Entrepreneurship without borders, within the IMMERSED project

Entrepreneurship without borders, within the IMMERSED project

On April 25th, the IMMERSED project organised a Barter Club meeting on the topic of entrepreneurship in Romania, an event designed for members of the Ukrainian community interested in starting a business on new ground.

The format was participatory and open, an authentic conversation guided by the real questions and needs of the participants.

Among the guests was Andrii Romanenko, a Ukrainian entrepreneur and owner of Ucraina Food, a catering business based in Cluj, a concrete example that economic integration is possible. Also present was Ovidiu Spînu, co-founder of La Colline, a premium goat’s milk cheese producer following French recipes, with a factory in Feleacu, Cluj County, and consistent exports to the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia. A family business built from the ground up in 2007, grown organically through quality, creativity and resilience. And Eliade Rotariu, business consultant, trainer with over 20 years of practice and founder of the Managers Academy platform, through which he has contributed to the managerial development of thousands of professionals and dozens of companies across Romania. Emanuel Țapu, director of HEKS/EPER Romania, rounded off the session with practical information on financing options available to early-stage businesses.

The discussions covered the concrete realities of entrepreneurship: common challenges, critical decisions and lessons drawn directly from experience, both from successes and from difficult moments.

IMMERSED continues to build bridges between communities, between experiences and between opportunities. Thank you to everyone who joined us for their openness and engagement!

Meetings like this one are part of the IMMERSED project’s mission: we support Ukrainian refugees in becoming stable and independent within the communities where they live. Because true integration means not just a job, but a place in the community.