Cristian Dascălu, Techcelerator: “A good problem has more solutions. Startups must keep their focus on validating the problem”

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.

Cristian Dascălu is the cofounder of Techcelerator, a deep tech seed accelerator initialized in 2015 and backed by regional VCs and business angel investors, focused on startups in SEE. His first interactions in the startup ecosystem involved innovators and entrepreneurs who were experimenting with new business models and technologies, although not yet deep tech.

The attraction stood in the collaborative environment fostered by co-working spaces and hubs, which encouraged networking and problem-solving beyond traditional, individualistic job roles.

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The founding of co-working spaces, such as ClujHUB, was one of the earliest manifestations of this collaboration, aiming to connect business and tech professionals, even when the concept was still relatively unknown or regarded as exotic.

Initially, ClujHUB was conceived as a co-working space providing infrastructure for entrepreneurs—a place to physically work, network, and access potential clients.

It was not originally designed as a comprehensive incubator or accelerator with formal investment stages, but, over time, it evolved organically, adding programs and collaborating with other entities like Re:cap to support startups through early-stage initiatives.

The intent was always to facilitate interaction and learning, helping entrepreneurs grow through shared experiences rather than through formalized investment structures.

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“Together we can be more resilient, stronger, and discover different pathways. Putting diverse people in the same room sparks creativity and multiple answers to complex problems”, mentions Cristian.

With Cristian Dascalu we’ve also touched upon the first moments when the concept of startups entered the local Romanian ecosystem. It was through exposure to international events like How to Web, still a flagship event for our country, and Pioneers in Vienna, which were linked to investment funds such as Speedinvest.

These events helped raise awareness about what startups were and their potential viability in Romania.

Cristian also talked about the geographical distribution of the Romanian startup ecosystem beyond Bucharest, with hubs in cities like Cluj, Timișoara, Iași, Piatra-Neamț.

Each city possesses unique strengths and characteristics: Cluj’s ecosystem was driven by entrepreneurs with a strong international outlook, Timișoara had a focus on automotive, microelectronics, and hardware, and Iași provided affordability and technical talent. This regional diversity creates complementary opportunities that can be leveraged to build a national critical mass.

A significant insight relates to the regional and international dimensions of the ecosystem. Romania’s startup ecosystem cannot thrive in isolation but should integrate with the broader Central and Eastern European region to achieve critical mass, facilitate knowledge exchange, and leverage geographic and economic complementarities.

“A good problem has more solutions—startups must keep their focus on validating the problem, not just falling in love with their solution, especially when scaling beyond local markets”, says Cristian.

Highlights from our interview:

• Early Romanian startups were focused on solving traditional problems with new approaches, not initially deep tech.
• Co-working spaces like ClujHUB played a pivotal role as community and collaboration hubs.
• Regional collaboration across Romanian cities is essential for building a critical mass in the startup ecosystem.
• Startup programs evolved from informal mentoring to specialized accelerators with vertical and stage focus.
• Diversification into sectors like AI, medtech, and climate tech marks ecosystem maturity.
• Internationalization and regional integration are key to scaling startups beyond Romania.
• Greater cooperation and trust among ecosystem organizations are necessary for sustainable growth.

Key insights from Cristian Dascălu, cofounder Techcelerator:

• Organic evolution of the ecosystem: The Romanian startup ecosystem did not start with a grand plan but grew incrementally from small beginnings like co-working spaces and informal meetups. This organic growth allowed stakeholders to experiment, learn, and adapt, which is crucial for emerging ecosystems where the startup culture is still forming. The gradual addition of incubation and acceleration programs reflects the ecosystem’s increasing complexity and sophistication.
• Community and collaboration as cornerstones: The establishment of co-working hubs was less about physical space and more about fostering a sense of community and collaboration. Early entrepreneurs and innovators found value in sharing ideas, challenges, and feedback, which helped them become more resilient and creative. This social infrastructure laid the foundation for later formal support mechanisms.
• Professionalization and maturity: Over the last five to ten years, Romanian startups and accelerator programs have evolved from “playground” experiments to more mature entities focused on measurable KPIs, business fundamentals, and investor readiness. This shift is evidenced in better-prepared pitches, more pragmatic business models, and a deeper understanding of growth metrics, which are essential for attracting investment and scaling successfully.

• Challenges and opportunities in incubation: Despite progress in acceleration and investment, incubation remains underdeveloped and fragmented in Romania. This is a critical gap because incubation supports the earliest and riskiest stages of startup development. Organizations like ROTSA are stepping in to provide tactical solutions, but systemic coordination and trust among ecosystem players are needed to build a cohesive incubation infrastructure that feeds the pipeline of scalable startups.
• The role of diaspora and global networks: Connecting with the Romanian diaspora and international startup hubs can unlock valuable resources, mentorship, and market access. Many Romanian founders have relocated abroad, gaining experience and networks that could be leveraged to support ecosystem growth at home. Strengthening these ties is a strategic opportunity to accelerate internationalization and attract global investment.
• Importance of problem-solution fit and market validation: Startups often fall into the trap of loving their solution rather than focusing on the problem. Cristian stresses the need for rigorous validation of the problem across multiple markets before scaling solutions. This disciplined approach to product-market fit is especially pertinent for startups aiming to expand regionally or internationally.

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.

Watch the full documentary in the video below: