By transforming challenges into opportunities for progress, Moldova has prioritised the development of its IT sector and digitalisation, reinforcing its international profile. This shift has delivered not only modernised public services but also strengthened partnerships across Europe and the wider region.
The country has made significant strides with the full digitalisation of nearly 650 public services, the introduction of progressive legislation for freelancers and digital nomads, and the establishment of innovation hubs such as Moldova HiTech Park – a vital hub for research, applied education, and knowledge transfer. Together, these initiatives have positioned Moldova as a regional frontrunner in digitalisation, demonstrating its ability to provide citizens and businesses with fast, transparent, and efficient access to essential services, while cementing its reputation as a trusted international partner.
Strategic investments aimed at consolidating a competitive and sustainable digital ecosystem continue to focus on developing and attracting skilled human capital. These efforts extend the benefits of digitalisation beyond public services by encouraging flexible career paths, supporting individual entrepreneurship and the wider business community, and enabling professionals to integrate into the global economy. In this way, human capital serves as the driving force of innovation and a compelling factor in Moldova’s ambition to accelerate its EU accession journey.
DeepTech GigaHack – a Regional Platform for Turning Bold Ideas into Functional Solution
This effort is driven by a broad coalition of stakeholders who foster innovation through a dynamic mix of initiatives—dedicated events, collaborative platforms, startup incubators, research hubs, and partnerships spanning the public, private, and academic sectors. Most recently, the flagship event in its third edition — DeepTech GigaHack 2025 — brought together over 300 participants from more than 10 countries. Engineers, designers, researchers, students, and entrepreneurs joined forces for 48 hours of intensive prototyping. The hackathon provided a unique platform for transforming bold ideas into tangible solutions, powered by direct collaboration with international mentors, experts, and investors.
Doina Nistor, Minister of Economic Development and Digitalization:
“We see more and more ideas, more and more innovations, and more and more courage—and this brings us joy. The Government believes in you, supports you, and invests in building a sustainable and inclusive economy, where Moldovan startups can become regional and global players. The future of the Republic of Moldova is in your hands, and together we can build a strong digital economy. Even in difficult times, innovation remains the driving force that will move us forward.”
Technology enthusiasts, researchers, and programmers transformed Chișinău into a true innovation lab, tackling challenges in fields such as Artificial Intelligence, FinTech, HealthTech, EnergyTech, AgriFood, Cybersecurity, and RegTech, and turning bold ideas into functional prototypes in an intense 48-hour sprint. The content of the challenges was developed together with local companies and institutions to be as closely aligned as possible with the real needs of the sector. Participants turned challenges into impactful prototypes—solutions that can be further developed with the potential to transform key industries. For example, in the RegTech track, Orange Systems, one of the event’s partners proposed the development of a B2B solution to help SMEs comply with the cybersecurity requirements introduced by recently adopted legislation.
Meanwhile, Fineguide.ai, in collaboration with the National Bank of Moldova, designed a FinTech challenge focused on document anonymization. Participants were tasked with creating solutions to safeguard sensitive data while ensuring legal compliance—an innovation that provides a vital tool for the financial sector’s digital future.
Mary Nemciuc, CEO of Technovator, organizer of the hackathon:
“DeepTech GigaHack, now in its third edition, has proven that Moldova can not only generate innovative ideas but also deliver impactful solutions capable of transforming strategic sectors and creating tangible value—showing that ideas born in Moldova can rapidly turn into globally scalable solutions. The event confirms the potential of the local innovation community and the country’s capacity to position itself as a regional hub for emerging technologies, fostering collaboration between startups, academia, and international companies.”
The Results: Ideas with the Potential to Transform Industries
In total, 44 teams registered in the competition, and 8 of them impressed the jury and went home with winner titles. Winning teams will have the opportunity to continue project development alongside partners.
Open Challenge – “Team Rancho” created DesignerSpace, a platform for designers with an intuitive web interface where users can browse swipe-generated designs, use a web scraper for local materials, and generate AI/API-powered design mockups.
AgriFood Challenge – “Team DUTS” developed a data exchange platform for small agricultural businesses, mainly farms, to facilitate fast access to information and effective decision-making.
AI Challenge – “Team FalcoNS” created a deterministic AI system replacing human parking operators with real-time interaction and automated decisions, also introducing a LatePay system via QR and messaging.
Cybersecurity Challenge – “Team DreamTeam” proposed EVO Shield, a cybersecurity module focused on privacy for Moldova’s EVO app, scanning files, links, and QR codes, offering real-time alerts, enabling threat reporting, and educating users in simple language without storing personal data.
EnergyTech Challenge – “Team Singularity” built a mobile app that turns raw consumption data into useful insights for users, offering simulations, recommendations, and forecasts based on individual appliances.
RegTech Challenge – “Team Sudo-ku” created CyberCare, a digital platform that helps Moldovan SMEs comply with the Cybersecurity Law No. 48/2023 by providing risk assessments, compliance checklist synchronization, real-time updates, and modular guidance, boosting national cyber resilience.
FinTech Challenge – “Team JUAN” developed a document anonymization solution for sensitive data protection and legal compliance.
HealthTech Challenge – “Team Viore” designed a full AI assistant for X-ray analysis, using neural networks to detect anomalies, language models for summaries and diagnostic explanations, and a PDF generator for clinician-friendly reports.
