In 2017, Cluj-Napoca became vocal on why the city is growing as a young technology hub. Interesting technology projects channel to Cluj-Napoca instead of known technology hubs like Munich, Dublin, Barcelona, Amsterdam or Berlin. The energy and force of the new technology hub resides from the young people with an affinity to technology, to creative activities and multilingual projects. Almost 100000 students are currently enrolled in 11 higher education institutes in Cluj-Napoca. This equals to 25% of the total population of Cluj-Napoca.

Cluj-Napoca and the Top 7 European Technology Hubs

Cluj-Napoca may lack the presence of an automobile giant and other global industry leader that Munich has, but it definitely displays the same constancy of producing tech specialists. The legacy of science excellence of the former communist regime’s educational system is the hotbed for technology careers.

Having strong similarities with the city of Dublin, Cluj-Napoca has definitely lesser startup costs and it fills the distance gap to London with low-cost direct flights. Finding the same features in an Eastern European technology hub as in a neighboring city is alluring for technology investors. It translates in lower fix costs and higher profit margins.

For those pondering on why choosing Cluj-Napoca over Lisbon as the location for their next technology venture, software development project or innovation start-up, consider the multiple language skills and tech skills that the labor pool from Cluj-Napoca can offer. Over more, even if Cluj is the second city of Romania in terms of size and population, it has a similar size to Portugal’ s capital but it is younger demographically – 25% of Cluj-Napoca population is formed by youth (students, young adults).

Barcelona’s technology hub is hard to beat, since it offers a pool for elite tech gathering such as Mobile World Congress and Tech Experience Conference. Cluj-Napoca is catching up by organizing selected technology events and conferences. 2017 summited with the high-level Open Innovation 2.0 Conference organized by the EU’s Open Innovation Strategy and Policy Group (OISPG), ARIES Transilvania’s, Transilvania iTech Clusters’, the Municipality of Cluj-Napoca in partnerships with Visa Mastercad and the Municipality of Dublin.

Amsterdam has also a lot in common with Cluj-Napoca, but it is easy to notice the differences in the economic backgrounds, the legislative facilities and infrastructure capabilities. At this point, the notable Netherlandish initiatives in Cluj-Napoca confirm that the Romanian technology hub has a lot to learn from the European Capital of Innovation 2016/2017, and the fourth biggest tech hub in Europe by number of startups.

Cluj-Napoca and Berlin are definitely two different kind of cities. While Berlin is still a magnet for scientists and tech specialists of all nations, Cluj-Napoca is still providing Romanian DNA to German technology companies. The trick is to find those specific traits in our local German speaking community from Cluj-Napoca that best suits your innovative project.

What is SOFTECH’s Contribution to Europe’s Youngest Technology Hub ?

What does a technology-driven innovation little company like SOFTECH from Cluj-Napoca stand for? How does our contribution make an impact? The answers are to be found in our business philosophy.

SOFTECH, founded in 1998, has been growing organically while carefully selecting its business partners and technology development challenges. The team has been keeping a healthy balance between senior technology experts and junior developers. The company has been also investing in partnerships with the local Universities from Cluj-Napoca in order to foster and attract new tech talent.

The development of new technology competencies and of industry insights are two of our main strategies. Tons of silent work, but with so much more rewarding results!