A locally co-designed education program for impactful social start-ups
The Cluj-Napoca community witnessed an inspiring showcase of innovation and creativity during the first Demo Day of the FIX Cluj 2024 program. Hosted at the heart of the city’s innovation entrepreneurial ecosystem, the event highlighted the achievements of young startups as they presented their transformative ideas to a panel of experienced judges and an engaged audience.
FIX Cluj, now in its third edition, is a pioneering incubation program part of the Cluj Innovation and Experiment Fund committed to experimenting with the future tools for entrepreneurial education, and innovation, destined for young people aged 16 to 26.
The program is possible with a collaborative innovative funding mechanism – that combines public funding – ensured by the Municipality of Cluj-Napoca – the first public authority in Romania to create such a mechanism, and the local ecosystem of companies that sponsor the Cluj Cluster of Education intending to build better-prepared talents for the new economy and Fondation Botnar – through an exceptional grant, as part of the Our Cluj initiative.
29 impact-focused start-ups pitching their solutions
This year’s cohort of 29 selected teams entered the ideation phase in September, where they received €3,000 in funding alongside mentorship and training to refine their social business concepts. Out of these, the top ten teams selected yesterday – continue the program entering the Incubation stage (December – March) and will be announced publicly in early April 2025.
The ten teams that enter Incubation in 2025 are:
VolunteerNow – 5 members mentored by Mihai Naș
Making volunteering easier and more accessible for all, in ways that resonate with young people.
Forma – 2 members, mentored by Ioana Dragu
Building a creative incubator to unleash the innovative potential of children, developing a concrete tool to support parents and teachers to tackle the negative impact of overuse of technology in children’s motric and mental development, through art.
Sublime Atelier – 2 members, mentored by Smaranda Ignat
Recycled interior design with a Cluj twist – this startup offers a way of reintroducing recycled plastic into people’s lives in a new aesthetic and functional perspective – creating the conditions for this type of material not only to be repurposed but also valued.
ATRUX – 4 members, mentored by Radu Miclăuș
A digital helper to ensure safety in the international transportation market, using an adapted digital solution with the latest technology on deep tech.
Co-live a little – 4 members, mentored by Smaranda Ignat
Boosting heritage and identity with creativity, updated design, and passion for public spaces, this team plays with symbols, merging signification and offering a comforting new approach to the use of visual arts for better memories and events economy.
NMI Guard – 4 members, mentored by Victor Dinică
Legal proofing for companies doing business in the field of AI, compliant with the European efforts of protecting human digital identity, these young people are working on solutions anticipating the complicated problems of the future.
Odaia – 5 members, mentored by Adrian Popa
An integrated solution for student housing collaboratives; it is a solution deeply rooted in the local culture and mindset on addressing housing demand while offering a way to combine the physical needs with the psychological needs of healthy connection and positive experience in co-living.
Rhythm Touch – 4 members, mentored by Laviniu Chiș
Accessing the benefits of sound for deaf young people, the all-women team works on using technology and hardware product development to address a very invisible problem, that once solved creates the condition of complete and true inclusion of deaf people in social and entertaining life of their generation.
VirtualSchool – 2 members, mentored by Raluca Prelucă
Adapting education for the present needs of future students, with the focus on developing self-commitment of children toward learning – this team digitizes a tool to support the development of mental mechanism on understanding and mental grounding information that usually needs long hours of repetitive exercise.
Servicegest – 2 members, mentored by Alexandru Chifu
The digital connector from your car to its service center. The team provides a digital solution for citizens to manage their car service needs and additional services required for quality car use, introducing a sustainable local solution to embrace the 3Rs (Reuse, Repair, Recycle).
The other teams of the 2024 cohort are:
● Adopty (3 members): AI for a happier future for stray dogs, and a better connection of the ones needing a loving pet with the puppies and dogs that need a family.
● BeeStrong (2 members): Making “Healthy and Sustainable” cool for young people, offered a mixed solution for the bikers community – from healthy honey-based energy bars to tailor-made clothing specially designed by themselves to serve the real needs for functionality and identification, to support the need for belonging.
● Behave (2 members): Supporting young digital creators to transform their passion into a business, using digital automatic tools.
● FOCUS (4 members): A “brain fixer” to support the well-being of stressed individuals.
● GreenVision (3 members): The secret tool for efficient green energy management.
● Ino Corp. (4 members): Tackling choice blockage with innovative tools.
● Katana (2 members): The “temperance bar” that shifts the focus of social encounters to people and conversations.
● One Hub (2 members): The solution for future fashion—because there is no Planet B.
● ReFresh (2 members): Drone support for improved air quality in cities.
● The ReVivre Creators (5 members): An eco-fashion hub for innovative education on sustainability.
● AIDE (4 members): Experimenting with technology to shape the future of education and learning.
● Hardset (4 members): Making biking safe and cool.
● Little V (2 members): The future of children’s clothing—from heritage design to environmental protection and community connection.
● Palmsy (4 members): Improving life for blind individuals through innovative solutions.
● Pandalyze (2 members): A new digital tool to support stress coping.
● Prețuiește Relația (2 members): Encapsulating feelings and memories in a unique business model.
● Sensera (3 members): The future of therapy by gamifying the rehabilitation process.
Transylvanian Insects (3 members): Healthy, tasty, and sustainable insect-based sweets.
● TrustPass (3 members): Solving the world’s password crisis.
Jury of FIX Demo Day 1
The program’s success owes much to its diverse jury of professionals who evaluated the projects. This year’s panel included (from left to right in the photo below):
● Ștefania Matei – Co-founder Calmly, FIX Winner 2023
● Ovidiu Stan – Professor at Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, Coordinator of EUT+
● Adina Rus – Ecosystem Lead Romania at EIT Digital, Lecturer at Babeș-Bolyai University
● George Flutur – Software Research Lead at .lumen, FIX Alumni
● Nina Moldovan – General Manager and President of the Board at Winners First
● Alina Marchiș – Associate SME Finance & Development at BERD
Shaping the future of innovation from Cluj-Napoca
FIX Cluj continues to thrive through the collaborative efforts of key partners and sponsors. The program is organized by the Cluster of Education C-EDU, with significant support from the Cluj-Napoca City Hall. Its funding includes contributions from Fondation Botnar, alongside local companies such as AROBS Transilvania Software, BCR, Bosch Romania, NTT DATA Romania, Vitrina Advertising, and Numa Film.
With its emphasis on cultivating entrepreneurial talent and fostering sustainable social impact, FIX Cluj aligns with the European Innovation Agenda, empowering young innovators to shape the future of inclusive and thriving communities. As the program progresses, the selected teams now head into the incubation phase, where they will receive additional support to refine their projects further.
