In June, Constanța hosted one of Romania’s most important digital transformation conferences — IQ Digital Summit, an event by Upgrade 100 and George – Inovație BCR, supported by Vodafone and Edge Institute.
The event brought to the stage of the Constanța Casino leading figures in technology, entrepreneurship, and innovation, for a series of discussions about the digital future of Romania.
One of the most anticipated moments was the panel “Tech Made in Constanța – Why great ideas don’t need a prestigious ZIP code”, moderated by Marian Hurducaș, featuring Oana Radu (CITYINNOHUB), Teodora Moraru (Ambasada.pro & AdminTools.io), George Farăuanu (Start-up Constanța) and Mihai Bocai (Evonomix & Flaminjoy).
An honest conversation about what it really means to build, fail, and grow a startup using local resources and global ambition.
„Build fast, fail faster” – that’s how Teodora Moraru opened her talk, sharing her first entrepreneurial experience through Innovation Labs, where she won the Best Smart Mobility Award.
Her first startup, Tire2Tire, evolved into a research project, but the lessons learned led to the creation of AdminTools.io — an AI-driven cloud management platform with clients across the U.S. and Europe, and a team of over 50 developers.
“I learned that you shouldn’t stay anchored to a single idea. When you don’t have validation, you need to pivot.”
– Teodora Moraru, IQ Digital Summit Constanța
Today, AdminTools.io and Cult of Coders (members of UNPR-RSE) represent Romania at international events such as MWC Barcelona, GITEX Dubai, World Economic Forum Davos or Web Summit Lisbon, proving that innovation born in Constanța can have a global impact.
Beyond her professional journey, Teodora also spoke about the mission of Ambasada.pro, the first hub dedicated to tech startups in Constanța.
Through events, workshops, and mentorship sessions, Ambasada connects founders, digital product developers, designers, and investors, contributing to the growth of an authentic local ecosystem.
“We’ve discovered dozens of local startups operating in stealth mode. We want to bring them together and connect them to opportunities.”
– Teodora Moraru, Ambasada.pro
Today, the Ambasada community brings together over 40 founders, 7 developing startups and a series of initiatives that are shaping an increasingly visible entrepreneurial scene in the city.
The panel discussions explored key themes such as:
“In business, realism beats fantasy. You have to move fast and never fall in love with your idea — or it’ll kill you overnight,” said Mihai Bocai, capturing the pragmatic tone of the conversation.
Teodora Moraru’s presence on the IQ Digital Summit stage was more than personal recognition, it was a validation for the entire Ambasada community, proving that innovation isn’t tied to a ZIP code, but to the courage to start.
Constanța is emerging as a growing innovation hub, where academia, tech companies, and community initiatives are beginning to collaborate in meaningful ways.
