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.

Leader BG International is a new partner of Invest Sofia that joins our partner network. The CEO of Invest Sofia Dr. Maria Hristova PhD and Bilyana Georgieva, manager of Leader BG International signed a Memorandum of Cooperation. The company is a leading independent business media aimed at the economically active audience of Bulgaria.

With a focus on business, entrepreneurship, education and culture, they offer high quality content and reliable information. The services they offer are building a communication strategy; branding and corporate identity development; website creation and technical support; organizing corporate conferences, etc. By partnering with Leader BG International, Invest Sofia will be able to more effectively develop Sofia’s entrepreneurial potential and attract innovative companies and professionals to our city.

“Working from home or going back to the office” was the topic of a discussion organized by the initiative of Invest Sofia Sofia IS. The event, which we did together with our partners from Work&Share Coworking Space, brought together representatives of various companies and start-ups.

The event started with a presentation of our new business guide “Sofia – Business Destination”, which was prepared by the experts of Invest Sofia and our partners from the Institute for Market Economics. Viktor Gusev, Head of Investment Analysis Department, introduced the participants in the meeting with the most important highlights of the current edition. “One of the tools that we develop to support the business in the capital is this publication, which we use every year to present a summary of the fundamental information needed to open or develop a company in Sofia. At a later stage, in case of a specific investor inquiry, we prepare specific data and analysis that are needed by the respective company,” said Viktor Gusev.

The main guest speakers were Kristelina Staykova – CEO of Networking Premium and Hristo Peev – founder and CEO of Space Tree, a venture studio and investment intermediary. The panelists touched on the topics of how premium office spaces increase job satisfaction, the importance of live office networking, the increased productivity and environmental benefits of working from home, and the opportunity for better work-life balance.

After 20 years of success, our trusted partner Easy Consult becomes Elevate. The company, part of Sofia IS, has announced its rebranding to reflect its drive to meet the changing demands of the future of work, international labour mobility and migration, new developments in hybrid working environments and AI-based innovation. The company’s new service portfolio includes Project Services, Managed Services, Workforce Services and Recruitment Services.

Ivaylo Slavov is the new Chairman of the Board and CEO of Elevate. He is a successful Bulgarian entrepreneur, an established expert and leader in the field of information technology, financial services, human resources and business process management with over 30 years of international experience. Under his leadership, Easy Consult has transformed into Elevate and will offer comprehensive workforce management solutions using advanced technologies and innovative, flexible business models to support the successful development of the company’s clients and partners.

Founded in 2004 with a clear mission to connect organizations with talented, ambitious and creative people, the company has achieved significant results over the past 20 years. With a team of over 1,000 employees in 12 offices across 7 countries in Europe and North America, Easy Consult has successfully recruited over 50,000 candidates and delivered hundreds of key projects. The company has clients in sectors as diverse as finance, banking and insurance, information technology, automotive, manufacturing, logistics and transport, retail, tourism and more.

Good luck, Elevate!

First event of the year of our initiative Sofia IS, which brings together the local administration and companies from the city to support the business.

The topic of the event was “Opportunities for mature professionals on the labour market in Sofia Municipality in 2025” and was organised together with our partners from Young Talents .

The event started with the presentation of the current business guide for the capital prepared by the experts from Invest Sofia and our partners from the Institute for Market Economics. In this edition is gathered all the necessary information that answers the questions why and how to invest in Sofia, said the head of the Investment Analysis Department Viktor Gusev at the presentation. Our CEO Dr. Maria Hristova PhD. introduced the audience to the activities of the agency and all the services offered by our team to support businesses in Sofia.

A special guest speaker at the event was Smilen Valov, Executive Director of the National Employment Agency, who presented the opportunities for career development and retraining for professionals over 50 years of age. He announced that for the first time since the statistics on the registered unemployment in the country started, the number of unemployed is below 150 thousand. The National Employment Agency is offering a large package of free training for the qualification and retraining of personnel. The application is online and the courses are across the vocational spectrum. More information about the opportunities offered by the National Employment Agency can be found here.

The CEO of Young Talents Georgi Parvanov stressed that due to the increase in the retirement age, social and other changes in our lives, mature people are now over 30% of the workforce, and they are the new big wave of entrepreneurs. The meeting was hosted at the event space of our partners Premium Networking co-working space.We thank them for their support in organizing events to help the business development in our city.