Sofia Successes Stories
The Japanese leader in the design and manufacture of electric motors and integrated controls, Nidec, officially opened its R&D center in Sofia. Nidec announced its decision to invest 3.5 million dollars in a Sofia-based R&D center earlier this year. The company’s office is located in Sofia Airport Center and according to the plan, a team of 100 Bulgarian engineers will work there on the development of next-generation hardware and software for the Japanese Group, which will be integrated into millions of electric vehicles of global car producers, to which Nidec delivers hybrid and fully electric car inventors, cameras, sensors, advanced driver-assistance systems, etc.
Cargo drone manufacturer Dronamics announced that it has been awarded a €2.5 million grant by the European Commission under the prestigious European Innovation Council (EIC) Accelerator program. The Sofia-based company is the world’s first cargo drone airline licensed to operate in Europe. With the investment received, the team will support the development and roll-out of Dronamics’ cargo drone fleet, the deployment of the first droneports in its network as well as operations in Europe. “Dronamics aims to democratize air freight, by enabling affordable, and sustainable same day delivery for businesses and communities everywhere, especially remote and under-served ones,” the company said in the official statement.
The Sofia-based platform for second-hand smartphones Swipe.bg raised BGN 1 million investment from Vitosha Venture Partners and NV3 funds, which invest public resources from the Fund of Funds and additional private capital. Many angel investors also participated in the round, including CEO Angels Club’s members. The company will invest the funds in expanding the models it buys, repairs and resells. It is exactly the addition of more models that has multiplied the company’s revenue in recent months. Swipe.bg also plans negotiations with telecoms and retail chains, that can offer their customers the opportunity to return their mobile devices in return for a share of the original price. The company also intends to open a chain of physical service stores, thus overcoming customer distrust towards the online business model.
Vitosha Venture Partners and NV3 have made yet another investment in recent weeks. Together with Impetus Capital, they invested €1.2 million in the further development of Rebenefit.bg – a cloud-based platform that allows company employees to individually select their monthly benefits package from hundreds of selected vendors in health, education, entertainment, charity, culinary, insurance, and many more. The company was established in 2021 and quickly attracted 10,000 users from over 50 companies, as well as nearly 60 service providers. With the investment, Re:Benefit will expand its business model outside the Bulgarian market.
