Ecosystem Radar

Why the Sofia-Paris Tech Bridge is Open to Everyone

French Tech Sofia positions itself as an open hub linking Bulgaria and France. It focuses on practical introductions, and argues startups must go international early to overcome a small local market.

FTS Insights official • French Tech Sofia’s differentiator is not exclusivity but repeatable, practical bridge-building: an open hub that turns cross-border ambition into introductions, while also surfacing the ecosystem’s real bottleneck, scaling from one to ten.

Key Takeways
  • Cross-border readiness is not optional for Bulgarian startups, because the local market is limited and international thinking is required from day one.
  • Bridge networks matter when they convert ambition into specific introductions to customers, partners, and investors across ecosystems.
  • The next competitiveness frontier is scale-up capability, especially international sales and marketing and the middle-management layer that enables execution beyond early growth.
  • Late-stage funding availability and the supporting structures around it remain a key regional constraint for sustained scaling.
  • Regional collaboration among French Tech hubs creates leverage at major events and strengthens visibility for CEE startups in Western markets.
Why this matters
  • If you build in Bulgaria, the article argues you must treat international expansion as a default operating mode, not a later milestone.
  • French Tech Sofia positions itself as an execution-oriented bridge that reduces the friction of entering France by turning networks into concrete introductions.
  • For the wider CEE ecosystem, Durand’s diagnosis is a useful mirror. The region can produce strong early-stage builders, but scaling requires sales and marketing maturity, a stronger middle-management layer, and better late-stage capital and support structures.
  • Communities that focus on these bottlenecks can accelerate the path from promising startups to durable scaleups.

ORIGINAL ARTICLE

January 22, 2026

Why the Sofia-Paris Tech Bridge is Open to Everyone

by Teodora Atanasova

Read coverage on The Recursive

“Startups here are great at going from zero to one, but scaling from one to ten is where it gets difficult."

– Wilfried Durand, co-founder of French Tech Sofia

Article Summary

In a January 2026 interview for The Recursive, news editor Teodora Atanasova speaks with Wilfried Durand, co-founder of French Tech Sofia, about how the community connects the Bulgarian startup ecosystem with the broader French Tech network.

The article revisits what French Tech was designed to do: a global initiative backed by the French government and entrepreneurs, initially built to make the French startup ecosystem more visible, connected, and accessible in France and abroad. Durand frames a clear division of roles. In France, French Tech helps startups navigate institutions and programs. Abroad, the work is representation, networking, and bridge-building between ecosystems.

A defining theme is openness. Durand insists French Tech Sofia is “a hub, not a club,” with no formal selection process. If you are a Bulgarian company looking toward France, or an international startup evaluating Bulgaria, the community positions itself as a place to belong. The value proposition is practical: opening doors through advice and introductions, and leveraging a network that is both global and action-oriented.

Durand also provides a candid view of the operating reality in Sofia. He praises the city’s quality of life and the speed at which you can get things done, but underlines an unavoidable constraint: the local market is limited, so startups need to think international from day one. He identifies the toughest gaps versus Western ecosystems as international sales and marketing experience, the lack of middle-management talent for post-early growth, and limited late-stage funding plus the structures that usually come with it.

Looking ahead, French Tech Sofia aims for deeper, more intentional engagement, with stronger delegations to major events, focused initiatives, and closer France-Bulgaria collaboration. The stated ambition is to identify a small number of startups each year and actively help them build meaningful connections between the two ecosystems.

Key Highlights

  • French Tech Sofia is presented as a connector between the Bulgarian startup ecosystem and the wider French Tech network.
  • French Tech is described as a global initiative backed by the French government and entrepreneurs, with distinct roles in France vs abroad.
  • French Tech Sofia positions itself as “a hub, not a club,” open to Bulgarian and international companies, with no formal selection process.
  • The community is described as around 30 companies and 200 active members, spanning startups to established tech players across software, hardware, SaaS, cybersecurity, and digital services.
  • Durand highlights structural scaling gaps: limited local market, weaker international sales and marketing, shortage of middle management, and limited late-stage funding structures.
  • Future priorities emphasize more intentional engagement, including stronger delegations to major events, focused initiatives, and selecting a small number of startups yearly for active cross-border support.

Takeaway

Over the past few years, French Tech Sofia has become a connector between the Bulgarian startup ecosystem and the French Tech network. Co-founder Wilfried Durand explains the hub’s open approach, its focus on practical introductions, and why startups must think international from day one.

Read full the coverage on The Recursive(en)

About The Recursive

TheRecursive.com is a media platform covering startups, tech, and innovation across Southeast Europe, spotlighting entrepreneurs, trends, and ecosystem developments.

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