Puzl CowOrKing Expands to Budapest to Strengthen CEE IT Community Connections

<a href="https://www.puzl.com/" target="_blank">Puzl CowOrKing, a Sofia-based coworking network founded by Thibaut Taittinger, is expanding into Budapest with the goal of strengthening connections across Central and Eastern Europe’s IT communities. Their new space, set to open later this year, is located in the historic ex-Goldberger Textile Factory, a landmark from the 18th century.

Renovated over a period of three years, the building will now host more than 800 IT professionals and feature event spaces to support meetups, conferences, and community gatherings. Puzl’s approach emphasizes sustainable development, reducing embodied carbon emissions by 50% during renovation, equivalent to 20 years of operational CO2 emissions.

The Budapest expansion marks a major step in Puzl’s mission to build interconnected hubs across the region. Taittinger notes that while local startup communities are tightly knit, they remain fragmented beyond national borders. This expansion aims to create “virtual bridges” between ecosystems, fostering cross-border collaboration.

Zsofi Toth, co-founder of the Budapest hub, envisions a versatile community including freelancers, developers, startups, scaleups, corporates, and investors. The model replicates Puzl’s IT-only coworking concept proven in Sofia and is backed by undisclosed Hungarian investors.

Hungary’s tech scene is also growing rapidly, with international players like BlackRock and Transferwise investing in large R&D centers in the country. Puzl’s arrival contributes to Budapest’s evolution as a competitive innovation destination within the EU.

The new hub combines historical preservation with future-forward thinking, positioning itself as both a community catalyst and a sustainable workplace. It also serves as a strategic link in building a truly integrated tech region in Central and Eastern Europe.