Startup City Sofia: The Hubs of The New Entrepreneurial Mindset in Bulgaria

Sofia has transformed into a vibrant startup ecosystem within just a few years, driven almost entirely by private initiatives. In 2010, the city had no significant startup presence, but with the emergence of coworking spaces like betahaus and Puzl CowOrKing, along with the launch of early-stage funds Eleven and Launchub in 2012, things began to change rapidly.

Alexander Mihaylov, co-founder of betahaus Sofia, recalls the early days when the startup concept was nearly unknown. The space became a hub for creatives, freelancers, and small tech teams, cultivating a collaborative environment grounded in transdisciplinary interaction. Betahaus helped introduce and nurture the entrepreneurial mindset in Bulgaria.

Meanwhile, Puzl CowOrKing began when a software company couldn’t find a suitable office and decided to build its own. Co-founders Thibaut Taittinger and Anton Statiev transformed an old industrial site into the largest IT-focused coworking space in Bulgaria. Their hands-on approach and focus on building a quiet, community-driven, and productive tech hub paid off. Puzl now hosts over 80 companies and regularly organizes tech meetups and events, and has received multiple awards for its impact.

The article also highlights Sofia Tech Park, the only major government-backed initiative, launched in 2015 with nearly €50M invested. While its early years were marked by event hosting, the park aims to strengthen collaboration between startups, academia, and industry through labs, incubation, and infrastructure support.

Altogether, Sofia's rise as a startup capital is credited to a grassroots, bottom-up approach, with founders and community leaders laying the groundwork for a sustainable ecosystem supported by physical spaces, capital, and knowledge-sharing networks.