For Bulgaria’s technology ecosystem, 2025 marks a year of well-earned progress, one that’s been building for the past decade now. With companies such as EnduroSat securing $104 million to industrialise satellite manufacturing, Evrotrust joining the EU’s Digital Identity Wallet consortium; INSAIT-MIT partnership and INSAIT being ranked among Europe’s top computer science research institutes, we have many signals of an innovation sector becoming increasingly influential across the continent.
Just as importantly, the evolution of Bulgaria’s entrepreneurial and innovation sector has not been limited to products and capital, but has also become visible in the physical spaces where companies choose to operate. High-quality office space, modern urban infrastructure, and flexible work environments have emerged as critical indicators of local development.
As the year ends, we want to take a moment to recognize a key player in this space who has quietly supported both our ecosystem and the development of a modern urban landscape throughout 2025. Beyond providing high-quality, enterprise-level workspaces, Tony Aleksandrov and the WorkBetter team have hosted dozens of ecosystem events this year: from educational seminars, mini conferences, business lunches, and networking events, their spaces have become regular venues for community gatherings, #BreakingGrounds meet-ups, and side events during major industry conferences.
Since opening its first location in Sofia in 2022, the flexible workspace operator now accommodates international businesses like Dell, Booking.com, Infosys, Man Group, and Fastmarkets, alongside many Bulgarian tech teams and SMEs across three locations – WorkBetter 1.0, WorkBetter 2.0 and the recently opened WorkBetter Tsarigradsko.
To celebrate this work and capture his perspective from the frontlines of Bulgaria’s workspace evolution, we invited Tony to join our CEO Teodor Antonio Georgiev for a year-end conversation. Together, they reflect on what genuinely moved the needle for them in 2025, how workspace expectations have evolved alongside the ecosystem itself, and what these shifts signal for the year ahead.
A year in review
For Teodor Georgiev, 2025 showed a deeper structural shift. “In 2025, Bulgaria clearly reaffirmed its role as a regional tech leader, with EnduroSat standing out as the single most powerful signal, closing two funding rounds in one year and articulating a globally ambitious vision: reducing the cost of satellite data to $1 per gigabyte.”
Yet, he argues, the more meaningful change was collective with founders scaling faster, investors acting with more confidence, and institutions coordinating better.
Tony Aleksandrov sees this evolution from another angle, shaped by global work patterns:
“Over the past decade, Bulgaria has consistently established itself as a strong hub for talent in technology, creative industries, and professional services. Combined with competitive operating costs and the global shift toward flexible and hybrid work models, this has created strong demand for modern, collaborative work environments.”
He adds that WorkBetter’s early years were as much about education as operations and “that investment took time, but it paid off.”
The growing role of workplace quality
As Bulgaria attracts more international teams, workspace quality has become an essential component of the ecosystem. “Physical infrastructure and work environments matter enormously,” Georgiev explains. “People increasingly link productivity, talent retention, and culture to space quality.”
International visitors, he notes, are often surprised:
“The reaction is consistently positive — people are genuinely impressed by the maturity and professionalism of local workspaces. These environments help dismantle outdated stereotypes and show that Bulgaria is not only cost-efficient, but ready to host globally minded teams.”
For Aleksandrov, “quality” is defined by both experience and execution:
“Thoughtful interior design, ergonomic furniture, abundant natural light, flexible work zones, modern A/V technology, and automated processes make work feel seamless. Amenities like a bar, bistro, gym, and dedicated community support elevate the experience through service and attention to detail.”
Equally important is the shift in location strategy, both explain, as in the past, coworking spaces often occupied older or less prestigious buildings to keep costs down. “That model has changed significantly — in Bulgaria and globally,” Tony adds.
The coworking narrative has also evolved. What once served primarily freelancers and startups has become a core solution for global organizations scaling in the region.
“The next wave of demand is clearly being driven by SMEs and corporate teams,” Aleksandrov observes. “Today, around 70% of our clients are international corporations — from Infosys and Dell to Booking.com, Man Group, and many others.”
Building ecosystem infrastructure
Looking ahead, Georgiev believes that 2026 will be defined by coordination and visibility.
“For the first time, our entire event and ecosystem program is planned a full year in advance. That allows us to act as infrastructure, not just media — creating real meetings, real conversations, and real outcomes.”
He hints at a broader ambition. By September 2026, Georgiev expects both The Recursive and the wider CEE ecosystem to be operating in a completely new era of visibility and coordination; one in which information flows more easily, connections are more structured, and the region becomes simpler to understand for international audiences.
International platforms like Web Summit, Aleksandrov notes, play an important role in how Bulgaria is perceived.
“Together with The Recursive, we were able to clearly demonstrate that Bulgaria is an attractive destination for international businesses,” he explains. “International exposure strengthens our credibility and partnerships, but it also helps position Sofia and Bulgaria as forward-thinking, competitive destinations for global business.”
