Both Lisbon and Cluj-Napoca emerge as two vibrant tech ecosystems. After returning from Lisbon, the home of the world-renowned tech event: Web Summit, we were full of enthusiasm and tech collaborations opportunities to follow through. A month has passed, and the Web Summit nostalgia is still there! There is something in Lisbon tech community that reminds us of our local Cluj-Napoca tech community. We figured out a few key similarities that would be interesting to observe, when choosing between these two IT destinations.

Academic Centers. Both Lisbon and Cluj-Napoca IT and tech industries rely on steady stream of IT professionals, supplied by elite educational institutions. Cluj-Napoca is proud to be the home city of two important universities; Babeș-Bolyai University, Romania’s top higher education instution, with diverse STEM majors and The Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, specialized on polytechnics studies. At a bigger scale, the capital city of Portugal, Lisbon delivers skilled graduates in technology an engineering via four elite institutions: The New University of Lisbon, the Polytechnic Institute of Lisbon and the University of Lisbon.

Skilled Talent Pools. Counting an impressive number of software developers and IT professionals, both cities contribute to their domestic IT industries. Cluj-Napoca hosts arund 20k developers, while in Lisbon the numbers are also growing significantly.

Good Quality of Life. Lisbon and Cluj-Napoca are attractive thanks to their high quality of life, capable of retaining new IT talents. Their inhabitants appreciate both cities as a nice city to live in, with easy access to the IT labour market, with rich history and culture, surrounded by a pleasant climate. This bouquet of factors makes both cities a desired destination for professionals.

Vibrant Start-up Ecosystem. Both cities have a dynamic start-up scene that fosters innovation and entrepreneurship. Cluj-Napoca has also recorded an exponential growth of its IT sector, while Lisbon is a mecca for tech innovation thought leaders, mainly thanks to the flagship annual event – Web Summit.

IT Oriented Infrastructure. Cluj-Napoca, especially, but Lisbon also, have reached a stage of infrastructure that is adequate for the growth of IT industry. Broadband connectivity, tech hubs, business accelerators and public initiatives foster innovation and applied research.

Connected to the World. Both cities are are easy to access from almost anywhere in Europe. Incoming and outgoing flights, train infrastructure and car roads make them very accessible locations.

Affordability. The Portuguese and Romanian city have the great advantage that life is affordable in these cities. Not only might the employees get a very nice lifestyle here, but also the investors and owners. After doing the cost of living math, both cities provide accessible housing, utilities, mobility and daily basket.

Developer Communities. Given the wealthiness of IT and tech events occurring in Lisbon and Cluj-Napoca, the foundation of academic years for a future career, the IT meetups, these cities have a strong developer community. This is important because it opens the doors for sharing, learning and growing together.

In conclusion, both cities Lisbon and Cluj-Napoca, are currently booming thanks to skilled workforce, supportive community and a focus on new technologies. Outsourcing to Lisbon in Portugal, or Cluj-Napoca in Romania, may be a wise decision in 2025 for almost all variables implied by a software development or tech business.

Since, SOFTECH is a software development company based in Cluj-Napoca, Romania with a strong focus on industrial software development, we are ready to answer your questions or analyse your technical specs. Feel free to get in touch with us, via our contact page.