The inaugural Moldova Innovation Awards (MIA), a celebration of creativity and tech innovation, culminated in a grand ceremony that underscored the tremendous potential of Moldova's tech and creative sectors. With over 55 applications from 41 tech and creative companies from Moldova, with 33 MITP residents, MIA has successfully spotlighted the transformative work that Moldova's tech community is doing to revolutionize the future of digital solutions.

MIA is a pillar initiative by Moldova Innovation Technology Park (MITP) aimed at fostering the country's tech ecosystem and propelling forward-thinking solutions onto the global stage. Its mission is to recognize and celebrate innovators reshaping their industries and creating groundbreaking solutions in Best Product Innovation, Best Service Innovation, Impactful Initiative of the Year, and Rising STARtup categories.

The 12 finalists battled in an online Pitch Battle, demonstrating their innovative ideas to a jury panel of globally renowned experts. This robust competition marked a high point in Moldova's tech calendar, bringing together a diverse audience from Moldova and around the world. The jury, composed of national and international tech sector representatives, had the challenge of selecting the winners.

Dumitru Ciorici, co-founder of Fagura - winner of the Impactful Initiative of the Year, shared an exciting announcement: "I want to announce here that we have just signed a contract with Future Technologies Activity and, for the next two years, through our platform, we will finance small and medium-sized enterprises in Moldova and technological startups, with one million dollars for them to innovate and digitalize their processes."

The Awards Gala followed the Pitch Battle, where the winners were announced and celebrated for their excellence in innovation. This landmark event underscored Moldova's positioning as a rising star in the global tech arena and the role of MIA in advancing this trajectory. "It was a challenge and a very difficult task for us to evaluate 41 companies from different industries. We spent not hours but entire days debating the results and, in the end, I believe we did an excellent job," said Ion Sturza, President of Fribourg Capital, Romania.

MITP, through MIA, has been honoured to partner with some of the world's leading organizations to deliver this initiative. The support of our strategic partners, the Ministry of Economic Development and Digitalization of the Republic of Moldova (MDED), USAID, Sweden, UK Aid, Western NIS Enterprise Fund, and eGov, was invaluable in realizing this vision.

"MIA symbolizes our commitment to fostering a robust tech ecosystem in Moldova," said Natalia Dontu, Administrator of MITP. "It is more than just an awards event; it is a testament to our belief in the transformative power of innovation and creativity, the engines driving Moldova's digital future."

The impact of Moldova Innovation Awards extends beyond recognition. It is about inspiring Moldova's tech community to aspire to greater heights and empowering them with a platform to demonstrate their talent, creativity, and innovative spirit.

The winners from various categories were announced. Omnis bagged the award for the "Best Innovative Service", Salt Edge won for the "Best Innovative Product", Bloomcoding took home the "Rising STARtup" award, Fagura took home the “Impactful Initiative of the Year”, and FusionWorks was the recipient of a special award from the jury.

• Salt Edge is a single API that offers access to thousands of banks globally to help businesses better understand their own or their customers' spending habits and offer fairer services at a suitable time. 

• Omnis is a user-friendly and innovative insurance management platform that simplifies the process of obtaining and managing various insurance policies, providing users with a seamless and convenient experience.

• Bloomcoding is a rapidly growing startup, expanding significantly over the last 24 months since its inception. Having localized in the CEE region, including Romania, Bulgaria, and Poland, it is now a dominant player in Romania and Bulgaria. 

• Fagura is the first crowdfunding platform in Moldova that connects borrowers and investors, leading to more investment opportunities and boosting the local start-up ecosystem with SME funding and 0 interest rate programs. 

• FusionWorks offers experienced dedicated teams and accommodates their clients’ business hours, including sharing their work culture, by offering outstaffing services. 

Moldova Innovation Awards has set the stage for Moldova to take its rightful place in the global tech ecosystem. This is only the beginning. We look forward to the future editions of MIA and the exceptional innovations they will bring to light. Each winner will receive a prize of €3000 and 1 ticket and accommodation expenses covered to WebSummit 2023 taking place in Lisbon on November 13-16. 

Watch this video to experience the key highlights of the Gala Awards.

For more information about MIA, please visit awards.mitp.md.