The Bulgarian Investment Agency awarded the most significant investment projects implemented in 2023. The official ceremony was attended by the Chief Executive Officer of Invest Sofia Dr. Maria Hristova and Viktor Gusev, Head of the Investment Analysis Department.
The big award “Investor of the Year” was received by “Schneider Electric Bulgaria” and was presented by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Maria Gabriel.
The award categories this year were: “Investor of the Year 2023”, “Innovative Product”, “Successful Startup”, “Sustainable Business”, “Municipality in Bulgaria with the most investments for 2023”, “Investment with a low carbon footprint” “, “Investment with a high contribution to development in the region”, “Investment in green”, “Investment in human capital”, “Investment in innovative business” and “Investment in business expansion”. The awardees are companies that have taken a significant step in their development through sustainable and efficient investments, created new jobs and committed to the implementation of high technologies, in accordance with the goal of the Bulgarian Investment Agency to promote smart and sustainable economic growth.
The 29th annual GLOMO Global Mobile Awards ceremony recognized key companies, individuals and governments that are at the forefront of innovation and positive change in the mobile ecosystem and related industries. The CEO of Invest Sofia Dr. Maria Hristova also attended the ceremony.
This year, for the first time, there were awards in several new categories. Among them are:
- Best innovation in the field of artificial intelligence;
- Best mobile innovation to improve the lives of children and young people;
- Best solution for extraterrestrial network;
- Best Private Network Solution;
- GSMA Global Association Innovation Award.
The total number of awards is 30, and the winners are selected by a jury of over 200 leading experts in the industry. See the full list of nominees and awardees here.
The two-day event Createch Summit 2024 gathers representatives of the creative industries from Southeastern Europe in the Regional Center for Contemporary Arts “Toplocentrala”..
Radostina Belcheva, chief expert at Invest Sofia, will also take part in the event. Organizer of the event is the Executive Agency for the Promotion of Small and Medium Enterprises in partnership with the “CreaTech Bulgaria” association. Among the main speakers at the conference are the Minister of Innovation and Growth Milena Stoicheva, Vassilis Haralampidis from the European Network of Creative Centers, the capital’s Deputy Mayor for Culture, Education, Sports and Youth Activities Yana Genova and the director of the Observatory on the Economy of Culture Dr. Diana Andreeva-Popyordanova. “CreaTech Summit South-East Europe 2024” aims to create a wide public debate and to prepare a basis for updating the policies and practices for the development of the creative industries, in line with the current global trends and good practices from Bulgaria and Europe.
The CEO of Invest Sofia joined the discussions, part of the investors’ forum in the largest and most influential European startup event 4YFN, which takes place within the framework of MWC in Barcelona. Dr. Hristova participated in the discussions “Diversity in Venture Capital” and “Sustainable Investments”, the main objective of which was to discuss how capital can be used to address social challenges and help build an inclusive, diverse and sustainable future. Moderators and keynote speakers in the discussion were representatives of leading global funds and venture capital companies. The discussions were focused on the increased attention of investors to companies with good environmental, social and management practices, which globally reflects the awareness of climate change issues and the social responsibility of the business.
MWC Barcelona will once again present the most advanced startup solutions in strategic areas such as connectivity, digital health, fintech, blockchain, artificial intelligence, etc. The annual GLOMO Awards, which recognize innovations in mobile technology and related industries, will also be presented during the forum.
At an official ceremony, the Bulgarian Association of Information Technology (BAIT) honored the winners of the 13th edition of the “BAIT Awards” 2023. There were seven categories, and the organizers also presented their traditional award for “Special Contribution”, which was given to Prof. Silvia Ilieva, director of the GATE Institute at Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”. Radostina Belcheva and Matei Minev from Invest Sofia also attended the ceremony at “Interpred – Sofia”.
In the first category – “Youth Award” there were 17 contenders. Angel Cholakov a student from Sofia Vocational High School of Electronics “John Atanasov” was awarded for his software development “Digital Accessibility”. Angel has created a product that helps blind people to use the basic functionalities of a computer in the easiest possible way for them.
The BAIT educational award was presented to the “IT Stara Zagora” Association for a project that affirms the active cooperation between IT companies and educational institutions.
Maria Ivanova from Tech.OFFNews.bg became the winner in the “Journalistic contribution” category.
A project from the Chavdar Municipality for the tourist portal of the village was awarded in the “Public Administration” category.
The company “Releva” became the winner in the “Start Up Company” category. The project has high-tech personalization solution, which provides tools for sustainable growth of the online commerce.
The award for best developers was presented to “AMPECO” EOOD for a software solution for managing charging stations for electric vehicles.
In the category “Successful ICT project for the benefit of the Bulgarian economy”, was awarded the joint-stock company “BGK” with “Implementation of a complete IT solution in a start-up for modern trade Minimart”.
Congratulations to all the awardees and congratulations to the organizers from the Bulgarian Association Information Technology, who are handing out the prizes for the thirteenth year in a row.
From February 26 to 29, the Catalan capital Barcelona will host the new edition of the international event MWC – the largest forum in the field of technology in Europe. The event brings together representatives of global mobile operators, device manufacturers, communication technology developers and many other experts in the field. The CEO of Invest Sofia, Dr. Maria Hristova, will participate in MWC for another year in a raw.
The event will host conferences and meetings with experts, opinion leaders and representatives of start-up companies for networking, making the forum a meeting place for investors and entrepreneurs from around the world. Among the goals of the forum is to help companies and investors from all over the world to establish a connection and undertake new business projects together. Part of MWC is “4YFN” – one of the most influential startup events in Europe, which in 2024 celebrates its 10th anniversary. Once again, the event will present cutting-edge startups in strategic areas such as connectivity, digital health, fintech, blockchain, artificial intelligence, and more. The annual GLOMO Awards, which recognize innovations in mobile technology and related industries, will also be presented during the forum.
Between February 21 and 23, Dr. Maria Hristova was at the European Parliament in Brussels to be part of the discussions focused on the opportunities and challenges facing Europe with the development of artificial intelligence. They were attended by the Bulgarian European Commissioner for Innovation, Scientific Research, Culture, Education and Youth Iliana Ivanova. The Bulgarian MEPs Andrey Kovachev, Andrey Novakov, Asim Ademov, Eva Maydel, Emil Radev and Alexander Yordanov also attended the meetings.
In December 2023, the European Parliament made an agreement with the member states of the European Union on the implementation of a regulation that aims to protect fundamental civil rights, democracy, the rule of law and environmental sustainability, while promoting innovation and making Europe a leader in this field. The rules are establishing obligations for artificial intelligence based on its potential risks and degree of impact. The members of the European Parliament advocated compliance with the principles of safety, transparency, data protection and the right to legal protection. The recommendations emphasised that AI technologies that have self-learning capacity should be designed to always allow human supervision.
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Over 25% of the robots in the industry and professional services are manufactured in Europe. |
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7.6 billion euros within the long-term EU budget 2.2 billion euros for supercomputers 2 billion euros for artificial intelligence 1.6 billion euros for cyber security €580 million for advanced digital skills 1.1 billion euros for the widespread use of digital technologies |
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2030 г. 100% of European households will have gigabit connectivity 100% of key public services will be online |
Invest Sofia invites you to become even more actively involved in the democratic life of Europe by joining Together for the EU – a community that connects people from all over Europe and allows you to meet others, share knowledge and learn new skills.
Invest Sofia participates in the event, which brings together hundreds of innovators, politicians, business leaders, scientists, experts in various fields and investors from all over the world. The start was given with an official reception in the main hall of the Stockholm City Hall, the hall of the Nobel Prizes, where the head of the “Investment Analysis” department at Invest Sofia, Viktor Gusev, and Radostina Belcheva, chief expert at the Agency, met with the chairman of the city council of the Swedish capital Ole Burrell and Caroline Strand from the management of the municipal structure “Business Region Stockholm”. Among the guests at the event were ministers, members of the team of the Swedish Innovation Agency and leaders from the global technology ecosystems. Tech Arena 2024 continues until February 23, with the participation of more than 250 speakers from around the world, a technology exhibition, panel discussions and trainings. Special areas have been set aside for start-up and expanding companies, expert seminars, meetings with investors and sessions for founders are also part of the program.
Тhe new edition of the international forum for sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship “Tech Arena” will be held in the Swedish capital, Stockholm between February 21 and 23. The event brings together hundreds of innovators, politicians, business leaders, scientists, experts in various fields and investors from all over the world. The head of the “Investment Analysis” department at Invest Sofia, Viktor Gusev, and Radostina Belcheva, chief expert at the Agency, will also take part in Tech Arena 2024.
At the invitation of the Bulgarian ambassador in Stockholm, Mrs. Svetlana Stoycheva – Etropolski, they visited our embassy there and met with the ambassador and the Head of the Trade and Economic Department, Mr. Valentin Stoev. During the meeting, they discussed opportunities to promote investments in Bulgaria and in Sofia in particular.
The Bulgarian Investment Agency together with the Ministry of Innovation and Growth organized the forum “Attracting Investments and Financing – Opportunities for the municipalities”, which was attended by the CEO of Invest Sofia Dr. Maria Hristova and Kristin Dermendzhiev – Chief Expert in the “Investments and Business Development” department.
The purpose of the event was to provide information to the municipalities in an open dialogue about the attraction of investors and financing opportunities in order to ensure sustainable growth of the regions. The event was opened by Milena Stoicheva, Minister of Innovation and Growth, who presented the ministry’s program for the development of the municipalities and the regions. The executive director of the Bulgarian Investment Agency, Mila Nenova, presented the incentive measures that the state grants to support the business. Plamen Panchev, Executive Director of “Trakya Economic Zone” and Dimitar Ivanov, Mayor of Maritsa Municipality, presented the new investment projects in TEZ and the good practices in their cooperation.
The forum also presented the current opportunities for accessing grant funding and financial instruments applicable to municipalities and potential investors.
For third year in a row, the association “Ladies forum” is organizing a discussion to promote diversity and gender equality. The new edition, in partnership with Dir.bg, is called “The power of diversity: changing the stereotypes” and its special guest is the European Commissioner for Equality, Helena Dali. The CEO of Invest Sofia, Dr. Maria Hristova, also took part in the event.
The forum presents opportunity to exchange ideas and experiences aimed at improving equality and inclusion in the European society. The discussion of key topics such as the fight against stereotypes and the removal of barriers to equality are also in the center of attention in order to contribute to the real change of the business environment in our country.
To provide stable opportunities for the development of the economic environment in Sofia and to turn the city into an attractive and business-friendly city, our team strongly relies on partnerships with the local business community. Cooperation with many organizations from different industries is part of our daily work. We are glad to welcome to our contact network for business partnerships the Toncheva & Partners Law Office. At an official meeting between our organizations PhD. Maria Hristova, CEO of Invest Sofia and Attorney-at-law Yanita Toncheva, Managing Partner at the Low Office signed a Memorandum of Cooperation in attracting investments in the city.
In its 28-year history Toncheva and Partners Law Office has established itself as a desirable partner for many Bulgarian and foreign companies. Class A and Class B investment registration, corporate and company law, due diligence, mergers and acquisitions, intellectual property and copyright, real estate and construction, public procurement, applicable regulatory regimes, competition and consumers protection, labor law, migration issues and employee relocations are just some of the expertise in which the Toncheva and partners team has in-depth knowledge and many years of experience in consulting clients.
Under the Agreement, our organizations will join efforts to promote, support and facilitate cooperation between business partners related to the mutual interests of both parties. The Law Office will also join Sofia IS – our city initiative with the local Sofia companies aimed at free-of-charge integrated services to investors in Sofia. Invest Sofia will rely on the expertise of Toncheva & Partners in investment inquiries for the provision of advisory services for the selection of an appropriate legal form for investment; general review of legislation in the Republic of Bulgaria; legal research of companies, etc.