Cluj-Napoca, the heart of Transylvania has hosted Techsylvania, one of the biggest multi-layered events dedicated to technology and innovation in the East Europe region.

Techsylvania was the meeting place for over 1300 entrepreneurs, software developers, technology and innovation aficionados who interacted during the four days event with top founders and managers from the international tech scene. The synergy was enabled by conference content, vocational workshops and networking sessions.

The participants could meet founders of successful companies, researchers, innovators, investors and entrepreneurs from worldwide reputable companies and organizations. Facebook, NASA, Twitter, SoundCloud, Prezi and Coca-Cola are just a few which have sent top representatives to inspire the IT & startup community in Cluj. Among the most appreciated speakers were Tim Draper, founder and manager of DFJ, an investment fund with over $3.5 billion under management and Mark Shuttleworth, the first South African entrepreneur to travel to space and to create Ubuntu, one of the most famous software operating systems in the world.

Techsylvania guests could test and win cutting-edge, smart gadgets and devices during the tech exhibition at the conference. Drones, Virtual Reality glasses, smart wristbands and new generation of personal transportation devices have been presented at Techsylvania. There was also a product launch: Symme3D Enormo, the first 100% Romanian industrial 3D printer.

An additional part of the event was the Techsylvania wearable and connected devices hackathon, the software development marathon that brought together over 130 developers with tech and creative skills. The teams had 24 hours to create projects using the devices made available by the organizers. Green Box team, whose project aims at estimating the efficiency of solar panels based on the location and environment parameters has won the competition. The winners have been rewarded with access to a pre-acceleration program held by Young Leaders Club, mentoring from Tandem Capital, wearables and IoT devices and many other facilities to transform their project into a sustainable business.

The novelty of this Techsylvania edition was Startup Avalanche, the international startup competition organised with Spherik Accelerator. 16 startups have entered the finals for the big prize: a trip to Silicon Valley offered by Techsylvania and Spherik Accelerator with Microsoft’s support, to meet with investors and VCs. The winner is Planable, a startup whose product is a platform aimed at facilitating the collaboration between freelancers, agencies and clients, in real time, to create social media campaigns.

‘This Techsylvania edition has proven once again the potential of the tech community in Cluj. Highly reputable professionals from around the world have met at Techsylvania to get in contact with the local ecosystem, explore new opportunities and ultimately share valuable information and experiences with our audience. This vibrant atmosphere has influenced the success of our event and empowers us to increase the level of expectations for the participants, guests and partners at the next edition of Techsylvania’, say Oana Petrus and Vlad Ciurca, co-founders and executive producers of Techsylvania.

The organizers are preparing a new edition for the summer of 2017.

RomanianStartups.com was involved with Techsylvania as a media partner.