From 22 to 25 September 2026, Asternova Vest was a partner of the U.S.–Romania AI & Business Summit in Timișoara. Eight investors and founders from Silicon Valley and New York visited the region for direct meetings with funds, founders, companies and universities in Romania.
Asternova Vest joined the initiative as a partner alongside AmCham Romania, ADR Vest, Politehnica University Timișoara and Vest Ventures. The summit brought the American delegation and participating Romanian organisations together for more than 100 business meetings. The programme included two days of pre-arranged one-to-one meetings and the conference organised by AmCham Romania on 24 September.
What these discussions mean for the companies we will invest in
In Timișoara, we spoke with American investors about co-investment opportunities, growth financing and the expansion of technology companies into the US market. For Asternova Vest, these discussions are part of the fund’s work: we invest in Romania’s West Region and work internationally to support the ambitions of our portfolio companies.
The groundwork for the next funding round starts early
Asternova Vest invests €500,000–€4 million at Seed and Series A stages. A company that performs well may later reach a funding round that requires more capital, direct access to the US market or a specialist investor.
We are engaging with international investors to understand their investment priorities and identify co-investment opportunities in our portfolio companies’ future rounds.
For investors: local sourcing, local insight
American investors came to Timișoara because access to strong companies is more valuable when it comes with a partner who knows the region, its founders and the companies’ development.
Asternova Vest brings this perspective across Timiș, Arad, Hunedoara and Caraș-Severin and can explore investment opportunities alongside funds from outside Romania.
Ioana Ștefănuț on venture capital and scaling
At the AmCham Romania conference, Ioana Ștefănuț, General Partner at Asternova Vest, joined the panel “Fueling Innovation: Venture Capital, Startups, and Scaling from Romania” alongside Zach Coelius, Martin Jasinski and Andrei Munteanu.
The panel’s theme directly reflects our work: how technology developed here can access the capital and markets it needs for its next stage of growth.
For founders
Do you have a technology company in Romania’s West Region and are you preparing for Seed or Series A? Send us your pitch deck.
For investors
Are you exploring CEE deal flow and looking for partners who know the companies and the region? Let’s talk.