StartupGrind will hold it's October 'fireside chat' in one of the most creative and innovative space in Bucharest - Qreator by IQOS. Our guest, Nicu Bocancea, an award-winning floris designer, is part of the second generation of entrepreneurs. Along with his brother Cosmin, he succeeded in reinventing their family business 'Floraria Iris" in the context of globalization and digitization. With an innovating spirit and a continuing desire for self-improvement, he became the most famous florist designer in Romania and one of the most appreciated in the world.

Our fireside chat events have three segments, typically an hour each:

17:00 - 18:00 The first hour we will serve food and drinks and help you make friends. You could say it’s networking, but we aim to make it much more than that! The StartupGrind Bucharest team will ensure your experience stands out from other events.

18:00 - 19:00 The second hour is for the interview with Nicu and Q&A time. We call it a fireside chat for a reason - it is meant to feel like an intimate conversation. Think of it as assisted storytelling, if you will. Because Nicu Bocancea is an internationally awarded florist designer who commutes back and forth between Bucharest and the big capitals of Asia, America and Europe, we will discuss about but not only:  Creative start-ups and the whole environment around them; The "startup way" - how a second generation of entrepreneurs reinvented a family business and made it an international success; Creative Innovation in a digital era as a Life Style.

19:00 - 20:00 The final hour is another chance for you to connect with each other more and to meet the speaker.

About our Speaker: Nicu Bocancea is Florist Designer and Co-owner of "Floraria Iris". 2010 - winner of the "Flower Designer Exhibition" prize organized by Queen Ana of Romania - 1st place in "Floral composition", 1st place in "Interior arrangements" and 1st place at "Table arrangement"; 2011 - winner of the 2nd place at the floral design competition organized by the Embassy of the Netherlands; 2011 - winner of the "Flower Designer Exhibition" prize organized by Queen Ana of Romania - 1st place at "Floral Composition", 2nd place at "Bouquet of the bride" and 1st place in "Interior arrangements"; 2012-2013 - appearing in the International Floral Art publication with two of the four papers written in the competition; 2013 - Interview and papers in "Flora" magazine in South Korea; 2014 - winner of Fusion Flowers Magazine's Christmas dinner table design; 2014-2015 - publication "International Floral Art - JUBILEE Edition" published two of the four papers submitted in the contest; starting with 2015 - ADF member; 2016 - Getting the 7th place at the European Flower Championship; 2016-2018 - supporting workshops and floral demonstrations in Great Britain, Russia, Spain, Germany, Poland, Singapore, China, Denmark, etc; 2018 - Getting 3rd at the Singapore Garden Festival.

About Floraria Iris: "Year 1981 marks the first step towards what we are today. On a shopping street in the historical area of Bucharest, a small and elegant flower shop opens. The flowers were beautiful and fresh, and those who cared for them conquered with a family kindness more and more clients. Many of them are still with us. Flower after flower and client after client we received, in 1991, the name that we bear today - Floraria Iris. The love of our people for our flowers has led to the appearance of ten more shops and a creative workshop, considered to be one of the finest in the field of florists in Europe. I grew up every day, going from simple bouquets to real floral arrangements of the story; brides and brides, celebrities, representatives of renowned companies, representatives of the Royal House, all have crossed the threshold with excitement and joy. For our clients we have learned more and more, often by mistakes, and we have always struggled to perfect ourselves. I invested in knowledge, in the art of beauty and I freed creativity. In a short time, the fruits also appeared: notable prizes at the National and International Floral Art Contests and an international florist professor, Nicu Bocancea. [...] And history is written further, the goal is to grow this business for the third generation. "

About our Host: Dani Dumitrescu is the Director of StartupGrind Bucharest. With a Ph.D. in Cybernetics and Economic Statistics, over 18 years of experience in the financial field (banks, insurance, guarantee funds, commodities and stock exchanges, money transfer, NPLs, fin-tech and European funds), Daniel Dumitrescu worked in the last years as Financial Expert of the European Commission and Chief Executive Officer of the Romanian Commodities Exchange. Currently, he is a Co-founder alongside Dr. Diana Dumitrescu of the European Center for Services Investments and Financing, based in Bucharest and offices in Brussels and London, with the mission of helping innovative SMEs to develop through European and alternative funding by understanding all the requirements and benefits associated with each type of finance. European Center for Services Investments and Financing - ECSIF Ltd. is going further to fulfill its mission by investing own or attracted funds in the development of European innovative companies. Our range of investments varies from acceleration stage Start-ups to early IPO - successful SMEs. We selectively invest in the following innovative industries: Fin Tech, Energy Tech, Health Tech.