Radu Constantinescu, ex-Qualitance, about launching a company without experience and conquering fear with grit

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.

With Radu Constantinescu we’ve discussed at length about the journey, challenges, and insights from building Qualitance, a tech company that serves as an example that businesses in emerging markets can scale globally while contributing to the maturation of their local ecosystems.

Radu shared with us his journey from his and Ioan’s early days as colleagues and friends, through the challenges of transitioning from academia and technical expertise to entrepreneurship, and finally scaling the company internationally.

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He recounted his and Ioan's initial lack of business experience, the slow development of their first client base, and the strategic decision to pursue international markets, particularly the US and Silicon Valley.

Key milestones include building a strong engineering team, navigating cultural differences in business practices, and creating a culture focused on user experience and delivering value beyond just coding.

"Our focus was to find the angles in which we can help the client succeed and the angles in which we can create a good experience for the end users. It was not about financials, it was more about building things and about growing a team and a culture", Radu commented.

Radu emphasized the importance of grit, team culture, and iterative product development for the success of a company, also taking into consideration fear, the satisfaction derived from hard work, and optimism.

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Highlights from the conversation

• From PhD and tech projects to launching a startup with no initial business knowledge.
• Early ambition to serve international clients, focusing beyond Romania from the start.
• The birth of the iPhone in 2007 marked a shift towards impactful apps for mass users.
• Building trust in Silicon Valley through storytelling, international experience, and advisory board support.
• Focusing on reducing software rework and improving user experience to add real value.
• Romania’s IT sector evolved from cheap outsourcing to a more value-driven market.
• Emphasis on team culture and ownership as core to Qualitons’ success and growth.

Key Insights from Radu Constantinescu

• The transition from academia to an entrepreneurial mindset: Radu highlights that youth’s “not knowing what you don’t know” can be an advantage, encouraging beginners to take bold steps without being paralyzed by uncertainty. This mindset was critical in moving from a purely technical, academic background into the world of business, where failure and trial are part of the learning process. This insight underscores the importance of resilience and experimentation in early entrepreneurship.
• International market focus from day 1: Qualitance targeted the global market from inception, understanding that the Romanian local market alone would not suffice for ambitious growth. This early international mindset allowed them to bypass local limitations, gain exposure to advanced business practices, and scale sustainably. It shows that startups from smaller markets can succeed by positioning themselves globally early on.
• Challenges of gaining traction: from no clients to scaling: The initial strategy of building a website and waiting for calls failed, emphasizing that passive approaches rarely work. The company’s growth was slow at first, with years of limited clients, illustrating the patience and persistence needed to build credibility. This experience highlights the necessity of active marketing, networking, and relationship-building, especially when entering competitive international environments.

• The power of cultural adaptation: Working with US startups required more than technical skill, it demanded cultural understanding, trust-building, and storytelling to onboard clients and advisors. The creation of a board of advisors with prominent Silicon Valley figures was a strategic move that helped Qualitance align with market expectations and gain credibility. This shows that success in global tech hubs involves blending technical excellence with cultural fluency and strong networks.
• Continuous learning as a foundation for Innovation: Radu’s background as a teacher and academic researcher feeds into a philosophy of ongoing exploration, learning, and adapting to new technologies. Engaging with young talent and research environments helped maintain curiosity and a growth mindset, proving that education and mentorship play vital roles in tech entrepreneurship.
• Facing and overcoming entrepreneurial fears: Common fears such as inability to pay salaries, losing clients, or failing to deliver top-quality products are universal among startups but can be mitigated by perseverance and the satisfaction derived from hard work. This realistic acknowledgment of fear combined with optimism serves as encouragement for emerging entrepreneurs facing similar challenges.

"There were a lot of fears: fear of not being able to pay the salary, fear of losing clients, fear of not being able to create a top-class app. It’s not an easy journey, but whenever you invest a lot of work and energy, the chance of getting an interesting outcome will exponentially increase."

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: