Qatar seen as ‘gateway to the Gulf’ for Bulgarian startups, says Invest Sofia official

Qatar will serve as a key partner for Bulgaria, which is promoting and developing its startup and entrepreneurial ecosystems, as well as providing opportunities to tap international markets, an official of Sofia Investment Agency (Invest Sofia) has said.“I believe that the partnership we have forged with Qatar Chamber could be defined as a huge opportunity to expand to international markets, which is why I would like to underscore the importance of strengthening these ties,” Viktor Goussev, head of Investment & Business Development at Invest Sofia, told Gulf Times on the sidelines of a recently-held meeting at Qatar Chamber’s Doha headquarters.Goussev was part of a Bulgarian delegation that visited Qatar for its ‘Bilateral Trade and Potential Investment Projects’ event. The delegation was received by Qatar Chamber first vice chairman Mohamed bin Towar al-Kuwari in the presence of other chamber officials and representatives of different companies based in Doha.The delegation was led by Ahmad Muhieddine Alaeddine, the founder and chairman of the Association of Bulgarian-Arab Economic Chambers, and Tsvetan Simeonov, the president of the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Invest Sofia officials, and representatives of over 20 Bulgarian companies from the food manufacturing and distribution, petroleum and chemicals, real estate investments, ICT, and construction sectors, among others. The meeting with Qatar Chamber, according to Goussev, provided a platform for establishing business contacts, productive exchange of best practices, and negotiations for potential agreements. “If we have a certain need in the market or a solution being sought in different parts of the world, our goal is to make it visible and available,” Goussev noted, adding that Bulgarian startups could provide their expertise in different sectors, aside from tech and innovation.He said: “I believe Qatar Chamber or any of Qatar’s startup organisations, together with their Bulgarian counterparts and Invest Sofia, should promote all kinds of investments – from startups with very low capital to the larger companies with huge investments – in order to create more opportunities and added value.”Goussev pointed out that plans in the pipeline include the exchange of delegations between Qatar and Bulgaria comprising different startups and entrepreneurs from both countries.“The aim is to be represented everywhere and to maintain a good relationship with our partners, so we could build a robust business relationship with them. In the past two years of the pandemic, we have been very active in attending online events related to startups and entrepreneurship. Now that many countries are easing Covid-19 restrictions, we are looking forward to participating in upcoming conferences and similar events in person,” he added.According to Goussev, the agency is part of the ‘Compass for Entrepreneurship’ project, a joint initiative by Invest Sofia and the Digitalisation, Innovation and Economic Development Department of Sofia Municipality.On its website, Invest Sofia stated that “the project aims to develop a comprehensive and accessible tool for all entrepreneurs who start a new business in Sofia or Bulgaria. The compass will feature all the opportunities for support that municipal, state, financial, and business organisations currently offer to entrepreneurs in Bulgaria, including open projects under national or European programmes.”Goussev said the compass is also aiming to provide Bulgarian startups and entrepreneurs access to international markets, such as Qatar, which also boasts of a burgeoning startup ecosystem.“Aside from the European market, we are deeply focused on an international level, hence our visit to Qatar for instance. A market is still a market regardless of geography. If one country needs a certain product, it doesn’t matter where the market is across the globe.“Participating in a delegation such as this is very important to both sides because the exchange of expertise, experiences and best practices, and networking will help build the community,” Goussev stressed.