Romania Connect, a business platform for companies, entrepreneurs, and institutional partners from Romania and Austria, has launched in Bucharest. The move follows its initial launch in Vienna on March 23.
The independent, apolitical association is financed through membership fees, its representatives said. It plans to facilitate partnerships through business events, structured networking, specialist referrals, mentoring, and market information.
“We want to build a long-term, truly active business community between the two countries, which is currently missing, even though the conditions are there: we have a strong economic relationship, Austria is one of the biggest investors in Romania, and the Romanian community is the second largest foreign community in Austria,” said Romania Connect president Radu Stoica.
“The interest is very high, but it's not organized, and our first goal is to become the framework where this interest turns into business decisions.”
The platform primarily targets established, profitable Romanian companies with mature products but limited international operations. It identified IT and artificial intelligence, industry, energy, construction, and creative sectors as areas with potential in Austria.
“Austria is a relationship-driven market, not a transaction-driven one,” Stoica said. “We are already receiving very diverse requests, from IT companies that see Vienna as a gateway to an entire region to manufacturers looking for distribution in the DACH area.”
The platform also seeks to assist Austrian companies looking for suppliers, business partners, or investment opportunities in Romania, particularly in energy and real estate.
Members define their industry, the type of partner they need, and their main objective for the following 12 months. Romania Connect then arranges individual introductions and sector-specific meetings based on those goals, according to its representatives.
Austria can also provide Romanian businesses with access to Germany and Switzerland and serve as a regional hub for Central and Eastern Europe, the organization said.
Romania Connect’s institutional partners include the Romanian Embassy in Austria, the Austrian Business Agency, WKO Advantage Austria, and the Moldovan Embassy in Austria.