Sofia Investment Agency in Support of the Business...
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Sofia Investment Agency in Support of the Business Environment Start, Invest, Innovate, Grow in Sofia 15 May 2019 Ana Georgieva Senior Expert, of Investment & Business Development Sofia Investment Agency
Transcript of Sofia Investment Agency in Support of the Business...
Sofia Investment Agency in Support of the Business EnvironmentStart, Invest, Innovate, Grow in Sofia
15 May 2019
Ana GeorgievaSenior Expert, of Investment & Business Development
Sofia Investment Agency
INVEST SOFIA: MISSION AND SERVICES
BULGARIA AT A GLANCE
SOFIA AT A GLANCE
PROGRAMS AND INITIATIVES
SUCCESS STORIES
Agenda
Sofia Investment Agency is part of the general administration of Sofia
Municipality
SUPERVISORY BOARD
(City Council Members)
MAYOR OF SOFIA
PRIVATIZATION
(1992)INVESTMENT
(2016)
Sofia Investment Agency
Sofia Investment Agency’s mission is to support Sofia to
develop as a modern, innovative and green city; an
attractive and preferred place to start and grow a
business by local and foreign companies.
Investment & Business Development Department
Nadia Soultanova
Head of Department
AnaGeorgieva
Senior Expert
Mark-AleksEvtimov
Senior Expert
Vladimir Danailov
CEO
Our Team
IskraYovkova
Senior Expert
MartinHrisoskulovSenior Expert
IlianaGorelska
Senior Expert
INVEST SOFIA: MISSION AND SERVICES
BULGARIA AT A GLANCE
SOFIA AT A GLANCE
PROGRAMS AND INITIATIVES
SUCCESS STORIES
Agenda
• 7.1 million people
• 111 000 sq. km
• NATO member state
• EU Member State
Bulgaria at a Glance
Source: International Monetary Fund, 2019
Real GDP growth forecast, annual % change, 2019
2,0%
2,4%2,6%
3,0% 3,1%3,4% 3,4% 3,5% 3,5%
4,1%
Bulgaria: Economic Stability
Global Peace Index 2018
Source: Institute for Economics & Peace
Bulgaria ranks 26th in the world in terms of peace and safety.
INVEST SOFIA: MISSION AND SERVICES
BULGARIA AT A GLANCE
SOFIA AT A GLANCE
PROGRAMS AND INITIATIVES
SUCCESS STORIES
Agenda
• One of the most ancient capitals in Europe
• One of the greenest cities in Europe
• 30+ hot mineral springs in Sofia
• The beautiful Vitosha Mountain is only 30 min.
away from the city centre
Sofia at a Glance
1/3OF BULGARIA’S
EXPORTS
1/6OF BULGARIA’S
INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION
40%OF
BULGARIA’S
GDP
50% OF FDI
IN BULGARIA
€12.2 bln(2017)
1.65 MPOPULATION
incl. surrounding
region, 2017
out of 7.05 M
25% OF BULGARIA’S
WORKFORCE
x 2.12NATIONAL GDP
per capita
USD 17 523 vs USD 8 190
Sofia is the capital of Bulgaria and its largest city
Sofia’s Economy at a Glance
1.646 M Total population
65% Working-age population
40 000 daily commuters
Sofia Region Human Potential
Source: National Statistical Institute, 2017
Population, aged 15+, by education level in Sofia, 2017
23/51universities
90% of the university graduates
speak English
Sofia: Education 100 000 university students or 40% of all students in the country
“high English proficiency” category
EF English Proficiency Index (2018) – World Ranking
Sofia is 18th (out of over 400 cities and regions
tested worldwide)
Source: 2018 English Proficiency Index
Sofia: English proficiency
HIGH-VALUE MANUFACTURING
SMART CITY KPO, BPO, FAO AND SHARED
SERVICES
CREATIVE INDUSTRIES
RETAIL
BIOTECH/ LIFE SCIENCES
ICT
URBAN DEVELOPMENT
TOURISM
Sofia: Priority Industries
*Value added at factor costs
Source: Sofia Economic and Investment Profile, 2018
Sofia’s Economy by Sector, %*
Sofia in the Rankings
Sofia International Airport
New brand hotels opening in Sofia by 2020:
Sofia: Urban Development
15,324,3
0,0 5,0 10,0 15,0 20,0 25,0 30,0 35,0
Thessaloniki
Skopje
Belgrade
Sofia
Bucharest
Average internet speed in megabits per second (MBPS) as of September 2018
Download (MBPS) Upload (MBPS)
Source: testmy.net
Sofia: Digital Connectivity
Overview of the Start-up Ecosystem in Sofia
• 2000+ start-ups created between 2013-2018, majority of them are Sofia-based
• 14+ funds and an expanding VC and business angels community
Sofia is among the TOP 10 cities around the world to launch a
start-up, according to Forbes Magazine (2015).
One of the most vibrant start-up and entrepreneurial hubs in Central and Eastern Europe
• 10+ incubators
• 25+ coworking places
• 30+ digital events
• 15+ software schools
INVEST SOFIA: MISSION AND SERVICES
BULGARIA AT A GLANCE
SOFIA AT A GLANCE
PROGRAMS AND INITIATIVES
SUCCESS STORIES
Agenda
Providing information, analyses, contacts and guidelines for establishing
business activities in Sofia
Facilitating contacts and networks with potential partners, public authorities, research and
educational institutions
Informational and administrative support with registration and permits, issued by other institutions
Aftercare programme to grow your business once you are here
Our services are free of charge
One-stop Services for the Business
Reports, Guides, Brochures and Analyses
Participation in business delegations for knowledge exchange and to present Sofia
Coordination of business delegations to promote expansion of local businesses to the foreign markets
Presenting Sofia and the city key advantages at international forums
Joint participation with partner cities in projects
Events, Forums, Roundtables
Agreements and joint initiatives with foreign partner cities Europe, Asia and North America
Participation of Sofia in start-up networks and business encouragement projects
“Soft landing” services
Supporting the Internationalization of Sofia-based Companies
The City-to-City program provides business
support to companies that want to start operations
in the partnering cities participating in the initiative
Establishing bilateral, mutually beneficial trade
and investment relations
City-to-City Program
The Sofia Meets events take place in two stages:
Businesses and partnering organizations from the
partner city travel to Sofia to present business
opportunities in their city
Sofia-based companies and partner organizations
travel to the partner city to present business
opportunities in Sofia
Sofia Meets ProgramFacilitates knowledge exchange and B2B relationships through events and study trips
Launched in partnership between Invest Sofia, the Municipal Guarantee Fund for SMEs and Europa program of Sofia Municipality.
Mentoring program and financial support up to BGN 10 000
Focus on innovations and social entrepreneurship
Accelerator program: April – August 2019
Accelerator Start-up Sofia
Regular meetings with representatives of the business
Established partnerships with associations, trade organizations and clusters
Communicating and showcasing the success stories and good examples
The Pulse of the Business
INVEST SOFIA: MISSION AND SERVICES
BULGARIA AT A GLANCE
SOFIA AT A GLANCE
PROGRAMS AND INITIATIVES
SUCCESS STORIES
Agenda
Sharing Sofia’s Success Stories
Sofia - More Success Stories
Investment & Business Development Department
Nadia Soultanova
Head of Department
AnaGeorgieva
Senior Expert
Mark-AleksEvtimov
Senior Expert
Vladimir Danailov
CEO
Our Team
IskraYovkova
Senior Expert
MartinHrisoskulovSenior Expert
IlianaGorelska
Senior Expert
Sofia Investment Agency
12 Gen. Gourko St,
Sofia, Bulgaria
investsofia.com
/ SofiaInvestmentAgency
Sofia Investment Agency
@InvestSofia
