Uncovering IT Partnership Opportunities in Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Granitumi's Journey to Cluj-Napoca, Romania's Tech Hotspot
As we continue with the development of Granitumi, a new international wing of Graniitti Group, our path leads us to Cluj-Napoca, the place where some of Romania’s best IT companies are concentrated.
Did you know?
That Cluj-Napoca is the second biggest city in Romania after Bucharest? Located in north-western Transylvania, it has grown tremendously in the last ten years thanks to IT industry. Its metropolitan area has a population of over 500 000 inhabitants and it also has a great student population with 5 universities in the city.
The Capital of Transylvania was the European Capital of Youth in 2015 and the European City of Sport in 2018. It hosts some of Romania’s most important music festivals, film festivals, sport events and international conferences from art to tech innovation.
In the last 8 years, the Cluj Metropolitan Area reached an annual average of 129 new start-ups. One in ten start-up companies was active in the fields of IT or transportation. Some of the most important IT conferences and events in Romania (such as Cluj Innovation Days, for example) are also held here. Cluj-Napoca has over 1200 IT companies that involve more than 20 000 employees. With the constant support coming from the local authorities and universities, Cluj-Napoca is on its way to becoming a major digital hub in Eastern Europe and we have experienced it.
Exploring Cluj's IT Landscape
Thanks to our personal contacts, we were able to meet with several amazing people from Cluj who were happy to tell us about the city and its developments. Everyone seemed to be extremely friendly and proud of their city!
Our three-day trip was booked with meetings. The main purpose was to visit several local IT companies who proudly presented their innovative office spaces. Some few distinctive observations we could make about local businesses:
- Highly skilled professionals with excellent knowledge of technologies
- Willingness to learn new technologies and improve their skills
- Maturity of the local IT businesses very high
- Young IT workforce with average age of employees below 30
- Innovative offices and way of thinking
- Ambitious leaders and employees
- Caring for values
Building Bridges for Growth
As a result of the trip and careful analysis of the companies we have met, we have selected few collaboration partners with whom we shall continue discussions and work on a regular basis to enhance our growth in Granitumi. Stay tuned and we’ll tell you more about them!
