Romania is still one of the first four countries in Central and Eastern Europe which draw investments private equity type, shows a new study made by the team of the project Healthy Investment Central and Eastern Europe (HICEE).The survey gathered answers from various investors, including venture capital funds and private investors, most coming from Hungary, Slovenia, Czechia, France and Sweden. Historically speaking, Romania and the CEE region had several structural barriers in the way of innovation, including limited access to funding, limited capacities for research and development and lack of adequate infrastructure, the study shows. In 2021, CEE represented only 3.2% of total investments in risk capital in Europe and start-ups in the domain of health received, on average, 1.2 million euro – only one third of the European average of 3.8 million euro.Investments continue to be orientated mainly towards some markets. Romania consolidates gradually its position in the investment landscape, drawing 8% of the total of investments in private capital in the region and is the fourth in the ranking.The Czech Republic, which attracted 27% of total private equity investment, followed by Poland (26%) and Lithuania (14%), topped the list, with these four countries together accounting for 75% of the total value of CEE investment and 41% of companies receiving private equity funding in 2023. In parallel, Hungary attracted 6.7% of total investments and had the highest number of private equity-backed companies (115), accounting for 23% of all deals in the CEE. Slovakia and Slovenia lagged behind, attracting only 2.3% and 0.76% of total investments respectively. Trust among investors is growing, 20% of them considering Romania a promising destination for risk capital for the next three years, similar situation to Slovenia, the authors of the study mention. However, Poland is considered the most dynamic market in the CEE, four out of five interviewees naming it ‘promising’ for investments in risk capital over the next three years.Investors identify several barriers to channelling funding to CEE as critical: the quality of investment opportunities (92% of respondents consider it at least a moderate challenge), followed by the difficulty of obtaining follow-on funding (80%), institutional trust, the complexity of the legal framework and political stability (all cited by 64% of investors). On the other hand, geographical distance, currency fluctuations and rising interest rates are perceived as minor obstacles. EIT Health is a network of health innovators with around 120 partners and is supported by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), a European Union body. We work across borders to deliver new solutions that can enable Europeans to live longer and healthier lives.
Romanian deep-tech startup .lumen, the developer of what it says are the world’s first AI-powered glasses for the blind, has secured a new investment from EIT Urban Mobility, the European innovation community focused on advancing sustainable and inclusive urban mobility solutions. The value of the new funding round was not disclosed. The investment aligns with […]
The health spending per capita in Romania was the lowest in the EU, with spending less than half the EU average in 2023, the recently released report, State of Health in the EU - Romania Country Health Profile 2025, shows. At the same time, life expectancy in Romania is 5.1 years below the EU average, […]
Romania’s annual inflation rate stood at roughly 9.8% in November 2025, similar to October, according to data published by the National Institute of Statistics (INS). Food prices increased by 7.6% last month, while services rose roughly 11% and non-food goods climbed 10.7%. The consumer price index rose by 0.42% in November compared with October, while […]
Three French soldiers deployed in Romania as part of NATO’s Multinational Battle Group at Cincu intervened to save a truck driver following a serious traffic accident on the A3 Bucharest–Ploiești motorway, the Romanian Ministry of Defense said. The incident occurred earlier this week as the soldiers were traveling toward Ploiești and witnessed the truck crash...
Eight contemporary art galleries will present the works of the artists they represent at the third edition of the Smallest Art Fair in Town, an event dedicated to works on paper. This edition showcases works “investigating the state of wandering, disorientation, and rediscovery in the face of uncertainty.” Under the title In Dark Woods, A […]
Parents everywhere are asking an important question: What skills will truly prepare a child for a world defined by rapid change, global uncertainty, and the rise of artificial intelligence? For decades, schools focused entirely on academics. Today, research from neuroscience, performance psychology, and leading universities shows a different reality: The students who thrive long-term are […]
