Companies from Bulgaria, Greece, Romania, Serbia and Türkiye will participate in a competition for the best startup
Technology parks and innovation zones from South East Europe will gather at the first regional forum and start-up competition South East European Innovators Challenge (SEEIC). The event will take place on 27 and 28 October 2024 in Bulgaria’s first science and technology park – Sofia Tech Park at Innovation Forum John Atanasoff. Representatives of the academic and business communities, startup ecosystems from Bulgaria, Greece, Romania, Serbia, Türkiye and Montenegro, international investors, government, municipal institutions and media will join the event.
SEEIC is the first initiative of the SEE Science & Technology Parks Alliance. Sofia Tech Park, Gabrovo Technology Park, JOIST Innovation Park (Greece), Thessaloniki Innovation And Technology Center (Greece), Magurele Science Park (Romania), Technology park Novi Sad (Serbia), Science Technology Park Nis (Serbia), Ostim Teknopark (Türkiye), Antalya OIZ Technopark (Türkiye), Bursa Technopark (Türkiye), BUDOTEK Teknopark (Türkiye) and Namık Kemal University Technology Development Zone (Türkiye) are participating in the regional organization. The aim of the Alliance is to stimulate cooperation between the countries’ science and innovation ecosystems and the development of innovation and technology in the region. SEE Science & Technology Parks Alliance is a platform for knowledge and experience sharing, partnerships between strategic companies and initiatives to make the region an attractive and preferred destination for investment.
The final stage of the startup competition will start on 27 October in Sofia Tech Park and will include 16 selected companies from the science and technology parks and innovation zones of the Alliance that participated in the preliminary part of the SEEIC competition. The competition is for companies working in artificial intelligence, big data, microelectronics, IoT, cybersecurity, sustainable urban solutions, fintech and life sciences. They will take part in a series of trainings and events, mentoring sessions and consultations with experts who will give them tips to grow their businesses.
On 28 October, at the Innovation Forum “John Atanasoff” of Sofia Tech Park, the startups will present their projects and products to a jury of international experts, investors and media representatives In the South East European Innovators Challenge three SEE Science & Technology Parks Alliance awards for the best startup from South East Europe and two special awards of Sofia Municipality and Sofia Tech Park will be given. The media jury will select the winner in the Social Impact Category. In the following part of the event, professionals with many years of experience in the field will discuss opportunities for the development of Southeast Europe, strategies for turning the region into a hub for innovation, technology and entrepreneurship with high investment potential.
The Leadership Panel will present the views of the heads of the SEE Science & Technology Parks Alliance Technology Parks and Innovation Zones on the development of South East Europe, the opportunities for partnership and implementation of joint projects in different areas. During the forum a Memorandum of Cooperation will be signed between the representatives of the Alliance member organizations from Bulgaria, Greece, Romania, Serbia and Türkiye.
Invited to participate in the official opening of SEEIC on 28 October at 13.00 are the Minister of Innovation and Growth Rosen Karadimov and the Mayor of Sofia Vasil Terziev.
The forum will also include two special expo areas: for companies from South East Europe, which will showcase their projects, products and services; and for scientific teams from the region, which will present their research developments and achievements.
The South East European Innovators Challenge is supported by the Ministry of Innovation and Growth and Sofia Municipality.
Media partners of the initiative are Bulgaria ON AIR, Investor Media Pro, Investor.bg, Economic.bg, Manager Magazine, Manager News and The Recursive.
More information about the South East European Innovators Challenge and program: https://seeic.io/
Book your place for the conference part of the South East European Innovators Challenge on 28 October at Sofia Tech Park here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/south-east-european-innovators-challenge-tickets-1031073678127?aff=oddtdtcreator
Finalist Startups in South East European Innovators Challenge:
Smartest (Sofia Tech Park, Bulgaria) – a digital platform for creating and taking online tests, aiming to improve education by facilitating teachers’ work and enriching students’ knowledge;
Neuromorphica (Sofia Tech Park, Bulgaria) – is developing an innovative dual-purpose system based on a core chip and a neuromorphic network for artificial intelligence devices;
Momfident (Sofia Tech Park, Bulgaria) – a virtual assistant that combines research and technology with artificial intelligence to provide personalized services to mothers in the postpartum period related to self-care, mental health, parenting and more;
Enthela (Sofia Tech Park, Bulgaria) – offers an innovative solution for agriculture by developing a biostimulant that helps reduce the use of nitrogen fertilizers while maintaining yield and soil fertility;
FoodOxys (JOIST Innovation Park, Greece) – the company specializes in the field of healthy nutrition and biological activity testing of food products and supplements;
Upiria (JOIST Innovation Park, Greece) – connects tour providers with resellers and travelers through a B2B2C model, simplifying bookings and reducing commissions while promoting sustainable growth and enhancing the travel experience;
Jobful (Magurele Science Park, Romania) – an innovative recruitment platform that uses technologies such as artificial intelligence and blockchain to increase transparency and ethical data management and gives employers and candidates more control over the hiring process;
Syndical (Magurele Science Park, Romania) – the company works in digital healthcare by creating artificial intelligence solutions that connect private clinics, hospitals, startups, insurance companies and pharmaceutical firms;
Irisphera (Magurele Science Park, Romania) – a personal digital stylist that uses artificial intelligence to offer personalized clothing recommendations tailored to users’ shape, size and color preferences;
City&Me (Science Technology Park Nis, Serbia) – develops a digital platform that facilitates residents’ communication with city institutions and encourages local activism on key issues such as urban mobility, recycling, greening, etc.;
Nais Robotics (Science Technology Park Nis, Serbia) – a startup company that creates and implements artificial intelligence solutions in the field of technology with applications in sports and sports infrastructure, and high-tech industries;
Dobbli (Technology park Novi Sad, Serbia) – a mobile app for virtual tours of real estate that allows easy capture of tours without the need for specialized cameras or complex software;
Vinaver Medical (Technology park Novi Sad, Serbia) – the company is developing a software solution that aims to improve the accuracy of cancer treatment planning;
Pavza (Ostim Teknopark, Türkiye) – offers solutions in the areas of Cloud Technology, Data Science, Web Development, and IoT;
Afatek (Ostim Teknopark, Türkiye) – a human risk management platform that simulates fraudulent emails, phone calls and text messages, offers interactive training and the ability for users to report suspicious and scam communications;
Pure Solutions (Ostim Teknopark, Türkiye) – a high-tech company that develops analytics and long-term reporting software and hardware solutions for dairy farmers.