The Swedish MedTech manufacturer SHL Healthcare AB has chosen Sofia as the place to build its first production facility in Europe. The company currently has a manufacturing base in China.
The new base in Sofia will cover an area of 5,000 square meters and aims to provide the company’s customers with further flexibilities for lead times, logistics and production. SHL Healthcare AB’s investment in Sofia is part of the company’s goals to increase its offerings in MedTech manufacturing on a global scale. By investing in expanded operations to tactical regions, we not only increase our manufacturing capacities but also demonstrate to customers our commitment in providing alternative production solutions for premium MedTech products and manufacturing services,” says Erik Bolmgren, CEO of SHL Healthcare AB, in the official announcement of the company. The activities of the Swedish MedTech company in Bulgaria will be managed by its subsidiary SHL Healthcare Bulgaria EAD.
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The New York-based blockchain and fintech company R3 opens an office in Sofia – the first for the company in a country in Continental Europe. The company’s establishment in Bulgaria follows a long-term partnership and work on joint projects with the Sofia-based software company INDUSTRIA. R3 will start with a team of 50 people by the end of this year and with a plan to expand to 100 people by the end of 2023. For now, the management of the office in Sofia will be carried out by the management of the Bulgarian INDUSTRIA, reports a publication by Capital. Sofia-based INDUSTRIA is a global technology consulting, development, and ventures company with expertise in the field of enterprise blockchain, confidential computing, process automation, and digital experience. As one of R3’s official partners, the company is developing cutting-edge blockchain and fintech technologies. You can read more about the partnership between the American and the Sofia-based company from the INDUSTRIA blog post here.
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Backed up by local angel investors, the Sofia-based start-up Circle Mobility Ltd. has launched a new bicycle sharing service in Sofia. A total of 50 vehicles can be rented through the Cyrcl app from zones in the city centre and southern neighbourhoods. The company’s ambition is to increase the number of bicycles and launch the service in other Bulgarian cities.
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Five start-ups entered the fifth Bulgarian Innovation Hub’s (BIH) accelerator programme for international growth. Four of them are Sofia-based. These are the AI and machine learning start-up Humans in the Loop, StorPool Storage – a fully-managed data storage solution that transforms commodity hardware into a shared and reliable storage system, the esports web platform Augment.gg, and the shipment tracking software for e-commerce merchants and businesses Rush. The BIH Accelerator Programme will provide the participating teams with online seminars on business planning, team building, marketing, sales, and the opportunity to learn from Silicon Valley mentors and present to investors. The hub implements activities that foster knowledge exchange and cross-cultural collaboration between the entrepreneurial communities in the US and Bulgaria, and aims to drive innovation and growth by helping Bulgarian technology start-ups become competitive global leaders.
Source: Sofia Investment Agency