sector the award went to Tavex Ltd. The award for overall contribution was given to the director of the “Vocational School of Computer Programming and Innovation” in Burgas – Dimitrana Todorova. In the category “Journalistic Contribution” the jury of the competition awarded the media platform Zone4Tech for their podcasts with representatives of the high-tech sector in Bulgaria.

The Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov gave a symbolic start of the new production. He noted the importance of the investment and defined the partnership between Bulgaria and Nestlé as strategic for the Bulgarian economy. The event was also attended by ministers, the Chairman of the Board of the Bulgarian-Swiss Chamber of Commerce, Rolf Ott, the Deputy Head of the Swiss Mission in Bulgaria, Alessandro Zanelli, as well as Nestlé’s CEO for the Southeast market and Guillaume Le Kunef, Nestlé’s CEO for Zone Europe. The Executive Director of Invest Sofia Dr. Virginiya Stoyanova and the Head of the Investment Analysis Department Victor Gusev also attended the official opening of the only production line in Europe for innovative products for the global market, which will be created in our city.

Nestlé’s new investment in Bulgaria is worth 44.2 million euros. The new production facility covers an area of more than 3,250 square metres and is equipped with the latest generation machines, producing 420 chocolates per minute, each of which travels 1.2 kilometres on the assembly line before being packaged. The Nestlé Chocolate Factory in Sofia, with its over 80 years of history and over 1000 employees, never stops contributing to the sustainable development of the Bulgarian economy. This year, with an investment of BGN 82,000,000, the third production line expands the capacity of the factory by 15,000 tons of annual production, which will be exported to 18 international markets, including the UK, France and Canada. The innovative production facility is fully equipped with the latest generation machines that meet the highest sustainability standards. By reducing carbon emissions by up to 90%, gas consumption by 30% and water consumption by 67%, as well as 100% recyclable packaging, Nestlé continues to follow its global commitment to a sustainable future and achieving a zero carbon footprint.

With the opening of the new production facility, Bulgaria establishes itself as a key innovation hub for Nestlé in Europe, once again demonstrating Nestlé Bulgaria’s sustainable commitment to the Bulgarian economy and society.

“Artificial Intelligence and Sport – Advantages and Challenges” was the topic of a discussion forum at the National Sports Academy “Vasil Levski”. The event, which was organized by the President of the Bulgarian Shooting Union and member of the IOC Public Affairs and Corporate Communications Committee Vesela Lecheva, was also attended by the CEO of Invest Sofia Dr. Maria Hristova.

Special guest of the forum was the Chief Information Technology Officer of the International Olympic Committee and Head of IT Strategy and Operations of the Olympic Movement, Hilario Corna. The aim of the event was to focus on one of the leading topics for the IOC – the development of artificial intelligence, the challenges of its use in sport and ethical rules.

Invest Sofia together with HRS Bulgaria organized a discussion to help the business. The event was held at the venue of our partners Premium Coworking & Event Space and started with a presentation of our latest publication “Sofia business destination 2024“, which was made by the Head of Investment Analysis department Viktor Goussev. “Our main goal is to position Sofia as a desirable investment destination for as many companies as possible. We also support existing businesses in our city with various initiatives. We always emphasize to investors that human resources are the most valuable capital that our city has,” Goussev said.

Milka Galabova, Head of Research & Consultancy at HRS Bulgaria presented the White paper “Artificial Intelligence, Automation and Labour Market in Bulgaria”. Viktor Goussev and Kristian Georgiev, Expansion Director at HRS Bulgaria also took part in the panel discussion at the event, which was attended by the Vice President and Webit board member Aniela Ruseva, Ivelina Nikolova from Schneider Electric and Martin Kuvandjiev-CEO of Encorp.io. The main topics discussed were how AI is transforming business and HR processes, and humans or algorithms are leading the way. Aniela Ruseva also gave information about the upcoming edition of Webit, which will be held in Sofia in June, and among its central topics will be artificial intelligence in healthcare, the business and the labor market. “We are happy that with a lot of effort, personal contacts and with the help of some institutions in Bulgaria, among them Invest Sofia, we are able to attract some of the brightest minds in the world,” she said.

The CEO of Invest Sofia Maria Hristova PhD. and the Executive director Verginia Stoyanova PhD. were guests at the official event on the occasion of the 64th National Day of the State of Kuwait at the invitation of Ambassador H. Mr. Ghazi Hamed Alfadli. The celebration also included the country’s Liberation Day, which is being celebrated for the 34th time.

The European Commission has launched an online consultation initiative to develop a strategy to improve the framework conditions for start-ups and growing companies.

Developing start-ups, research and innovation are among the key priorities in the mandate of the new European Commission, which took office on 1 December 2024. The main objective is to close the innovation gap and increase competitiveness between EU and non-EU countries. The new Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation, Ekaterina Zaharieva, chairing a dedicated Project Group of Commissioners, will develop and implement a series of regulatory, budgetary and policy initiatives to reach these goals. They will form part of the “EU Strategy for Start-ups and Growing Companies”, which has been mandated by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

European innovative companies face a number of obstacles – from access to finance to access to markets, from administrative to regulatory fragmentations – hindering their growth and forcing some of them to leave our continent. Our future Strategy will tackle these obstacles, but it can only be effective and relevant if founders and other key stakeholders within the innovation chain are involved. This is stated in the communication from the European Commission. Full details can be found here. On the same website you can leave your comments and recommendations for the initiative.

Invest Sofia joined the fourth edition of the ESG&Friends 2025 forum, organized by the first media platform for sustainable business in Bulgaria ESGnews.bg.

Our CEO, Dr. Maria Hristova PhD, participated in the event, which focused on the topics of regulations in force for businesses, new directives and requirements for tracking supply chains, energy transition, diversity, equity and inclusion, the transition of businesses to sustainable and clean technologies and the benefits of moving to a circular model.

The forum provided an opportunity for exchange of experience and ideas between professionals from different sectors and areas, and the panel discussions provided practical guidance and tools for the implementation of ESG principles in everyday business activities, as well as for dealing with the challenges of the dynamically changing business environment.

The World Week for Interfaith Harmony and Tolerance was celebrated at the Military Club in Sofia.

The event, organized by the Eastern European Forum for Dialogue-Bridges, was attended by the CEO of Invest Sofia, Dr. Maria Hristova PhD. She talked with the special guest Prince Boris Saxe-Coburg-Gotha.

The event was held under the honorary patronage of H.E. Mrs. Andrea Ikić-Böhm, Ambassador of the Republic of Austria, and with the financial support of the Austrian Embassy.

Achieving global success and high-value deals – this is the core of the topics in the conference Start Up, Bulgaria! The Scale Edition. Invest Sofia is an organizational partner of the event, which brings together representatives of the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Southeast Europe. Creating successful products and making companies a preferred partner for investors and customers were among the other topics of the forum.

Viktor Goussev, Head of the Investment and business development department at Invest Sofia, took part in a panel “Becoming a preferred partner for global clients and investors”. The Start Up, Bulgaria! conference provides opportunities for important meetings, foster collaboration, develop networking and exchange knowledge with national and international participants. This is the second event of such type organized by The Revenues Factory, the pilot edition brought together over 100 speakers from Bulgaria and abroad.

David Harris, a prominent longtime leader of the American Jewish Committee, is visiting Sofia until February 8. Invest Sofia joined some of the events during his visit. Our CEO, Dr. Maria Hristova PhD, attended the launch of the Bulgarian edition of Mr. Harris’ book, On the Front Line – A Life of Global Jewish Advocacy. The event, held at the Balkan Hotel in the capital, brought together politicians, diplomats and public figures.