International experts × local entrepreneurs
Business Innovation Summit 2025 was distinguished by the quality and practical orientation of the content. There were no general motivational speeches - only specific frameworks, applicable tools and genuine experience of practitioners who turn innovations into business results on a daily basis.
The event once again confirmed Moldova's ability to host international level events, strengthening the position of the local ecosystem on the regional innovation map. The presence of experts from Microsoft, Google, Imperial College London and Plug and Play Tech Centre alongside leading Moldovan companies underlined the maturity of the ecosystem and increased the attractiveness of the country for investments and strategic partnerships.
«What we saw today is not just an event, it's an ecosystem in action,» said Maria Nemciuc, Founder and CEO of Technovator.
«Over 300 professionals invested a day to learn from the best, expand their strategic network and walk away with concrete implementation plans. The real value will show in the coming months - in improved products, optimised strategies and scalable businesses.».
Three thematic scenes: from strategy to execution
The summit was structured around three tracks - Growth, Corporate Open Innovation and Product Management - each providing perspectives on the key question: how to turn innovation into sustainable growth.
Growth Stage - a concentrate of practical expertise
- Giorgi Shagidze, președinte maib, he spoke about the largest banking transformation in the region, sharing specific challenges, mistakes and management decisions.
- Vasile Tofan, Senior Partner la Horizon Capital, He has analysed the path from startup to unicorn in emerging markets: the role of visibility of funders, financial discipline and scaling timing.
- Tatiana Arventi, AI Business Solutions Go-to-Market la Microsoft, presented a practical approach to building AI-native companies.
- Nick Himowicz, Innovation Coach Imperial College London, presented a clear framework for assessing the impact of AI on business models.
- Ömer Hantal, Chief Innovation Optimizer la Fark Labs, and Wil Nefkens, Innovation Partnerships Manager la Plug and Play Tech Centre, They showed real cases of corporate-startup collaborations from international ecosystems.
- Roman Balteanu, Platform Partnerships Manager Google, presented how AI-first marketing and integrated data gives companies predictable growth and personalisation at scale.
Expert panel - an honest discussion on real challenges
Moderated by Philip Sparks (ICanDo52 Incubators), the panel brought together:
- Aliona Stratan (Prim-vicepreședintă maib) - on digital transformation in the financial sector,
- Ömer Hantal (Fark Labs) - On the frameworks of corporate innovation,
- Olga Trofymova (EIT Manufacturing) - on access to European funding programmes,
- Lilia Chetrean (Mega Promoting / Bravin Platform) - on the challenges of scaling technology platforms in emerging markets.
The discussion was unscripted: participants asked tough questions, speakers shared successes as well as failures.
DeepTech Showcases - demo of regional achievements
Five innovative companies - Earlyone, Micro Nano Tech, Replifactory, Lobster Free Diving Weight și BiteriumAI - presented solutions from Moldova, Armenia and Georgia. For the startups, this was a rare opportunity to get in front of investors, corporations and the press. For the audience, it was a confirmation that deep-tech is being created and scaled in our region as well.
Corporate Open Innovation și Product Management - from strategy to working tools
On stage at Corporate Open Innovation:
- Olga Trofymova moderated a discussion on IP strategy in cross-border partnerships.
- Philip Sparks held a workshop „David vs. Goliath: Cine câștigă bătălia inovației?”.” with collaboration models and implementation checklists.
On Stage Product Management:
- Nick Himowicz held a workshop „Reimagine Your Business Model with AI.”, where participants worked with their own cases.
- Ramona Ziemann and Oleg Musteata presented practical tools for growth: UX audits, A/B experiments, optimisation frameworks.
Voices of the participants
Questions from the audience showed the maturity of the audience - they were not «what is innovation» level queries, but specific problems of implementation, scaling and change management. The workshop zones were full, Q&A sessions went beyond the timing, and discussions continued in the networking spaces.
Partnerships without which the summit would not have happened
Organiser: Technovator
In partnership with: Minister of Education și Cercetării of the Republic of Moldova, maib, Innovate Moldova Finanțat de Suedia și Regatul Unit programme, Ukraine-Moldova American Enterprise Fund (UMAEF).
Financial Support: Ministerul Federal German pentru Cooperare Economică și Dezvoltare (BMZ)
Implemented by GIZ within the framework of the proiectului „Digital Transformation of Small and Medium Enterprises in the Eastern Partnership Countries (DT4SME)”
Media partners: VIP Magazin, Business Class Magazine, Simpals, Point.md, Știri.md, TechDoor, Diez, Moldova.org, Agora.md
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