The Leap of Tech #1: A New Chapter for Romania’s Innovation Ecosystem

This is a story in the making: what got IT here won’t get us there

From the academic and military applications in the early ’70s to the first signs of the emerging private IT sector in the ’90s  and the glorious outsourcing era of the 2000s, which produced homegrown tech companies like Bitdefender, UiPath, FintechOS, Druid AI, and Creatopy, the Romanian IT&C ecosystem has seen steady growth. 

With over €15B in industry turnover in 2023 and 12% year-over-year growth, along with a €45B impact on GDP, technology is becoming an economic pillar. However, what got IT here won’t take us further. 

With a strong service sector, there has been a mushrooming effect on tech talent following good rain. This talent has been built by importing ideas, tools, and dreams while exporting code, skills, and value. Behind this growth lies a comfort zone, and The Leap of Tech requires a paradigm shift from a service-driven nation to a product-led one. 

To write about the future, one has to look at history and work smarter. Our schools teach solid engineering but are only now opening up to riskier habits like independent learning and peer accountability.

Given the country’s history, it is understandable to have preferred the security of customers to the volatility of investors, but this also means less innovation. Therefore, hitting the plateau raises questions but also solutions. 

Who? What? When? Where? Why?

• • Who: Lucian Popovici (Founder of Bridging Gaps & Engineering Director at Cegeka), Edward Crețescu (CEO of Regista & President of ANIS Romania), and Alexandru Agatinei (CEO of How to Web), joined by special guests like Cristian Ignat (CEO of Canopy and Aggranda).
  • What: The Leap of Tech–a movement aimed at transitioning Romania’s IT&C sector from outsourcing to building scalable products and productized services. This initiative will bring together industry players to shape a new future for Romania’s tech ecosystem—one that focuses on homegrown solutions with global impact.
  • When: Recurring monthly meet-ups to document the paradigm shift, develop a manifesto, and create much-needed momentum for the next chapter of Romania’s innovation ecosystem. 
  • Where: Romania, the land of global success stories, accessible funding, tools, and talent, and international attention.
  • Why: We have everything—except the urgency to shift gears, leave comfort behind, and take ownership. Products scale, multiply value, and build a legacy. 

The Leap of Tech Tools for Change

“This isn’t just about tech. It’s about the leap from what we can do—to what we’re meant to build,” Alexandru Agatinei, How to Web CEO. 

To build The Leap of Tech movement and understand what the momentum needs to retain and empower local top talent, we gathered on the 10th of April 2025 for the first meet-up of the series.

We started with a behind-the-scenes “dream big” hypothesis of how Romania can become a €100B IT&C economy by 2035. And came up with a playbook of:

• Intrapreneurship inside larger service companies.
• Co-building product pilots between startups and mature firms.
• Founding clients who validate early products.
• Open knowledge sharing and mentorship.
• Case studies that teach through experience.

But a tech leap is also about a roadmap of small incremental steps that can change a system. And it all starts with the people who have already started the shift.

With over two decades of experience in the IT&C sector, ranging from startups to Big 4 companies, Lucian Popovici has shifted focus from outsourcing to consultancy through Bridging Gaps, fixed-price projects, and product development. He is also offering free mentorship and coaching for IT managers in Romania.

“There is great value in giving back to the community and changing people’s mindsets so they can use their energy to create and hack their story.” Lucian Popovici, Bridging Gaps Founder & Cegeka Engineering Director

Edward Crețescu, CEO of Regista, a software product that originated under the umbrella of ZITEC, a 20+-year-old Romanian IT company, joins him. The platform for local public administration has over 1200 customers and more than 100.000 users. Edward is also the President of ANIS – Employers’ Association of the Software and Services Industry in Romania—and wants to empower the next wave of the local tech ecosystem under his mandate. 

“Adapting through repetitive iterations isn’t always easy, but it’s in this relentless refinement that true progress happens—and it’s exactly where tech should lead us.” Edward Crețescu, Regista CEO & ANIS President

Cristian Ignat joined the first edition as a special guest. He shared valuable insights about productized services, testing the market, bootstrapping, and finding founding clients willing to support a product’s development. As a marketing expert, he encouraged bold storytelling moves that may not result in immediate sales but are crucial for visibility, trust-building, and long-term reputation.

“True passion for a problem breaks all barriers and drives you to shape the best product through constant feedback.” Cristian Ignat, Founder Canopy & Aggranda

#1 The Leap of Tech Meet-Up 5 Key Insights

FEAR | The most powerful insight, and the main barrier, that came out of the meeting has nothing to do with tech and everything to do with the core: the people. Doing something different, new, from scratch, comes with many fears, including the fear of ownership—asking for funding, enduring long (6–24 month) sales cycles, and facing the risk of failure or even shame.

LEADERSHIP | Our ecosystem is mature enough to leap, but it needs the right people to drive the change forward. A recurring theme, which also appeared during the EIC Summit 2025, is that we don’t lack resources or creative ideas in Europe, but the leadership to nudge the snowball forward. A leadership that will know how to show value from the early stages.

NETWORKING | All the participants delved into the value of networking as essential for market access and product validation. Industry presence is essential, and personal introductions can replace basic go-to-market approaches in more traditional sectors, like logistics or health.

BUILDING | Building products comes with risks, just like with anything in life. Some of the evening spotlights were on founding customers, which are essential for co-development and validation, but over-dependence on a single client could lead to product buyout or sudden churn. Keeping products simple and talking to customers face-to-face is mandatory in the beginning. 

GenZs | Technology, like AI and LLMs, offers great potential to innovate and leap. But these come with challenges around control and understanding. With a forecasted decrease in the demand for junior IT roles as AI evolves, an opportunity arises for experienced professionals to lead product development and mentor juniors, sparking a new wave of innovation and keeping young talent home.

What’s the smallest step that starts the leap? If you’re a founder chasing meaningful impact, a corporate leader backing intrapreneurs, a policymaker ready to rethink priorities, or a creative ready to go beyond the brief, this is your call. 

The Leap of TECH isn’t a trend. 

It’s a movement. A manifesto. IT starts with you. 

✊ Let’s Leap & MeetUp!