Moldova at Web Summit 2023

Moldova again took part in Web Summit for the third consecutive year. Representatives of Future Technologies Activity (FTA) worked on the organisation and perfect location of the country's stand in the first pavilion, Moldova Innovation Technology Park (MITP) and Agenția de investiții.

Moldova's participation at such a large-scale event provides unique opportunities: meeting investors, entering into partnerships, being inspired by new ideas, and following the latest trends in the world of technology.

MITP invited companies that won Moldova Innovation Awards to participate in the event. Also, all interested MITP residents had the opportunity to apply for the programme Bridge Programme, organised by Invest Moldova Agency in partnership with Future Technologies Project, USAID and Sweden. This programme covers the cost of tickets to participate in international events, including entrance fees, accommodation and flights to $1500. The goal of this support is to support Moldovan IT companies so that teams come to be inspired by new ideas, attract investment and forge new partnerships.

Livia Turcanu and Serghei Rabii from Future Technologies Activity (FTA) emphasise that Moldova's participation in Web Summit is an opportunity to draw attention to the country's IT sector and demonstrate not only the provision of services, but also the potential of startups.

Sergiu Rabii, Deputy Director at FTA (Future Technologies Activity):

"Moldova's presence at the Web Summit is a great opportunity to show the world that Moldova has an ecosystem not only related to the provision of services, but also to startups. Also, we managed to learn about mega trends related to artificial intelligence, green technologies and energy efficiency. This gives us confidence that Moldova is on the right track, as FTA supports all Moldovan accelerators, MITP, Agenția de investiții and startups developing products in these fields. It is important for us to be on the same page with all the trends in order to develop our ecosystem in line with these trends".

Livia Țurcanu, Technology Advisor at FTA (Future Technologies Activity):

"Moldova is participating in Web Summit for the third time. We came here for the second time. The purpose of our visit is to draw attention to Moldova to as many companies from the IT sector as possible at the international level".

Natalia Donțu, Administrator at Moldova Innovation Technology Park:

"This year Moldova is participating for the third time, it is one of the biggest technology conferences in the world, in which we take part in order to publicise the advantages of doing IT business in Moldova and to help Moldovan startups to enter the international market. It is also an opportunity for our companies to attract investments and enter into partnerships with foreign companies. This year we have a great team - representatives of public authorities, different ecosystems, communities that play an important role in promoting Moldova".

Natalia Bejan, CEO at Agenția de investiții:

"I liked the way Moldova was represented and the fact that we had a lot of work at our stand with people coming up, interested in Moldova's opportunities. We came with the support of FTA, USAID, Sweden, UKAid in order to expand our existing connections and, if possible, to meet both new partners and those with whom we co-operate remotely".

This year, 4 startups exhibited at the Web Summit on behalf of Moldova:

1. Global Wine Rating - rating wines around the world using artificial intelligence tools.
2. Viar.Live - Designer of virtual and interactive tours for property sales.
3. Gems Around - a product that allows you to create smart travel itineraries based on artificial intelligence.
4. Sumboard - inbuilt analytics for SaaS products looking to improve customer experience with advanced real-time reporting and save money.

Last year, thanks to Web Summit, the startup Viar.Live attracted investment from Startup Wise Guys in a pre-seed round worth €100,000. This emphasises not only the potential of Moldovan startups, but also the effectiveness of participation in such large conferences.

Gennady Ganebny, CEO at Viar.Live:

"At this Web Summit, we are more focused not on sales or looking for new investments, but rather on finding partners with whom we can integrate and develop further. I think it's the synergy with other companies developing similar products that will help us grow."

Nikolas Opopol, CPO & Co-Founder of Viar.Live:

"Web Summit is a large-scale event, there are a lot of interesting people here. From the first day, we met interesting people from real estate, investors, partners. This gathering of the smartest people in one place is very inspiring. Apart from that, interestingly, I was approached by a real estate agent who recognised me from last year. She said that we were the ones she wanted and was looking for us.

Anton Perkin, CEO at FusionWorks, Co-founder of Dely.IO, Viar.Live, Talents.Tech, raises the issue of crisis in IT and notes that despite this factor, the number of Web Summit participants continues to grow, which shows the continued relevance and effectiveness of this event.

Anton Perkin, CEO at FusionWorks, Co-founder of Dely.IO, Viar.Live, Talents.Tech:

"We came with several objectives. First, with the Viar.life product. Second, to make connections for our entire FusionWorks ecosystem. Also, I liked the fact that the organisers were not silent about the scandal involving the firing of the previous CEO. a month before the event, pretending that nothing happened."

Moldova's participation at Web Summit 2023 is not only an opportunity to showcase innovative products and outstanding specialists to the world community, but also a chance to create new partnerships, attract investments and support the development of the Moldovan IT ecosystem.