As France and Romania are continuing to deepen their partnership in innovation and technology, the collaboration between companies, startups, and institutions is essential, according to the speakers at the French Tech – Romanian Touch event, held in Bucharest last week.

The event, which gathered an attendance of more than 500, was organized by the local chapter of La French Tech, an organization dedicated to supporting Romanian startups and fostering Franco-Romanian cooperation in the tech sector.

Nicolas Warnery, the ambassador of France to Romania, said the community developed around the local chapter of La French Tech worked as a "bridge between the local technology ecosystem, public authorities, and French companies," noting how, over the past six years, it managed to contribute to the development of other regional initiatives, including in Chişinău.

"France and Romania are a family. This unique bond can be found in all areas: cultural, historical, artistic, economic, and, from now on, military," entrepreneur Grégoire Vigroux, the co-founder and president of the Romanian chapter of La French Tech, said.

France is one of the main foreign investors in Romania, with some 4,100 French companies active on the local market and investments of EUR 13 billion, he noted.

When entrepreneurship and technology meet, energy and value are created, Laurenţiu Mandu, CEO of Capgemini, argued. "La French Tech has this unique way of bringing them together and of building bridges between France and Romania, between startups and corporations, between those developing technology and those using it every day in business."

The collaboration with the tech ecosystem is no longer optional but essential for the financial sector, Jean-Philippe Guillaume, deputy CEO of BRD, argued. "Clients changed, the regulatory framework, expectations concerning security, the transparency and speed of transactions, they all change. In order to meet these challenges, we need to change, and this is enabled by technological innovation. The dialogue with the tech ecosystem has become essential to our development."

In his turn, Bogdan Clipici, country sales manager of Bolt, noted how "Romania brings speed, creativity and a dynamic tech ecosystem, while France brings experience, and a global perspective."

The organization also handed out its yearly awards recognizing individuals and initiatives across the French Tech community.

Ioan Iacob, the founder and CEO of FlowX.ai, received the Serial Entrepreneur Award.

FlowX.AI is an AI-native agentic platform designed for building and deploying AI agents and AI-enabled systems in highly regulated industries. In 2023, it raised USD 35 million in a series A round, after a USD 8.5 million round in November 2021.

Ruxandra Șerban, the founder of Vent d'Est, received the Inspiring Woman in Business Award.

Vent D'Est is a film and series production and distribution startup focused on stories inspired by Eastern European countries.

Lavinia Ionita, the CEO of Sorcova Health, received the Romanian Entrepreneur in France Award.

Sorcova Health is the provider of a wellbeing program, measuring and monitoring stress biomarkers and behavioral health.

Roxana Rotaru, CEO and co-founder of Hedi, received the Romanian Entrepreneur in France Award.

Hedi is an AI fraud detection platform that processes honest claims faster while catching sophisticated manipulation across images, text, and documents.

Gad Rodolphe Aiach, founder of Mozar, received the New French Entrepreneur in Romania Award.

Mozar is an online platform designed to simplify companies' legal operations with clear and transparent pricing.

Philippe Beucher, the founder and CEO of RSight, received the French Entrepreneur in Romania Award.

RSight Agentic AI is a recruitment solution designed to help organizations identify the right talent that integrates with their existing tech stack.

Eric Nemo & Andrei Moisa of EVA VR received the French-Romanian Startup Award.

The international network Esports Virtual Arenas operates its own e-sports venues across Europe, including in Romania, where it opened a location in Bucharest earlier this year.

Cyril Legrix of Climato Sfera received the NGO Award.

Climato Sfera is a platform working to raise awareness of climate change through educational workshops and various projects aimed at contributing to sustainable development.

Thierry Ollivero, the CEO of Air Liquide Romania, received the French CEO in Romania Award.

Air Liquide, which is present in 72 countries, is active in the sectors of gases, technologies, and services for industry and healthcare.

Bogdan Badea, the CEO of eJobs, received the Romanian CEO Award.

Launched in 1999, recruitment platform eJobs gathers more than 35,000 active jobs.

(Pictured: the winners of the awards together with the team of La French Tech)

simona@romania-insider.com