Founder, Corporate & Community Ecosystem Architect

I help founders gain clarity, corporates work better with startups, and communities scale sustainably.

I design and lead innovation programs, corporate partnerships, and founder communities that help local entrepreneurs and communities grow and last. From grassroots initiatives in Iași to international work across Europe and beyond, I focus on practical pathways that help builders grow.

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About

I grew up in post-communist Romania, built my first NGO and communities in Iași, and learned the hard way that creating a healthy ecosystem takes much more than good intentions. My roots still shape how I work today: hands-on, people-first, and focused on long-term value.

I left Romania in 2012 and over the next 14 years built outside my country, always with the intention to bring back and share knowledge with my people. RubikHub is one vivid example. I have held all relevant roles in the startup ecosystem: founder, enabler, operator, angel investor, educator, mentor/coach, and community lead. I bring the empathy and practical frameworks needed to guide entrepreneurs, especially on team dynamics.

Rockstart Startup Institute Startup Chile Philips Ventures Unilever Datalab Creative Coffee Worksurfers

Day Zero Holding. I teamed up with my partner in life, David, and my part focuses on consulting and coaching. I want to share my accumulated knowledge in startups, corporate innovation, and community-building with builders around the world.

Programs & Ecosystem Leadership

Examples from my founder and program-building work:

Rockstart

Part of the team that launched Rockstart's first AI accelerator, supporting founders and partners in building early-stage AI ventures with clear commercialization pathways. I also led the global Rockstart Answers communities.

Startup Chile

Built firsthand founder experience in one of the world's most international startup programs, shaping my approach to global ecosystem design and practical startup execution.

Founder Institute San Francisco

I was part of their cohort as a founder and experienced building in one of the most exciting places on earth for founders: Silicon Valley.

Romania (2011)

Through my association, launched Romania's first startup bootcamp for creative industries in 2011, opening an early pathway for creative founders to learn, test, and build with community support.

Corporate Innovation

Two examples of my corporate innovation work:

Philips

Designed and led corporate accelerator programs that helped internal and external teams translate innovation opportunities into practical ventures and pilot-ready solutions.

Unilever

Launched and scaled the partner network for the Unilever Datalab ecosystem, connecting startups, technical partners, and internal stakeholders to accelerate data and AI-led innovation.

Building & Scaling Communities

One of the clearest examples is Creative Coffee. I started it in Iași as a local format for meaningful founder and operator conversations, then scaled the model internationally.

Started in Iași

Creative Coffee began as a city-level initiative focused on practical peer learning, trusted introductions, and consistent local momentum for entrepreneurs.

Scaled to 15+ Cities

The community later expanded to more than 15 cities around the world, proving that a strong local format can become a global network when built with repeatable structure.

Connect with me

If you are building founder ecosystems, startup programs, or strategic partnerships and want a practical operator who can connect people and outcomes, reach out.

Reach out on LinkedIn