Varna is to become a hub for digital information. The city is among thirty cities in Europe which will be supported by the European Commission for the development of the sector.
This year in Varna the Innowave Summit 2018 is the best high tech conference in Southeast Europe with a major accent on the Digitalization of business and public sectors and a focus on Innovations in Marketing, Sales, E-Commerce and all industries. the event being held in partnership with Municipality Varna (One of the new 30 digital hubs in Europe) and with the support of the Ministry of Economy of Bulgaria, European Startup Network and Startup Europe (European Commission Initiative), reflecting the support and commitment with the startup community in the region.
Ever thought of founding your startup at the Northern Bulgarian Black Sea Coast? Learn how in this guide of Varna, business and university center in Bulgaria.
Do you want to have a beach, sun and many awesome nights? What are you waiting for? Come and visit Varna! And Varna is also about startups. Lots of startups. This Guide will lead you through the main hotspots of the community. Find out more about startup events, co-working spaces, funding and mentor opportunities in a beautiful city of Varna.
On The Shore Of The Black Sea
Varna (Bulgarian: Варна, pronounced [ˈvarnɐ]) is the largest city and seaside resort on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast and the third largest city in Bulgaria. It is also the fourth largest city on the Black Sea.
Often referred to as the marine (or summer) capital of Bulgaria, Varna is a major tourist destination, a starting point for all the resorts in the northern Bulgarian Black Sea Coast, business and university center, seaport, and headquarters of the Bulgarian Navy and merchant marine.
Advantages Of Starting A Business In Varna:
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- Cost of living is lower compared to the major startup capitals as Berlin, London, Amsterdam etc.
- Office rents are cheap – you can rent a pretty awesome office for less than a 400 euro.
- Corporate tax is 10%
- Bulgaria is very good for testing the MVP, because investment resources are very low
- University taxes for foreign students are not high and really low for local students.
- Education level can be compared with other cities in our region – Bucharest, Athens, Zagreb, Cluj, Istanbul, Belgrade, etc.
- Possibility to start a one-person company.
- Beautiful nature and delicious food – awesome places to take a few days off.
- Many freelancers
- Bulgaria is one of the top outsourcing destinations.
- Lack of many competitors (this fact is changing fast).
- Open markets
- Low barriers to entry
- Many creative places
- A solid startup community
- The cosmopolitan atmosphere with lots of expats from all around the world
What Startup Founders Have To Consider:
- Our vat is 20 %
- Bureaucracy and Bulgarian alphabet could be a challenge
- Most people/companies decide to move from Varna to Sofia (Sofia is our capital).
- In Sofia, workers can get Higher salaries
- Sofia still has a better Startup ecosystem
- There are still only a few great opportunities to get investments (But it’s changing rapidly).
Check Varna’s Local Community
The startup community in Varna is growing fastly. More and more people start being enthusiastic about new projects and innovations. Where can we find info about upcoming events, meetups and other occasions?
- One of the main hubs in Varna is the local co-working space – Beehive. Beehive provides lots of information about startups and educates the society. You can find many lectures, events, and workshops there.
- VarnaLab is a place where you can find information about the hackerspace in Varna, IT news etc.
- Innovator space is also the newest place for coworking space and where things are getting done!
Much of this info comes from a post from my friends: Dimitar Danailov and Boyan Simeonov
