Registration is now open for the 25th edition of the Deloitte Technology Fast 50 Central Europe, the regional competition that recognizes companies in technology and in related sectors

Deloitte Romania announces the start of applications for the 25th anniversary edition of the Technology Fast 50 Central Europe ranking, which recognizes technology companies with accelerated growth. The program is a platform through which both mature companies and start-ups can highlight their innovative products and services and strengthen their position on their respective market segment. The competition takes place in 19 Central European countries, namely Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, and, for the first time, Ukraine.

Deloitte Technology Fast 50 Central Europe will include the 50 most dynamic technology companies in the region, regardless of their size, based on the percentage revenue growth over the last four years (2020-2023). Competitors can be active in the public or private sector and in all technology-related areas – communications, environmental technologies, fintech, hardware, health and life sciences, media and entertainment, software. In order to be eligible, registered companies must meet certain criteria, such as having annual operating revenues of at least 50,000 euros in the first three years (2020-2022) and of at least 100,000 euros in 2023, being headquartered in a Central European country and owning intellectual property or proprietary technology.

In addition to the main category of the 50 fastest growing start-ups, the competition also includes the “Companies to watch” category, which recognizes players that do not meet the criteria for the main ranking yet. They must be active for at least three years (established before December 31, 2020) and have operating income of at least 10,000 euros in the first year of activity (2021) and of at least 30,000 euros in 2023. The program also includes the special “Impact Stars” recognition, which rewards competitors whose products or services have positive effects on society, on the environment, on diversity or innovation. In addition, Google Cloud, the regional technology partner of the competition, offers, together with Deloitte, the special recognition “CE Tech Rocketship!”. This category’s winners are chosen among the companies which entered the Technology Fast 50 Central Europe competition in 2024, following an assessment conducted by joint Google Cloud and Deloitte teams, which focuses on solutions that can be deployed at scale.

“Several dozens of local companies have been included in the Deloitte Technology Fast 50 program over time, and the evolution of some of them confirmed the potential that our competition had recognized ever since they were start-ups and it continued to draw the international community’s attention to Romania as the birth place of great business ideas and of players who have become relevant regionally or even globally. I invite all the entrepreneurs who are trying to change the world through technology and innovation to take advantage of the Fast 50 platform, which can increase their brand awareness among customers and employees, as well as among potential investors, because the competition provides them with an assessment over their own company compared to those in the Central European region,” said Andrei Ionescu, Consulting Market Leader, Deloitte Romania, and leader of the Fast 50 program in Romania.

Almost 50 local companies have received recognition through the Fast 50 ranking since 2008, either in the main ranking, of the companies with the highest growth in Central Europe, or in special categories, such as “Most disruptive innovation” or “Impact Star”. These include travel agency Vola.ro, which ranked first in 2011, 2012 and 2013, with the highest growth in Central Europe, and UiPath, global leader in robotic process automation, which received the “Most Disruptive Innovation” recognition in 2017.

The business incubator Toronto Business Development Centre (TBDC) is the local partner of this year's Deloitte Technology Fast 50 Central Europe competition. Established in 1990, Toronto Business Development Centre is headquartered in Canada and supports entrepreneurs from all over the world, active in various business sectors, in their launch and development stages, and facilitates their expansion on the North American market.

In 2023, three Romanian companies were included in the main category of the Deloitte Technology Fast 50 Central Europe ranking - Redbee Software (8th place), DRUID (32nd place) and Questo (50th place). Also, start-ups Flip, Bright Spaces and easySales were included in the “Companies to Watch” subcategory, while Ascendia, RepsMate and ZA Cloud were recognized in the “Impact Stars” category. In addition, Hermix received the special CE Tech Rocketship recognition from Google Cloud, the competition's regional technology partner.

Companies can enter this year's competition until August 31, 2024. The ranking will be announced in November 2024. Online registration and all details regarding the eligibility criteria are available on the web section dedicated to the competition.

Deloitte provides industry-leading audit and assurance, tax and legal, consulting, financial advisory, and risk advisory services to nearly 90% of the Fortune Global 500® and thousands of private companies. The firm’s professionals deliver measurable and lasting results that help reinforce public trust in capital markets, enable clients to transform and thrive, and lead the way toward a stronger economy, a more equitable society and a sustainable world. Building on its 175-plus year history, Deloitte spans more than 150 countries and territories. Its objective is to make an impact that matters through its 457,000 people worldwide.

Deloitte Romania is one of the leading professional services organizations in the country providing, in cooperation with Reff & Associates | Deloitte Legal, services in audit, tax, legal, consulting, financial advisory, risk advisory, business processes as well as technology services and other related services, through over 3,400 professionals.