Meet the 2025 Dare2Scale Cohorts – PARAi
33 founders from 18 companies across Bulgaria and the Western Balkans are joining Dare2Scale 2025 — united in one program to scale bold ideas and grow thriving businesses.
Meet the Professional Association of Robotics, Automation and Innovations (PARAi) is an industry association that currently unites around 100 companies across key technology sectors, including robotics, software, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, industrial and consumer electronics, drones, aviation, and more. We organize the Robotics Strategy Forum, the largest annual robotics forum in Bulgaria, held every September. We run a dedicated Robotics Incubator, it was recognized in the European Enterprise Promotion Awards in 2024 under the patronage of the European Commission. We play a role in supporting internationalization, helping Bulgarian tech companies establish strategic partnerships abroad. We lead digital skills training, offering hands-on guidance on the use of cutting-edge tools. We deliver valuable insights for companies and policymakers alike. The association also takes part in expert working groups in the field of advanced technologies, providing informed opinions and policy input. We conduct in-depth market research and trend analysis across Bulgaria, Romania, Greece, Croatia, and the region. Additionally, we support our members by providing product feedback, promoting their initiatives, and facilitating connections with relevant partners and stakeholders within Bulgaria and beyond.
Tell us how your story began. What was the inflection point that made you realize this could become a serious business, not just an idea?
Back in 2017, we observed that Bulgaria had a thriving software ecosystem, but a noticeable gap in hardware innovation — robotics, sensorics, IoT, and industrial tech. We realized that for these sectors to grow, there needed to be an ecosystem, an expert-driven organization to bring businesses together. That’s how PARAi was born — as a nonprofit catalyst to spark industrial innovation. Seven years later, we’re proud to lead a network of 100+ companies.
Share a little-known fact about your industry, product, or market that would surprise most people.
Most people associate innovation with software, what often goes unnoticed is building physical products. Things like robots, machines, or electronics are significantly harder and slower to engineer. This is why hardware startups typically require 10x more capital and time to reach market compared to their software counterparts. Yet, when successful, they become critical infrastructure.
Five years from now, what headline would you love to read about your company?
PARAi positions Bulgaria at the forefront of European hardware innovation.