Registration is now open for the 26th edition of the Deloitte Technology Fast 50 Central Europe, the regional competition that recognizes companies in technology and in related sectors with accelerated growth
Deloitte Romania announces the start of applications for the 26th edition of the Technology Fast 50 Central Europe ranking, which recognizes technology companies with accelerated growth. The program is a platform through which both mature companies and start-ups can highlight their innovative products and services and strengthen their position on their respective market segment. The competition takes place in 19 Central European countries, namely Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Ukraine.
Deloitte Technology Fast 50 Central Europe will include the 50 most dynamic technology companies in the region, regardless of their size, based on the percentage revenue growth over the last four years (2021-2024). Competitors can be active in the public or private sector and in all technology-related areas – communications, environmental technologies, fintech, hardware, health and life sciences, media and entertainment, software. In order to be eligible, registered companies must meet certain criteria, such as having annual operating revenues of at least 50,000 euros in the first three years (2021-2023) and of at least 100,000 euros in 2024, being headquartered in a Central European country and owning intellectual property or proprietary technology.
In addition to the main category of the 50 fastest growing start-ups, the competition also includes the “Companies to watch” category, which recognizes players that do not meet the criteria for the main ranking yet. They must be active for at least three years (established before December 31, 2021) and have operating income of at least 10,000 euros in the first year of activity (2022) and of at least 30,000 euros in 2024. The program also includes the special “Impact Stars” recognition, which rewards competitors whose products or services have positive effects on society, on the environment, on diversity or innovation. “Impact Stars” laureates must operate in one of the following areas: fintech, cyber, ESG, medtech/biotech, defence. In addition, Google Cloud, the regional technology partner of the competition, offers, together with Deloitte, the special recognition “AI Value Driver. CE Rocketship Innovations in GenAI”. This category’s winners are chosen among the companies which entered the Technology Fast 50 Central Europe competition in 2025, following an assessment conducted by joint Google Cloud and Deloitte teams which focuses on demonstrated potential to scale GenAI into real business impact.
“Over the years, the Fast 50 program has recognized and celebrated Romania’s fast growing technology companies and has lived up to its promise to act as a platform which nurtures a community that offers networking opportunities, fosters connections among entrepreneurs, industry leaders, and experts. Besides that, the program has been mirroring the latest regional and global trends through the newly introduced categories. This year, it could not have been around anything else than Gen AI and the concrete results it is already delivering to businesses across industries. We invite all the tech entrepreneurs to enter the competition and thus showcase their unique ideas and contributions across various sectors and become a part of the international Fast 50 community,” said Andrei Ionescu, Consulting Market Leader, Deloitte Romania, and leader of the Fast 50 program in Romania.
Over 50 local companies have received recognition through the Fast 50 ranking since 2008, either in the main ranking, of the companies with the highest growth in Central Europe, or in special categories, such as “Most disruptive innovation” or “Impact Stars”. These include travel agency Vola.ro, which ranked first in 2011, 2012 and 2013, with the highest growth in Central Europe, and UiPath, global leader in robotic process automation, which received the “Most Disruptive Innovation” recognition in 2017.
In 2024, three Romanian companies were included in the main category of the Deloitte Technology Fast 50 Central Europe ranking - Questo (13th place), SteepSoft AI (32nd place) and Ascendia (45th place). Also, Finqware, Plant an App and Kinderpedia were included in the “Companies to Watch” subcategory, while SymphoPay, Infosec Center and Innoship were recognized in the “Impact Stars” category. In addition, DRUID was the winner of the CE Tech Rocketship category from Google Cloud, the competition's regional technology partner, while Hermix received a special recognition.
Companies can enter this year's competition until August 31, 2025. The ranking will be announced in November 2025. Online registration and all details regarding the eligibility criteria are available on the web section dedicated to the competition.
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