We took further Techsylvania’s motivation to inspire people, find out the next in tech and learn from some of the brightest minds’ do’s & don’ts. From presenting ground-breaking ideas to debating some of the most pivotal problems that arise when business meets tech, our discussion with Dan Oros, the Head of Marketing at Google in Romania, took us to the core of the community movement.

Google for Startups presents their view of the Romanian startup ecosystem in recent years, as well as their recent plans to bridge the existing fundraising gap for Black Startup founders in this fast-growing technology landscape. And this is getting even more exciting when talking about the technologies and innovations they envision becoming a part of our lives in the near future.

The Romanian startup ecosystem in recent years, through the lens of Google for Startups

The Romanian startup ecosystem has been booming in the last few years and it looks like the trend will continue and there are several factors that accelerate this growth:

1) more startups: there is a higher number of entrepreneurs launching new companies, which also leads to a stronger pipeline of high-growth startups;

2) more capital: from new VCs, to a stronger community of angel investors and crowdfunding platforms, we’ve seen an increase in available funds to fuel the local startup ecosystem;

3) more resources and know-how: the success of companies like UiPath or Bitdefender are not only an inspiration for the new generation of founders, but also a source of talent with scaling expertise coming back into the ecosystem.

“Google has always been one of the closest partners of these startups, supporting them from early stages, both on the product and development side (Google Cloud), but also on the business and growth side. As a consequence, we’ve seen first hand this acceleration of the Romanian startup ecosystem and we look forward to continuing supporting local startups.” says Dan Oros, Head of Marketing at Google for Startups.

Trying to bridge the existing fundraising gap for Black Startup founders in this fast-growing technology landscape is one of the main objectives of Google’s business strategy.

Supporting innovative startups is a part of Google’s DNA, and their mission is to bring the best of Google products, people, and programs to help build and scale tech startups, by:

1. Helping founders build better products and services, through our tools and resources (e.g. Google Cloud credits, mentorship programs, etc.);

2. Supporting startups to accelerate growth and expand globally, by providing them access to marketing channels and know-how required to reach their customers (e.g. Google Play, Google Ads, YouTube);

3. Contributing to the development of a sustainable and inclusive local startup ecosystem, working closely with partners, and focusing on diversity and inclusion through initiatives such as Black Founders Fund, Google for Startups Accelerator: Women Founders, and others.

Dan Oros also states that “Google for Startups plans to continue supporting startups across all stages of their development (Start, Build, Grow), and to work closely with local stakeholders (e.g. accelerators, VCs, tech communities, events) to provide the best possible resources to the local startups.”

Technologies and innovations envisioned to become a part of our lives in the near future

Google for Startups gets excited about the role of technology in improving our lives, and about partnering with startups that are solving interesting problems in healthcare, education, energy, and other key sectors. Innovations in these areas will lead to an increase in life quality and economic growth.

“We also believe AI will make it easier for people to do things every day, from searching for photos of loved ones, solving math problems with Google Lens, and getting safer routes on Maps, to talking to someone in another language using Assistant’s interpreter or using smart reply to answer emails. Advances in AI also provide new ways of solving current problems, from rethinking healthcare to advancing scientific discovery and driving more innovation.” says Dan.

Another interesting area enabled by technology is reimagining the future of work. The last year has significantly transformed how we think about work flexibility, and collaboration tools are more critical than ever to help businesses succeed and be productive on a daily basis.

“Both through our products and services, and also through those of the startups that we are supporting, we want to be as helpful as possible to everyone and to use technology to make our lives easier and better.” also added.

Google for Startups is Techsylvania: Beyond Borders’ official partner.

Learn more about them at https://startup.google.com/