Over 40 companies presented the Bulgarian entrepreneurial ecosystem in a panel on the achievements of our country in innovation
The Minister of Innovation and Growth, Milena Stoycheva, opened the first Bulgarian stand at the largest technological conference in the world WEB SUMMIT in Lisbon. More than 40 Bulgarian companies and startups took part in the exhibition, and during the conference they met with potential investors, business partners and customers, to whom they could present their products and services. They also got involved with presentations in the panel “BreakingGrounds: The secret rise of Bulgaria as an innovation hub in Europe”. It was dedicated to the successful examples from our country in innovation, technological developments and the development of the investment environment.
“The vision of the Ministry of Innovation and Growth is to rebrand Bulgaria as a place that brings to the fore the entrepreneurial and startup ecosystem, human capital and intellectual capacity, as well as an attractive place for high-tech investments,” said Minister Stoycheva in the opening part of the panel. According to her, all stakeholders – government, business, investors, entrepreneurs, startups, scientific organizations – must work together on the model of “open innovation” to create a competitive environment in which innovation and economic growth are developed and promoted.
“Bulgaria has long been more than just an outsourcing destination, services and products with high added value for our economy are created in our country. We have a very well-developed academic environment, research capacity, development centers and high-tech talent,” the Minister of Innovation and Growth also said.
She emphasized that the Ministry of Innovation and Growth team works in close cooperation with the Bulgarian Investment Agency, with the goal being to connect investment opportunities with the country’s capacity to create and develop innovations and the entrepreneurial ecosystem. “It is time for the overall potential of the state and its people to position themselves on the world map in terms of the development of technologies,” Minister Stoycheva said.
In addition to various technology companies and startups, experts from local venture capital funds and entrepreneurs participated in the presentations during the panel, who presented the investment advantages of Bulgaria.
Part of the Bulgarian delegation in Lisbon is the Deputy Minister of Innovation and Growth, Martin Gikov.
