Cristina Țoncu, Techcelerator & ROTSA: ”We need to cooperate more in the ecosystem than to compete”

The documentary "Romanian Startups: Roaring Tigers of Europe", made by the start-up.ro team, spans across 33 years of history, from the first entrepreneurs in the transitional years to the initial technology company transactions that brought Romania into the international spotlight.

Romanian Startups: Roaring Tigers of Europe - The Extended Series will present the people who built the Romanian ecosystem and who discussed with the VideoCorp and start-up.ro team for this documentary. In this series you will find the extensive interviews and find out the stories of those who built entrepreneurship in Romania.

For Cristina Țoncu, Programs Partner & cofounder at Techcelerator and Regional Director at ROTSA,  early involvement with international entrepreneurship initiatives, such as the Global Entrepreneurship Week and the Romanian Innovation Commercialization Assistance Program (RICAP), shaped her perspective on facilitating innovation, connecting people, and supporting startups. 

Cristina highlights the emergence of the Romanian startup ecosystem beyond Bucharest, emphasizing the importance of regional hubs like Cluj, Iași, and Timișoara.

The integration with the broader Central and Eastern European (CEE) ecosystem is a key theme throughout our conversation, with ventures increasingly collaborating across borders and attracting regional venture capital funds. The ecosystem has diversified into various verticals including fintech, health tech, AI, and creative industries, supported by detailed sector-specific reports and tailored accelerator programs.

Cristina stressed the importance of internationalization, recommending startups to test markets outside Romania early and adopt a global vision. Despite macroeconomic uncertainties, the ecosystem is optimistic due to increased funding, emerging venture capital funds, and growing awareness among founders and institutions.

Our conversation with Cristina Țoncu concludes with a vision of Romania as a “frontier” ecosystem, one characterized by resilience, creativity, and emerging talent, poised to become a significant player in the regional and global startup landscape.

"Despite all this crisis, it is a good time to be an entrepreneur. We have all the players they would need to start the business and develop products with potential", says Cristina. 

• Early startup ecosystem initiatives linked to EU accession and international programs.
• Emphasis on regional startup hubs beyond Bucharest (Cluj, Iași, Timișoara).
• Increasing vertical diversification: fintech, AI, health tech, creative industries.
• Strong integration with Central and Eastern European startup networks and VCs.
• Focus on inclusion and boosting women in tech within the Romanian ecosystem.

• Decentralization of startup activities beyond Bucharest: While Bucharest is often the focal point, there is clear evidence that Romanian innovation hubs exist and thrive in other cities such as Cluj-Napoca, Iași, and Timișoara. These regional ecosystems are agile, interconnected, and supported by national initiatives, which challenges the misconception that Bucharest alone drives Romanian innovation. Universities in these regions act as key innovation sources, fueling talent and startup ideation.

"It is wrong to think that only Bucharest springs out potential or innovation. We have alumni and participating startups from all the cities in Romania."

• Early-stage support: ROTSA and the accelerator programs address critical gaps at the base of the startup funnel by nurturing ideation-stage founders and encouraging them to adopt a global mindset early. The emphasis on “internationalization first” programs demonstrates a strategic shift to overcome the limitations of the domestic market, advocating for testing products in proxy or international markets to accelerate growth and validation.

• Collaboration over competition within the ecosystem: Cristina stresses that a notable cultural shift is toward cooperation among ecosystem players, moving from competition to mutual support. Shared calendars, joint events, monthly peer meetings, and collaborative feedback on policy initiatives reflect a maturing ecosystem that values collective growth and knowledge exchange. This cooperative spirit also extends to public institutions and regional development agencies, narrowing gaps between startups and government stakeholders.
• Integration with Central and Eastern European and other European ecosystems: Romanian startups are not isolated, they are embedded in a wider regional network facilitated by programs like the European Startup Network. Regional venture capital funds actively co-invest across countries, and Romanian startups participate in pan-European accelerators and competitions, enhancing cross-border collaboration and market access. This integration increases the ecosystem’s resilience and access to resources.
• Romania as the “next frontier” for startup innovation: Drawing inspiration from Alexandre Lazarow’s book ”Out-Innovate”, Cristina envisions Romania as a frontier ecosystem where founders must be resilient, creative, and efficient to succeed. Unlike Silicon Valley’s resource-rich environment, Romanian startups operate in a challenging context, necessitating ingenuity and persistence, which can uniquely position them in the global innovation landscape.

Roaring Tigers of Europe is a production by start-up.ro and Videocorp, part of the Romanian publishing company InternetCorp, active for almost 20 years on the market. The documentary was made with the support of partners BCR, Orange, and 2Performant. Community partners included Guran Consulting Global, How to Web, Launch, Impact Hub Bucharest, Flaviu Simihaian, Rubik Hub, SoftServe, and the Romanian-American University.