Gina Shines as a Finalist for the Ecosystem Hero of the Year Title at the Global Startup Awards in Istanbul

We are incredibly proud that Gina, our founder and co-CEO at Wolfpack Digital, who is also a co-founder of Women in Tech Cluj, a member of the Board of Directors of Transilvania IT Cluster, and a well-known figure in the startup ecosystem, has once again demonstrated her dedication and influence by being recognized as a finalist for the prestigious Ecosystem Hero of the Year title at the Global Startup Awards (GSA) gala, held on September 25th in Istanbul. This achievement comes after her previous win in the same category at the Central European Startup Awards (CESA), underlining her continuous efforts in supporting and nurturing startups across Europe and beyond.

The Global Startup Awards and Central European Startup Awards

The Global Startup Awards (GSA) is the largest startup competition in the world, bringing together over 120 countries for more than 12 years. Founded in 2012, GSA highlights innovation from various regions, connecting the best startups, entrepreneurs, and ecosystem supporters with a global audience.
In last year's edition, there were a total of 28,000 nominations and 210,000 votes gathered from the public. This year's edition brought together over 86 finalists across 12 categories, who garnered an impressive number of public votes – over 300,000.

Central European Startup Awards (CESA), a regional chapter of the GSA, focuses on recognizing and supporting the startup community in Central Europe, covering countries such as Austria, Hungary, Poland, and Romania. The regional stage award ceremony took place in Bratislava on February 1, 2024. There, the 2023 winners for the 12 categories were announced from a total of 5,000 participants and 100 finalists. Romania returned home with four awards: Ecosystem Hero of the Year, a title won by Georgina Lupu Florian; Renergia, a greentech startup from Cluj and a member of the Transilvania IT Cluster, which brought home the "Best Newcomer 2023" award; Mindspace, from Bucharest, the winner in the "Best Coworking Space" category; and Herity Network, also from Bucharest, which returned home with the "Best Web3.0 / AI Startup 2023" award.

The Significance of the Ecosystem Hero of the Year Title

The Ecosystem Hero of the Year title is awarded to individuals who have significantly contributed to the development and success of their local and regional startup ecosystems. These individuals are often the unsung heroes who work tirelessly behind the scenes, offering mentorship, guidance, and resources to startups and entrepreneurs. Their efforts help create a supportive environment where innovation can thrive, and new ventures can grow.

Though Gina did not take home the title this time at the global level, being named a finalist among top global ecosystem leaders is a testament to her impact on the startup world. This recognition validates her ongoing efforts to foster entrepreneurship and create opportunities for growth within the startup ecosystem.

Gina's Involvement in the Startup Ecosystem

Gina's journey as an ecosystem hero began years ago, and her influence has only grown since. She has been actively involved in the startup community, playing multiple roles that cover mentorship, jurying at startup competitions, financial and logistical support to founders, and providing strategic advice to emerging companies. She believes that healthy ecosystems successfully combine collaboration, fair competition, and diversity.

As a mentor, Gina has guided numerous entrepreneurs and startups through their early stages, offering valuable insights on business strategy and more. Her hands-on approach and deep understanding of the startup landscape have made her a sought-after mentor for both local and international startups. In addition to mentorship, Gina has also served as a jury member in various startup and tech competitions, including InnovationLabs, DemoDay by SAS UTCN, and many more. Through her role as a juror, Gina has helped spotlight promising startups, providing them with the recognition and support needed to scale their businesses and helping participants on their professional development journeys. As of recently, she also became a Judge for the Webby Awards - the Internet’s highest honors.

Beyond mentorship and jurying, Gina is also an active advocate for entrepreneurship and diversity. She regularly speaks at events and conferences (e.g., “The Woman”), sharing her knowledge and experiences with a broader audience. Her efforts to promote entrepreneurship, including among underrepresented groups, have made her a beloved figure in the startup community. She is also part of active conversations between the private and public sectors in Romania, joining the dialogue between public institutions and entrepreneurs.

Gina's support extends beyond these activities and has inspired our team at Wolfpack Digital to contribute to the tech startups ecosystem, too, with many of our friends & co-workers mentoring startups, speaking at events, and contributing to tech publications. For example, this year, Wolfpack Digital hosted and mentored a team of high-school students during the summer to develop their tech business idea in the “DPiT program”. Wolfpack Digital also supports the startup ecosystem through material resources by regularly investing in entrepreneurship programs and events and actively investing in startups by offering free development or design hours or by providing office space for startups to use, such an example being our hosting in our office of the lovely team from the ed-tech startup Manuscrito, for almost a year. 

The Global Startup Awards gala in Istanbul

Gina and Adrian, our other co-CEO, attended the two days at the Global Startup Awards Grand Finale X in Istanbul.

The first day started with the registration at the GSA Innovation Summit, where they got the chance to network with other finalists, investors, and startup enthusiasts and listen to insights from industry leaders on various panels as they shared their views on current challenges and opportunities for startups worldwide, with a particular focus on emerging markets. They also got the chance to meet GSA co-founder Kim Balle. 

Some of their favorite panels included "Exit Like a Pro: Turning Your Startup Into a Success Story", "Innovate or Perish: The Future of Corporate Innovation", "Scaling to Stardom: Unicorns, Acquisitions, and Growth Strategies", "Startup Goldmines: Unlocking Opportunities in Emerging Markets", "Healthy Founders, Healthy Startups: Prioritizing Wellbeing" and "Unleashing Potential: Talent is the New Gold".

On the second day, they started the awards gala with a warm welcome and cocktails at Esma Sultan Yalısı - a fabulous venue near the Bosphorus, followed by a delicious high-end traditional dinner accompanied by music and entertainment and the presence of the Istanbul City Mayor, Ekrem İmamoğlu. 

They got the chance to sit at the same table and talk to inspiring startup figures from all over the world, some of which being Daisy Isiaho, founder of Zuri Health from Kenya, Allan Vestergaard Hermansen, co-founder of Swap Language from Denmark, or Hamid Alibeiki, a fellow Ecosystem Hero of the Year finalist from Muscat. They also connected to the CESA crew of finalists and organizers.

Special congrats to the 2 winners of the Global Startup Awards that also won in the Central European Startup Awards: Fumbi from Slovakia who won the People’s Choice Award & Soulmates Ventures from Czechia who won the VC of The Year Award. 

The Global Startup Awards winners

The competition, spanning multiple categories, recognized game-changing solutions and key players who are shaping the future of entrepreneurship and technology. Each of the winners has demonstrated excellence in their respective fields and contributed to the growth of the global startup ecosystem. 👏🏆
Here are the winners for all the categories of the 10th edition of the Global Startup Awards. 👇

What Constitutes a Startup? Category:

Startup Of The Year - Eratani from Indonesia, an Agricultural Technology startup, pioneering and leading in providing an integrated and comprehensive solution by addressing smallholder farmers' pain points from upstream to downstream.

Best Newcomer - Cyclizm from Turkiye, an AI-based green hydrogen plant planning SaaS platform.

Best Green Tech Startup - Basigo from Kenya, a company with a beautiful mission of creating a future of clean, electric public transportation across Africa.

Best Health Tech Startup - Nexstem from India, a company that creates Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) solutions that help people interact with technology using their brain signals.

Best Web3.0 & AI Startup - Momint from South Africa, a platform that enables accessible funding and trade of real-world assets. 

Ecosystem Support Entities Category:

VC of The Year - Soulmates Ventures, from Czechia, who developed a program for entrepreneurs who are building world-changing companies.

Best Accelerator/Incubator Program - Tech Istanbul from Türkiye, who develop support mechanisms for technology-based startups from different sectors with our different programs from early to advanced stages.

Best Coworking Space - TechBuzz Hub from Uganda, a collaborative community for the growth and success of ideas.

Individuals Category:

Founder of the Year - Hadeer Shalaby, founder of Freeziana.com, from Egypt,a marketplace focused on hand crafts products and craft supplies.

Diversity Role Model of the Year - Mari Luukkainen from Finland, Investments identity.vc and founder Herizon.io

Ecosystem Hero of the Year - Mya Thandar Oo from Myanmar, Chairwoman and Chief Business Officer of MyJobs

Audience-Based Category:

People’s Choice - Fumbi from Slovakia, a digital investment platform that allows users to invest in a diversified portfolio of crypto assets.

What it meant to be part of the Global Startup Awards

We asked Gina a few questions about the event and her overall experience in Istanbul. Here is what she answered:

What did it mean to be part of this edition of the Global Startup Awards?

Gina: “For me, being here was a celebration of almost 10 years of excitement and involvement on my part in the Romanian and international startup ecosystem and an opportunity to have an amazing cultural experience by meeting diverse leaders from all over the world. It felt like being part of an incredible phenomenon. 

Although I did not win this time in my category, I am grateful for all the support and votes I received from the people in my community, and I’d like to congratulate all the winners and the finalists for their tireless work to make the world a better place! 

The location of the gala was spectacular, and the organizers provided us with a unique experience, which added to the magic of the moment!”

What are your overall impressions of the event?

Gina: “The event offered a good overview of the global startup trends. It was great to connect to so many cultures, some of which were completely new to us, and we had a good time at the gala; the future is definitely global!"

What is something valuable you take home with you from the gala?

Gina: “Tech startups in emerging markets have a very high potential right now, at a time when more developed markets are struggling. I will be watching them more, for sure!”

If you were to give a small piece of advice to future participants, what would it be?

Gina: "The event is both competitive and worth attending, and as much as results matter, the journey to get there is equally important and valuable! I am grateful for the experience. "

Conclusion

Gina's achievement as a finalist for the Ecosystem Hero of the Year at the Global Startup Awards is a well-deserved recognition of her continuous involvement in the startup ecosystem. Her contributions have helped individual startups succeed and played their part in strengthening the entire ecosystem, contributing to a ripple effect of innovation and entrepreneurship. These contributions were recognized by Gina being one of the finalists at this year’s Global Startup Awards. As Gina continues to mentor, jury, and support startups, her impact will undoubtedly continue to shape the future of entrepreneurship on a local & global scale, and our team at Wolfpack Digital is always happy to join in the effort, as we have always been a community-oriented company.

For those looking to make their mark in the startup world, Gina's journey is an inspiring example of how dedication, passion, and a commitment to giving back can lead to remarkable achievements and widespread recognition.

Here, you can learn more about Gina's and Wolfpack Digital's stories.