What makes the Balkan startup ecosystem tick? According to Romanian entrepreneur Timmy Ghiurau—who’s in Macedonia as part of the jury for The Founder Games, a reality show spotlighting regional startups—it’s a combination of grit, creative hustle, and untapped collaboration potential. 

With a background in real-time 3D, AR/VR, and AI, Timmy has helped shape innovation strategies at Volvo Cars, worked on novel tech like VR eye tracking, and now brings that experience to support the next generation of Eastern European founders.

In an interview with IT Logs, Timmy talks about what drew him to the Balkans, how Eastern European founders can overcome regional roadblocks, and why now is the time to build bold.

IT Logs: What brings you to Macedonia and the Balkan startup ecosystems?

Timmy Ghiurau: I’m originally from Romania. I moved to Copenhagen early on to study music—though my parents thought I was studying engineering. Eventually, I joined Unity in its early days, helping establish verticals beyond games—particularly in simulation research.

Later, I worked with an eye-tracking startup that was acquired by Meta. I was actually the first person to implement eye tracking in VR. That led me to specialize in human-computer interaction, which eventually brought me to Gothenburg. For the past 10 years at Volvo, I’ve been leading innovation initiatives, collaborating with startups in Tel Aviv, San Francisco, Sweden—basically integrating deep and emerging tech into our self-driving car program.

Later, I moved into a more strategic role, working with government and policy to explore how we could extend beyond mobility and turn Volvo into a lifestyle brand.

Having that background with startups—especially our work on Series B, C, D, and pre-IPO investments—gave me credibility with VCs across the US, Middle East, and Europe. Through that, I got heavily involved with the EU Commission, advocating to fix Europe’s fragmented ecosystem, reduce bureaucratic thresholds for funding, and encourage more risk-taking.

Lately, I’ve become really passionate about Eastern Europe. After my first visit to the Balkans, something sparked in me—it felt like there was real momentum building here.

What have you seen so far from local startups and the ecosystem?

Timmy: A friend of mine, Sylvia—she’s been at BlackRock and Blackstone—introduced me to Sonja, and I came to the Founder Games finals last year. I was a speaker, mentor, and judge. Honestly, I was really surprised by the dedication, passion, and quality of people here. There’s a lot of kindness. Even though startups were technically competing, they were still going for drinks together after—there wasn’t this cutthroat vibe.

The approach here is different. It’s not your typical short-term accelerator. I told the team: just tell me how I can support. I’ve already picked a few startups I connected with and want to help—either by introducing them to investors or offering mentorship. I even mentioned Founder Games while on panels at SXSW, and people were curious. They asked what’s next for me, and I said, I’m going to Macedonia.

It also got me thinking more about Romania—my hometown. I called my friend David and said, Something lit up in me in Macedonia—I want to help fertilize the soil of our ecosystem back home.

What are the advantages and disadvantages for Eastern European startups?

Timmy: They’re hungry. They’re hustlers. That’s a big plus. Many are solving real, local problems—country by country. That specificity makes them unique. Big companies can’t always replicate that.

There’s also a cultural closeness across Eastern European countries. It makes collaboration easier. But on the flip side, the investor ecosystem here can be inexperienced. Some investors give poor feedback that misguides founders. Also, there’s this mismatch—everyone wants deep tech and innovation, but they’re measuring it with SaaS metrics. You can’t judge a biotech startup using the same KPIs as a calendar app.

Another issue is weak university connections. In the US, big hubs formed around strong R&D universities. Europe actually spends 85% of what the US does on R&D, but commercialization is slow.

Plus, a lot of talent in Eastern Europe has been trained for outsourcing. There’s not enough emphasis on innovation or product design. We don’t have strong programs for UX, industrial design, or product management. So we end up executing someone else’s vision instead of building our own.

I’ve been suggesting partnerships with places like Hyper Island or Singularity University to help fix this. The timing is right—politically and economically—for Eastern Europe to grow and lead without being overpowered by the US or Asia.

What kind of opportunity did you see among the startups at The Founder Games?

Timmy: I met a few founders who are doing the right things right—they’re operationally disciplined and strategically sharp. Of course, funding is a whole different story. But a lot of them have real potential. Some are coachable. Some still have to grow into that mindset.

People often think they need to go to Silicon Valley to make it. But there’s real value in being a big fish in a small pond. You can get lost over there, but here, you have a chance to stand out and lead.

I saw everything—from fast, monetizable ideas to advanced research-based companies. That diversity is a strength, but you need different types of support systems for each. It’s not just about giving founders a program—it’s about helping them understand what comes next.

We focused a lot on sharing real experience—including failures. It’s not just about education, but storytelling. That’s how you grow founders who can eventually lead others.

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