CAPITAL. INNOVATION. GROWTH.
CAPITAL, INNOVATION AND BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES
FROM THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Bucharest, October 1-3, 2025
Transfer Center for Strategic and Dual-Use Technologies
Who is the Program for?
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Gordon Daugherty is a leading name in the American startup and investment ecosystem, with a career spanning over 30 years in technology, innovation, venture capital, and global business development.
He is the Co-Founder of Capital Factory (Texas, USA) – one of the most powerful innovation, acceleration, and investment hubs for technology startups in the United States.
CAPITAL FACTORY has been the most active investor in Texas since 2010 (according to Pitchbook)
As an investment fund manager and angel investor, Gordon has made investments in over 500 companies, mainly in technology.
He has mentored over 200 tech startups from different industries, to attract capital, scale, develop the market and achieve exit (sale or merger).
He has extensive experience in the business ecosystems of Austin, Silicon Valley and other innovation centers in the US , being a sought-after partner by founders, investors and institutions when it comes to new paradigms of the technology-based economy and how they can finance their growth.
- Attracting capital and partners
- Global business development and scaling
- Achieving the business exit
- Investment funds & accelerators
- Technology (AI & Emerging Technologies, Defence-Tech, Cybersecurity, SaaS, Cloud, etc.)
- Ecosystems of innovation and development of dual-use companies in public-private partnership
1. Practical know-how, from the front lines of successful business ecosystems in the US
- What investors are looking for and how American entrepreneurs think. What to invest in and what not to invest in.
- How do you attract American funding?
- Current business models, new paradigms that work
- How to build a company with exit potential and how to expand globally
- Public-private collaboration models used in the USA, including for the dual-use area: defense & civil tech.
- Recommendations for companies and founders ready to collaborate with American investors and connect their businesses to global markets. Access to models and best practices that generate concrete results.
- What it means to go to Capital Factory in Austin, TEXAS and finance and develop your business in the new global conditions.
- Grants available in the USA for Tech startups coming from Romania. What are the conditions?
2. Direct connections & access to relevant networks
- Direct connections with US funds and investors
- Facilitating direct bridges between Romanian startups and investors or partners in the US. Relevant contacts for technology, defense, AI and cybersecurity companies
- Connecting Romanian entrepreneurs interested in access to markets, investments, know-how and partnerships with American investment and innovation ecosystems.
- Introduction to the business ecosystems of Texas, Silicon Valley, Boston.
3. The opportunity to create a Romanian-American venture capital fund in Romania dedicated to technology businesses
1st of Oct 2025 – Round table (Chatham House)
Palace of Parliament – Constantin Stere Hall, A1 Entrance, Senat
Dual-use technologies and U.S.–Romania know-how transfer. The role of private-sector ecosystems in innovation and security. Public–private partnership.
9:00 Înregistrare participanți & Welcome coffee
9.30 – 10:00 Deschiderea oficială
Mircea ABRUDEAN – Președintele Senatului României
Mihai COTEȚ – Vicepreședinte al Senatului României (Gazda evenimentului)
Valentin PREDA – Președinte, Bursa Română de Afaceri
Moderator: Liliana GROSARU-FILIP – Director de Program, Centrul de Transfer pentru Tehnologii Strategice și cu Dublă Utilizare
10:00 – 10:20
Gordon DAUGHERTY – Co-fondator, Capital Factory (Austin, Texas): Starea inovației în ecosistemul dual-use din SUA
10:20 Mesaje speciale
E.S. Michael DICKERSON – Însărcinat cu afaceri ad interim al Ambasadei SUA în România (TBC)
Nicoleta PAULIUC – Președinta Comisiei pentru Apărare, Senatul României
Sorin-Dan MOLDOVAN – Secretar de stat, Ministerul Apărării Naționale
General-locotenent Iulian BERDILĂ – Locțiitor pentru operații și instrucție al șefului Statului Major al Apărării
Ioan TUDOR – Director General ANCEX – Departamentul pentru controlul exporturilor – Ministerul Afacerilor Externe
Mihai PRECUP – Membru al Consiliului de Administrație, Banca Europeană de Investiții
Cristina Corina DRAGOMIRESCU – Președinte, ARCTIS (TBC)
Closing remarks: Mihai COTEȚ – Vicepreședinte al Senatului si Membru in Comisia pentru Afaceri Europene, Senatul României
Coffee break
12:00 – 13:30 USAbiz Workshop – Discuție deschisă (format Chatham House)
Gordon DAUGHERTY – prezentare despre construcție ecosistem
Oscar ROJAS – Președinte Operațiuni Globale, Ocean Aero
Investitori, companii care au in dezvoltare soluții dual-use, reprezentanți ai industriei din România, ai institutelor de cercetare și a mediului universitar
Temele puse în discuție:
• Modele de parteneriat public–privat pentru tehnologii dual-use
• Acces la capital și integrarea companiilor românești în lanțuri internaționale de aprovizionare
• Tehnologii emergente necesare și capabilități de testare
• Cum construim ecosistemul dual-use din România
•Cum pot antreprenorii români să acceseze capitalul, inovația și oportunitățile de business din SUA.
13:30 – 14:00 Concluzii și direcții viitoare
• Formarea unui grup de lucru interinstituțional
• Propunere pentru un Tech Bridge inclusiv a unui fond de investiții România–SUA
2nd of Oct 2025 – Business Connect Seminar
Palace of Parliament – Constantin Stere Hall, A1 Entrance, Senat
Capital, Innovation and Business Opportunities from the U.S.
09:00 – 09:30 Înregistrare participanți & Welcome coffee
09:30 – 09:45
Mihai COTEȚ – Vicepreședinte al Senatului României (Gazda evenimentului)
Valentin PREDA – Președinte, Bursa Română de Afaceri
Liliana GROSARU-FILIP – Director Program, Centrul de Transfer pentru Tehnologii Strategice și cu Dublă Utilizare
09:45
Gordon DAUGHERTY – Co-fondator & Președinte, Capital Factory (Austin, Texas): Modelul Capital Factory – ecosistemul texan de atragere a capitalului, accelerare de startup-uri și colaborare cu instituțiile din apărare (inclusiv Pentagonul).
Cristian NACU – Senior Country Officer, International Finance Corporation (IFC), Grupul Băncii Mondiale: Investiții strategice, parteneriate public-private și conectarea capitalului internațional cu piețele emergente.
Mihai PRECUP – Membru al Consiliului de Administrație, Banca Europeană de Investiții (EIB): Fonduri europene, investiții și politici de susținere pentru ecosistemele de inovație și startup-uri.
Oscar ROJAS – Președinte Operațiuni Globale, Ocean Aero: Tehnologii maritime autonome cu aplicații dual-use; exemple de colaborare internațională și proiecte derulate cu actori guvernamentali din SUA.
Viorel MANOLE – Director Executiv, PATROMIL
Sorin PREDA – CEO, Global Vision
Mihai IONESCU – Managing Director KINGSROCK ADVISORS EUROPE
Alexandru MITROI – InvestROMANIA, Senior Adviser
Discuții deschise (cu participarea tuturor speakerilor și a audienței):
• Modele americane de business & investiții
• Integrarea companiilor românești în lanțuri internaționale dual-use
• Finanțare (VC & non-dilutivă)
• Modele de succes româno-americane
THIS IT IS NOT AN EVENT.
IT IS A PROGRAM THAT OFFERS DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES.
THE PROGRAM WILL BE EXTENDED TO OTHER 15 COUNTRIES ON THE 4TH OF FEBRUARY 2026.
IT IS NOT THEORY.
IT IS PRIVILEGED ACCESS TO KNOWLEDGE AND REAL AND RELEVANT CONNECTIONS.
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You are preparing for what will matter 3-5 years from now.
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Learn about current patterns of interest for American investors and what the trends in technology are.
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Get feedback on your investment ideas and theses from an expert connected to the US and global markets.
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You understand the current mechanisms for attracting investors and finding partners/clients.
Exclusive Access
Pitch Your Business 1:1 with Gordon Daugherty – Capital Factory
Do you have a startup ready for investment?
Present your proposal to the most active investor in Texas, co-founder of CAPITAL FACTORY – one of the most complex business ecosystems in the USA.
Benefits:
- Direct feedback from a top international investor
- Possibility of attracting funding and partnerships
- Connections to the American startup and innovation ecosystem
Date & Time:
October 3, 2025, 09:00
Location: Romanian Business Exchange, 2-4 Gara Herastrau Street, 7th floor, Bucharest
PROGRAM DEVELOPED BY:
INSTITUTIONAL PARTNER:
KNOWLEDGE PARTNERS
KEY STRATEGIC PARTNERS
PARTNERS
MEDIA PARTNERS
CONTACT US
Liliana Grosaru-Filip : liliana@rbe.ro ; 0757314434
Program Director, Centrul de Transfer pentru Tehnologii Strategice și cu Dublă Utilizare
Bursa Română de Afaceri