Romania has companies with solid products and entrepreneurs prepared to take their business to the next level, but the road to international markets often remains difficult, due to lack of expertise, financing or support networks. The Moonshotx program, launched by Raiffeisen Bank and Innovx comes to cover this goal, offering local companies the necessary tools to structure their expansion strategies, to become eligible for complex financing and to build connections to facilitate their access to external markets, as Cosmin Toader, Head of Structured Finance & Syndicati Raiffeisen Bank Romania, and Alina Irma Orban, Senior Director of ISV Partners & Startups, Central Europe & Central Asia, Microsoft. The records for the Moonshotx 2025 program, a program that concerns the Romanian Mid-Corporated companies that want to scroll their businesses, are open until September 15th. Companies can register here. «The need is very big. We see companies that look good financially daily, which could go to the next level, but I think a little settlement is missing on the page of ideas and objectives so that they can cross the border with the business they have. They are brave entrepreneurs. There is that opening to the outside markets. According to him, the Romanian entrepreneurs already have the necessary courage and determination, but in order to overcome the borders, they need a clear and supporting strategy in its implementation. «I see desire, I see people who have to scales their business and I think that in the end it would be the biggest achievement. Let's see that they succeeded, as they succeeded locally on foreign markets,» said the representative of Raiffeisen Bank. The program is not only addressed to companies at the beginning of the road, but also for decades, and this diversity is one of its strengths, believes Cosmin Toader. «What I enjoy the most is that we see a mix of companies many years in the back, but also younger companies. Basically, a small business community has been formed, each is already curious to find out what the other is doing, how they can help each other, how we can do business together from now on. And this is already a goal. Common to work together in this program, ”he said. This collaboration between industries, from IT&C and utilities to construction and transport, creates a fertile ground for exchange of ideas and development of partnerships, which can accelerate not only international expansion, but also sustainable growth. «My role and the other mentors is to help them support them through the know-how we have, through the expertise we have, the ideas we have, in the sense that we have seen a lot of funding so far from various fields, we have seen that there are companies from six to seven industries, and we are here, and we are not to be said, but we are not. Our expert with colleagues from other countries to escape the business, ”added Cosmin Toader. The support of mentors is a key element of the program, he believes. They offer entrepreneurs access to know-how, new perspectives and personalized solutions for financing and scaling «as mentors, we are glad that we can see more companies from several fields and we can come to them with ideas to help them scaling the business, to move to the next level, both from the point of view of banking, but also to evolve. Very much to hear that a certain company opened a deposit to produce what he was doing in Romania in the Czech Republic, or that another company has managed to break the barriers and cross the border or cross the ocean to open a business in the United States. Moonshotx. From Alina Irma Orban's perspective, the Moonshotx program can be more than a punctual support – it can be a strategic step towards strengthening the country brand of Romania. «I think Moonshotx is an ambitious program, a program that will help us a lot, Romania, to have a country brand a little better consolidated, because they are peaks. Most of the peaks that have left Romania are in the field of technology and I was very glad that the Moonshotx program does not focus on the start-ups, it does not concentrate on this area, but it does not concentrate on this area They have a good product, which have expertise in a certain field, cross-induces and who want to expose that product, maybe across borders, ”she said. Thus, Microsoft representative believes that the program is necessary, that it is ambitious, that Raiffeisen and Innovx have shown a lot of courage when they created this cohort. «At the same time, I think everyone who is involved, including Microsoft, wants a lot to get a successful program, because in the end we will create a future country brand for Romania in this program,» she pointed out. She stresses that the development of a solid entrepreneurial community can bring long -term benefits, including attracting institutional and legislative support for internationalization of companies. «I think it can help us to strengthen a community in which this part of entrepreneurship that is not very well known in terms of tactics is a little more strong and stronger, so that we have at one point in our part the government and certain laws and certain facilities that actually support this outsourcing of our companies in a Central Europe. Much money, a thirst for innovation and for new I have never seen and that we need to encourage more companies in Romania. Another key message sent to entrepreneurs is related to the adoption of technology, without restraint or fears. «What would I recommend to entrepreneurs? I would recommend them not to be shy in the use of technology, because they already use as individuals, I am convinced. Already the level of detail and the level of accuracy that these tools to bring is very high. I think the technology has helped us and will continue to us. To them, on all that brings them pleasure and energy when they interact with their daily job, be careful not to stay behind with the technology, in the sense that from various prejudices, from various fears, not to even accept, ”said Microsoft representative. Thus, she believes that entrepreneurs must be open to trying programs like Moonshotx and trusting other entrepreneurs who have walked on the same road. «So I think you have to be open, curious, to communicate, to delegate some of confidence to companies that have already done this, because they are already fruitful and trust in programs like Moolshotx, who provide specialists in all areas, so that the business you make have all the necessary support,» concluded Alina IRMA. Moonshotx, a program made by Raiffeisen Bank Romania in partnership with Innovx, is a project that supports companies with turnover between 5 million and 50 million euros to expand their business regionally and is seen by participating companies as a favorable framework to expand its business, access new markets, technologies and financing opportunities. After the selection process, 22 companies were chosen to participate in the program out of a total of over 760 analyzed companies. Between October-November 2024, the companies included in the program participated in In-Person and online bootcamp