Techsylvania 2026: two days in which Cluj became the epicenter of technology in Eastern Europe alongside leaders from: Super Technologies, OpenAI, Google Cloud, Crunchbase, Cursor, PopHatch, Aircash
Foto: Techsylvania
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On June 24-25, Cluj-Napoca hosted over 3,000 innovators, founders, investors, and technology leaders at Techsylvania 2026, a two-day experience full of inspiration, valuable conversations, and practical exploration. From the main stages to the Q&A sessions, the discussions reflected a common belief: the future belongs to those who combine technology with clarity, courage, initiative, and purpose.
Representatives from companies such as Super Technologies, Open AI, Google Cloud, Crunchbase, Sharjah Research Technology and Innovation Park, Click Clack Labs, Fraction, FarmClub, Aircash, Cursor, Linearity, Liminal, and Austin Capital Partners spoke in front of over 3,000 participants. The rooms were full, a clear sign of genuine interest in applied learning, not just passive listening. From new tools to practical frameworks, participants left with skills they could use immediately. A clear proof that the best learning happens when put into practice.
Techsylvania 2026 once again served as a support ecosystem for startup founders. Over 35 early-stage businesses showcased their products and ideas at Startup Alley. Entrepreneurs seized the opportunity to present their innovative products and services to an audience deeply engaged in innovation and business, including potential investors, partners, and mentors. This area has become a hub of creativity, fostering connections and providing valuable resources for the growth of early-stage companies.
Techsylvania also enjoyed the presence of Mr. Nicușor Dan, the President of Romania, who attended the working dinner organized on the sidelines of the event, alongside leaders from technology and neuroscience such as Guido Brinkel (Policy and Partnerships Lead, Open AI), Hussain Al Mahmoudi (CEO, Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation Park), Oana Ruxandra (Founder & CEO, Pop Hatch), Natalia Brzezinski (former CEO, Brilliant Minds Foundation), Sacha Dragic (Founder & CEO, Super Technologies), Philipp Kandal (CPO, Grab and Chairman, Techsylvania), Sam Lipoff (Partner, Liminal), and Sasha Khadivian (GTM Software Engineer, Cursor).
"For most of the last thirty years, Romania's success has been measured by how quickly we have closed the gap with Europe. Perhaps the next chapter is different. The question we need to answer is how Romania can contribute to shaping the future of Europe, what we can do as a country to become a center of exchange in the next decade. We need to create the framework in which local talent, entrepreneurship, and innovation are encouraged. Because Romania's strongest asset is its people: engineers, IT specialists, investors, creative talents, and all those who want to change something for the better around them," said Mr. Nicușor Dan, the President of Romania.
"We started Techsylvania in 2014, when Cluj was still a bet, not a hub. Today, when OpenAI, Google Cloud, and founders who have built globally listed companies choose to come to Cluj, that bet has turned into proof. Romania no longer needs to prove that it can keep pace with global technology; it just needs to decide how much it wants to matter in it," said Vlad Ciurcă, co-founder of Techsylvania. "Over 3,000 participants and 35 startups at Startup Alley this year show us the same thing: technology was already here; it just needed a stage," he added.
___________
Here are some highlights from this year's edition:
Sacha Dragic, Founder & CEO, Super Technologies
Sacha Dragic discussed with Philipp Kandal about what it means to build a global technology business based in Romania. Sacha spoke openly about the experience of building without a safety net, in a constantly changing context, and why he believes that ambitious founders in the region are facing a pivotal moment for their potential for global growth. This is one of the reasons why Super has become a technology company with a global footprint that attracts talent from giants like Meta, Amazon, Google, and Netflix.
"If at the beginning of the year we probably had less than 1% of the code written by AI, now we are somewhere between 30 and 40%. I am a supporter of a sustained implementation process of artificial intelligence. Obstacles will arise, certainly, but it will be much cheaper to go through the discomfort of solving some costly problems than to not act now and risk becoming irrelevant in the coming years."
Hermann Hauser, Co-Founder, Amadeus Capital Partners
Hermann Hauser, who helped establish ARM as an independent entity, starting from Acorn Computers, took the stage at Techsylvania for a true lesson on building deep tech at a European scale. He recalled how the lack of capital forced engineers at Acorn to keep the first ARM chips small and simple, a constraint that led, without them proposing it, to the low energy consumption that powers almost any smartphone in the world today.
"It is a powerful reminder for any founder that sometimes, the lack of resources is your greatest competitive advantage."
Jeanie Fang, Director of Data & AI, Crunchbase
Jeanie Fang from Crunchbase brought concrete numbers to the stage. Global venture capital funding rebounded strongly in 2026, with the first quarter alone exceeding $300 billion, of which about 80% went to AI. OpenAI accounted for nearly 40% of the funding in that quarter, and so far, in 2026, 226 new unicorns have emerged. Her message to the founders in the room: the window of opportunity is not closing, and the conditions to build something relevant have never been more favorable.
Guido Brinkel, Policy & Partnerships Lead, Germany & CEE, OpenAI
Guido Brinkel, who leads the public policy and partnerships department for OpenAI in the DACH and CEE region, spoke about what the work at the intersection of AI and governance looks like from the inside. Six months into his role, his most important observation is about the speed at which events evolve. A large part of his time is now dedicated to cybersecurity policies: how to build governance structures fast enough to matter, so that legislation can evolve afterward. He concluded on a personal note, sharing how he has seen his own children using AI in different ways, and reminding that the social license for AI still needs to be earned.
Oana Ruxandra, Co-Founder & CEO, Pop Hatch
Oana Ruxandra shared a revealing and deeply personal experience, from arriving in the United States in 1987 without speaking English, to building the data analytics team for India at BlackRock and leading the digital strategy at Warner Music and Universal. Her fundamental belief: music is not a song, but a participatory experience, and PopHatch is built to help independent artists turn this belief into a real business. When asked what she had to learn when she left the corporate environment, her answer was disarmingly honest: how to validate herself.
The presence of UniCredit Bank at Techsylvania 2026 reflects the rapid digital transformation in Romania, from onboarding to fully mobile journeys, integrated insurance, and AI-based services. "AI represents a mindset shift that helps us provide faster, smarter, and truly customer-centric banking experiences," said Tsvetelin Minchev, Digital & Information Director, UniCredit Bank.
Supported by ecosystem leaders such as VistaJet, 3Pillar, Aily Labs, Principal33, BMW TechWorks, DataEdge, M247Global, Cluj-Napoca City Hall, Cluj County Council, and RunPod, Techsylvania is more than just a conference; it is a high-density convergence point for entrepreneurs, leaders in technological innovation, and visionaries.
Techsylvania 2026 once again confirmed the place of Cluj-Napoca among the most important technology hubs in Central and Eastern Europe, connecting founders, investors, and operators from across the region and beyond. With a continuously expanding presence, including satellite events in Cluj-Napoca and an event organized in Zagreb (Croatia), Techsylvania continues to build the bridge of the technological ecosystem in the CEE region.
***
About Techsylvania
Techsylvania is the largest growth platform through technology in Romania and one of the most significant technology events in Eastern Europe. Experts from around the world debate revolutionary ideas in a space that facilitates valuable interactions between large companies in Romania, entrepreneurs, startups, and investment funds. The event was created in 2014 by Oana Petruș and Vlad Ciurcă.
Representatives from companies such as Super Technologies, Open AI, Google Cloud, Crunchbase, Sharjah Research Technology and Innovation Park, Click Clack Labs, Fraction, FarmClub, Aircash, Cursor, Linearity, Liminal, and Austin Capital Partners spoke in front of over 3,000 participants. The rooms were full, a clear sign of genuine interest in applied learning, not just passive listening. From new tools to practical frameworks, participants left with skills they could use immediately. A clear proof that the best learning happens when put into practice.
Techsylvania 2026 once again served as a support ecosystem for startup founders. Over 35 early-stage businesses showcased their products and ideas at Startup Alley. Entrepreneurs seized the opportunity to present their innovative products and services to an audience deeply engaged in innovation and business, including potential investors, partners, and mentors. This area has become a hub of creativity, fostering connections and providing valuable resources for the growth of early-stage companies.
Techsylvania also enjoyed the presence of Mr. Nicușor Dan, the President of Romania, who attended the working dinner organized on the sidelines of the event, alongside leaders from technology and neuroscience such as Guido Brinkel (Policy and Partnerships Lead, Open AI), Hussain Al Mahmoudi (CEO, Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation Park), Oana Ruxandra (Founder & CEO, Pop Hatch), Natalia Brzezinski (former CEO, Brilliant Minds Foundation), Sacha Dragic (Founder & CEO, Super Technologies), Philipp Kandal (CPO, Grab and Chairman, Techsylvania), Sam Lipoff (Partner, Liminal), and Sasha Khadivian (GTM Software Engineer, Cursor).
"For most of the last thirty years, Romania's success has been measured by how quickly we have closed the gap with Europe. Perhaps the next chapter is different. The question we need to answer is how Romania can contribute to shaping the future of Europe, what we can do as a country to become a center of exchange in the next decade. We need to create the framework in which local talent, entrepreneurship, and innovation are encouraged. Because Romania's strongest asset is its people: engineers, IT specialists, investors, creative talents, and all those who want to change something for the better around them," said Mr. Nicușor Dan, the President of Romania.
"We started Techsylvania in 2014, when Cluj was still a bet, not a hub. Today, when OpenAI, Google Cloud, and founders who have built globally listed companies choose to come to Cluj, that bet has turned into proof. Romania no longer needs to prove that it can keep pace with global technology; it just needs to decide how much it wants to matter in it," said Vlad Ciurcă, co-founder of Techsylvania. "Over 3,000 participants and 35 startups at Startup Alley this year show us the same thing: technology was already here; it just needed a stage," he added.
___________
Here are some highlights from this year's edition:
Sacha Dragic, Founder & CEO, Super Technologies
Sacha Dragic discussed with Philipp Kandal about what it means to build a global technology business based in Romania. Sacha spoke openly about the experience of building without a safety net, in a constantly changing context, and why he believes that ambitious founders in the region are facing a pivotal moment for their potential for global growth. This is one of the reasons why Super has become a technology company with a global footprint that attracts talent from giants like Meta, Amazon, Google, and Netflix.
"If at the beginning of the year we probably had less than 1% of the code written by AI, now we are somewhere between 30 and 40%. I am a supporter of a sustained implementation process of artificial intelligence. Obstacles will arise, certainly, but it will be much cheaper to go through the discomfort of solving some costly problems than to not act now and risk becoming irrelevant in the coming years."
Hermann Hauser, Co-Founder, Amadeus Capital Partners
Hermann Hauser, who helped establish ARM as an independent entity, starting from Acorn Computers, took the stage at Techsylvania for a true lesson on building deep tech at a European scale. He recalled how the lack of capital forced engineers at Acorn to keep the first ARM chips small and simple, a constraint that led, without them proposing it, to the low energy consumption that powers almost any smartphone in the world today.
"It is a powerful reminder for any founder that sometimes, the lack of resources is your greatest competitive advantage."
Jeanie Fang, Director of Data & AI, Crunchbase
Jeanie Fang from Crunchbase brought concrete numbers to the stage. Global venture capital funding rebounded strongly in 2026, with the first quarter alone exceeding $300 billion, of which about 80% went to AI. OpenAI accounted for nearly 40% of the funding in that quarter, and so far, in 2026, 226 new unicorns have emerged. Her message to the founders in the room: the window of opportunity is not closing, and the conditions to build something relevant have never been more favorable.
Guido Brinkel, Policy & Partnerships Lead, Germany & CEE, OpenAI
Guido Brinkel, who leads the public policy and partnerships department for OpenAI in the DACH and CEE region, spoke about what the work at the intersection of AI and governance looks like from the inside. Six months into his role, his most important observation is about the speed at which events evolve. A large part of his time is now dedicated to cybersecurity policies: how to build governance structures fast enough to matter, so that legislation can evolve afterward. He concluded on a personal note, sharing how he has seen his own children using AI in different ways, and reminding that the social license for AI still needs to be earned.
Oana Ruxandra, Co-Founder & CEO, Pop Hatch
Oana Ruxandra shared a revealing and deeply personal experience, from arriving in the United States in 1987 without speaking English, to building the data analytics team for India at BlackRock and leading the digital strategy at Warner Music and Universal. Her fundamental belief: music is not a song, but a participatory experience, and PopHatch is built to help independent artists turn this belief into a real business. When asked what she had to learn when she left the corporate environment, her answer was disarmingly honest: how to validate herself.
The presence of UniCredit Bank at Techsylvania 2026 reflects the rapid digital transformation in Romania, from onboarding to fully mobile journeys, integrated insurance, and AI-based services. "AI represents a mindset shift that helps us provide faster, smarter, and truly customer-centric banking experiences," said Tsvetelin Minchev, Digital & Information Director, UniCredit Bank.
Supported by ecosystem leaders such as VistaJet, 3Pillar, Aily Labs, Principal33, BMW TechWorks, DataEdge, M247Global, Cluj-Napoca City Hall, Cluj County Council, and RunPod, Techsylvania is more than just a conference; it is a high-density convergence point for entrepreneurs, leaders in technological innovation, and visionaries.
Techsylvania 2026 once again confirmed the place of Cluj-Napoca among the most important technology hubs in Central and Eastern Europe, connecting founders, investors, and operators from across the region and beyond. With a continuously expanding presence, including satellite events in Cluj-Napoca and an event organized in Zagreb (Croatia), Techsylvania continues to build the bridge of the technological ecosystem in the CEE region.
***
About Techsylvania
Techsylvania is the largest growth platform through technology in Romania and one of the most significant technology events in Eastern Europe. Experts from around the world debate revolutionary ideas in a space that facilitates valuable interactions between large companies in Romania, entrepreneurs, startups, and investment funds. The event was created in 2014 by Oana Petruș and Vlad Ciurcă.
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