Can you believe 2024 is almost over? We’re still wondering how this incredible year flew by! It’s been a remarkable journey filled with challenges, achievements, and unforgettable moments. From lessons learned to milestones reached, 2024 has been nothing short of extraordinary—a year we’ll treasure for a long time. Thank you for being a part of it!
As we near the end of the year, let’s take a moment to look back at some of the most unforgettable highlights that made 2024 special.
📍 Rubik Scale to USA
Our American Dream Come True
Let’s start with one of our biggest achievements in 2024 – for the first time, we took one of our programs across the Ocean!
Although the program started Rubik Scale to USA in November 2023, the most exciting part came in early 2024 with a two-week trip to the U.S. This trip marked the end of months of hard work, workshops, mentoring, and networking. The startups had the chance to meet key players in the U.S. market, get personalized feedback, and explore potential partnerships.
The cohort included: Sessions, Rayscape, Nifty Learning, FoodFix Tech, Langly, KOTYS Technologies, Virbe.ai, Artivive, Spacer, BEESERS, VAUNT, Soft Edge, iflows, Readmio, AI Driven Education (AIDE), Knolyx, CodeWell, Atfield, SkillBrain, Bright Spaces, and Veruvis.
We organized pitching sessions in three cities: San Francisco, Palo Alto, and Austin. Here, the founders had the chance to experience the US business culture and mindset firsthand, and directly connected with investors and potential partners.
The big winner was Rayscape, who took home a €500,000 investment from our strategic partner, Fortech Investments!
📍 Corks and Capital
Our First Event in New York
To strengthen our U.S. network, we hosted a standout event in NYC during New York Tech Week: “Corks and Capital.” This exclusive gathering brought together European startups and American investors, creating a bridge between innovation and U.S. market opportunities.
With a focus on fostering meaningful connections and accessing capital, the event attracted over 100 participants and sold out in record time—an undeniable success!
Hosted at UiPath’s office on the 60th floor of the iconic Vanderbilt building, the event featured a panel discussion with key industry leaders: Justin Greenberger (Senior VP of UiPath), Dylan Reider (Partner at Crew Capital), Alex Urdea (Managing Partner at Deep Ocean Partners) and Simona Popa (Manager Rubik Scale to USA).
The evening provided an incredible platform to explore the future of European startups in the U.S., foster meaningful connections, and strengthen our plans for 2025. With support from partners like Fortech Investments, Crew Capital, UiPath, AmCham, Lexters, and Legally Remote, we’re ready to return to the U.S. next year with a new Rubik Scale to USA cohort.
Interested in scaling your startup to the U.S.? Learn more and apply to our accelerator here!
📍 Iași Community Meetups
Hey, Iași! It was nice to see you!
This year, we focused on deepening our connection with the community in Iași — a place close to our hearts and brimming with untapped potential. We launched a series of events designed to unite the local startup ecosystem, fostering collaboration, idea-sharing, and mutual support.
From startup founders and community leaders to tech enthusiasts, our Iași meetups have showcased the incredible energy and possibilities within this community. Inspired by this momentum, we’re excited to announce that Startup Community Meetups will return in 2025, bringing even more opportunities to connect, grow, and build a stronger, united ecosystem together. Stay tuned for what’s next!
📍 RubikEDU
Empowering Future Founders from Iasi
Strengthening our presence in Iași, we proudly hosted the 9th edition of RubikEDU, our signature pre-acceleration program. This edition focused on empowering aspiring entrepreneurs with bold startup ideas, ready to take the next big leap.
Over the course of 10 transformative weeks, participants immersed themselves in the startup ecosystem, gaining invaluable insights through workshops, hands-on feedback sessions, and collaborative group activities. They connected with experienced mentors, successful founders, and experienced investors, building both skills and confidence to propel their ideas forward.
With 16 ambitious teams in the cohort — Radf, 24V3RD, Atta Board, Ppb, Cultiva, Nimble Nexus, EthicAI-Hub, Creaktiv Collective, Mideally, Tagon Soft, Eleven Clinic, InnovTour, Conecta, Next Crop, Spice Up, and Alexandru Lupușoru & Călin Gheorghiu. RubikEDU #9 was a journey of innovation and growth. Guided by 20 dedicated mentors, these teams refined their concepts, clarified their visions, and prepared for the exciting road ahead.
The program culminated on May 27 with an inspiring Demo Day, coinciding with Rubik Hub’s 7th anniversary celebration. Participants had the opportunity to pitch their ideas to a distinguished jury comprising Mircea Vădan (Founding Member & Investor, Transylvania Angels Network; Managing Partner, Activize), Andrei Cosmin Munteanu (Co-founder & CEO, Cowork Timișoara; Community Manager, Growceanu Angel Investment), Simona Popa (Rubik Hub Accelerator Expert), and Cosmin Curticăpean (Vice President & Business Angel, Techangels Romania; Co-founder & CEO, iFactor).
RubikEDU #9 was a powerful testament to Iași’s thriving entrepreneurial spirit and the exciting potential of its startup ecosystem.
📍 Rubik Start
Inspiring Female Entrepreneurs in Piatra Neamt
In 2024, we proudly launched Rubik Start, a program dedicated to individuals with a spark of a business idea or an early-stage venture, eager to grow and succeed. This year, our ambition to create a positive impact in our hometown led us to focus on empowering future female entrepreneurs in Piatra Neamț.
Across two vibrant editions, we brought together nearly 40 participants, aiming to ignite entrepreneurial ambition and equip them with the tools, mentorship, and guidance needed to turn their ideas into thriving businesses. Through hands-on workshops and personalized support, we saw incredible progress as participants took meaningful steps forward in their entrepreneurial journeys.
The energy and creativity we witnessed were truly inspiring, and we’re excited to keep this momentum going in 2025! While we’ll continue nurturing talent in Piatra Neamț, who knows? The journey might expand to other cities, spreading the entrepreneurial spirit even further. Stay tuned!
📍 Rubik Garage
Accelerating Innovative Startups
In 2024, we organized the 7th edition of Rubik Garage, bringing together 13 startups from Romania, Italy, Bulgaria, and Hungary. Selected from over 100 applicants, these teams spent months learning, collaborating, and growing together.
The program kicked off with a Founders Bootcamp at our hub in Piatra Neamț. Founders participated in 23+ workshops and AMA sessions, over 200 one-on-one and group meetings with mentors, including 75 with investors, gaining valuable insights and investment opportunities. With the support of 60+ experienced mentors, the startups fine-tuned their strategies and overcame challenges, setting the stage for exciting future growth.
The Demo Day at UiPath Bucharest was a highlight of the program, where 12 startups pitched their ideas. Alongside the pitches, we hosted a panel discussion with unicorn leaders, venture capitalists, a startup founder, and a journalist, exploring how startups, corporations, and investors can collaborate for success.
A big thank you to our inspiring guests: Andrei Văcuț, Bogdan Axinia, Valentin Filip, Mark Palfalvi, Ciprian Cazacu, and Oana Coșman. Our jury —Mark Palfalvi, Alina Georgescu, Robert Herscovici, Ana Ciobanu, and Bogdan Pasca — evaluated the pitches and provided valuable feedback.
Awarded startups: 
Cohort Award – Fairytales, a mobile app offering audio stories for children, narrated in their parents’ voices using voice cloning. Best Pitch – SiWeGO, a logistics platform optimizing vehicle space and promoting eco-friendly transportation. Best Startup – Apollo AI Technologies, providing AI-driven software for instant, reliable medical data access. Ready to Raise (Follow-on Program) – Apollo AI Technologies, Ruuts.travel, and WeReload.
📍 Student Workshops
Helping young minds explore entrepreneurship
Throughout the year, we focused on inspiring and guiding the next generation of entrepreneurs. We organized workshops and connected with students, especially from universities in the northeastern region of Romania.
It’s a mission close to our hearts — leaving a lasting impact on young minds and showing them the possibilities of the startup world. Beyond our own initiatives, we enthusiastically participated in various events and programs, always eager to share our knowledge, experiences, and passion for entrepreneurship.
P.S. We love being part of student events! If you’re organizing an event at your university, we’d be thrilled to join and talk about startups, innovation, and making bold ideas a reality.
📍 Startup Incubator – ADTI Valea Jiului
Empowering Small Communities
We love supporting small communities! Over the past year, we’ve had the pleasure of visiting Valea Jiului twice, where we’ve connected with local people and supported their growth. We truly believe in the power of small communities and are committed to helping them thrive, bringing opportunities and resources to places that often go unnoticed.
We’re grateful for the warm invitation to Valea Jiului! It’s been a true pleasure to connect with the local community and be part of their journey.
📍 Rubik Hub x UiPath
Forging New Partnerships
This year, we were thrilled to welcome new, powerful partners who strengthened our mission and amplified our impact.
- UiPath, Romania’s first unicorn, has been instrumental in our journey. Not only did they open their doors to host our flagship event in New York, but they also provided unwavering support throughout Rubik Garage 2024. We’re excited to continue this collaboration for Rubik Scale to USA 2025.
- Orange Romania stepped in as the strategic partner for Rubik Garage 2024, fueling innovation and growth for our startups.
- Fortech Investments, the driving force behind Rubik Scale to USA 2024, remains committed as our main strategic partner for 2025, reinforcing their belief in the potential of European startups scaling to the U.S.
We also had the incredible support of partners like Crew Capital (a U.S.-based VC fund), AmCham, WIT Angels Club, Google, and our dedicated media partner, Start-up.ro.
Together, these partnerships have been pivotal in creating opportunities, forging connections, and accelerating the growth of startups in our programs. We can’t wait to build on this foundation in 2025!
📍 Report from the TV Show ‘Romania, Te Iubesc!’
Romania, We (Really) Love You!
One of our favorite moments this year was being featured in a special report on “România, Te iubesc!”. It was such a great opportunity to share our story, showcase the work we do to support entrepreneurs and startup founders and highlight the impact of our community. Being part of this report allowed us to spread the message about the importance of entrepreneurship education and how we’re helping founders take their businesses to the next level. It was truly a rewarding moment for us. If you haven’t seen the report yet, you can watch it here.
📍 Community Retreat
Our Favorite Moment Of The Summer
In June, we hosted one of our most cherished events – the Community Retreat. This special event is our way of saying a heartfelt thank you to the incredible mentors who have guided and supported us over the past year. It’s also a chance to bring startup founders from the Rubik Hub community closer together, alongside some of our valued partners.
The retreat is all about finding balance in the fast-paced startup world — stepping away from the city’s hustle, reconnecting with nature, and recharging in a serene environment. And, of course, it was the perfect moment to showcase the natural beauty of our beloved hometown, Piatra Neamț.
Looking back on 2024, we’re filled with gratitude for the amazing startups in our community, both new and old. Watching them grow, innovate, and achieve incredible milestones has been truly inspiring, and we’re so proud to be part of their journey. This year has been all about learning, collaboration & progress, and we can’t wait to see what they’ll accomplish next.
A big thank you to our dedicated mentors who have guided and supported our startups with their wisdom and expertise. To our incredible partners, thank you for being with us every step of the way.
And most importantly, thank you to you — for being here, for reading, and for believing in us. Your support means the world, and we can’t wait to continue this journey together!
