Deeptech Mentorship Program 2026 – The intensive mentorship program in advanced technologies in Moldova has successfully concluded
Technovator announces the successful completion of the Deeptech Mentorship Program 2026 — an intensive mentorship initiative in advanced technologies in Moldova, conducted online from May 4 to June 8, 2026. On June 15, 2026, during the closing ceremony, the twenty-five participants received their certificates of completion, marking the end of five weeks of personalized mentorship alongside eleven experts with international expertise.
The Deeptech Mentorship Program 2026 generated a significant volume of high-quality mentorship interactions over its five weeks of activity, delivering more than 65 hours of high-quality mentorship through the completion of 65 consulting sessions, including 50 individual and 15 group sessions.
Moldova has talent. Researchers, founders, students, and professionals with real potential to build and scale innovative solutions in advanced technologies. The Deeptech Mentorship Program 2026 was designed to provide these talents with structured access to applied experience, strategic guidance, and international networks that were previously missing from the local ecosystem. The 25 participants of the Deeptech Mentorship Program 2026 represented a diverse spectrum of Moldova’s innovation ecosystem — startup founders, researchers, PhD candidates, and students affiliated with institutions such as the Technical University of Moldova, the Nicolae Testemițanu State University of Medicine and Pharmacy, and the Moldova State University, alongside independent professionals already working on their own projects. Among these projects are: Datanoc, SellwiseAI, CRCI Innovation, MARS Saa, Al-Mizan RWA Project, and eligibil.org. The program operated on a dual mentorship model: thematic group sessions co-facilitated by mentors with complementary expertise, and one-on-one individual sessions tailored to the specific needs of each participant. The twenty-five selected participants — researchers, students, founders, and professionals from fields such as artificial intelligence, biotechnology, energy, agriculture, cybersecurity, and healthcare — benefited from personalized guidance over five intensive weeks.
For many participants, the program meant more than just mentorship sessions — it was the moment their projects gained a clearer direction.
Maria Mogîldea, a researcher developing MARS, an artificial intelligence-based platform for clinical reasoning, shared that the program gave her the opportunity to transform her idea into a grant proposal: “I had sessions with experts open to collaboration, who refined my ideas about the product I am building. I thank the Technovator team and the mentors for all their hard work!”
Mihail Sosidca, founder of the Al-Mizan RWA Project, a platform for structuring tokenized real-world assets, emphasizes the strategic clarity he gained during the program: “The sessions provided me with crucial guidance and a clearer understanding of how I can strengthen our partnership strategy and market positioning. I would like to express my appreciation for the sessions with Phillip Sparks and Calum Cameron, which were particularly helpful in refining the initiative’s vision.”
Cătălin Creciunel, a researcher who developed an electrospinning device for obtaining nanofibers, speaks about the value of the mentors’ applied perspective: “Participating in the program gave me the opportunity to advance the status of my project, thanks to the experience of mentors who already run an established startup or company and have gone through the exact stages we are in right now. I am grateful for the honest and realistic answers that help me give my product a commercial vector, not just an enthusiastic one.”
The program brought together eleven mentors with international expertise, selected for the relevance and depth of their experience:
Alex Felman, founder and CEO for exponential innovation at Exponential U, a serial entrepreneur with a background in molecular toxicology and biotech entrepreneurship at UC Berkeley and Copenhagen Business School. He focused on guiding founders through the fundraising and commercialization processes for deeptech products.
Phillip Sparks, Managing Director of ICanDo 52 Incubators, with over thirty years of experience in information technology, cybersecurity, and digital transformation. He has guided over four hundred teams and startups, bringing deep expertise at the intersection of deeptech and human-centric business innovation to the program.
Irina Verlan, B2B growth strategist and founder of Verlan Agency, with experience in scaling demand generation, lead generation, and customer reference programs across more than twenty countries in Central and Eastern Europe. She guided participants in go-to-market strategies and the responsible use of artificial intelligence.
Radu Revutchi, Machine Learning Research Engineer at Scale AI, with a research background from Carnegie Mellon University and experience implementing AI agents for over one hundred thousand users. He supported Moldovan founders building with artificial intelligence.
Calum Cameron, Digital Innovation Director at DP Innovation Labs and mentor at Plug and Play Tech Center, with early-stage investments in twenty-seven startups and former Managing Director at Startup Wise Guys. He connected participants with the right partners, investors, and institutions.
Alexei Levițchi, specialist in medical data analysis and biomedical research, holding a PhD and over fifteen years of experience in projects with the World Health Organization and the World Bank. He brought a pragmatic, data-driven perspective to teams working at the intersection of research, product, and healthcare markets.
Cătălin Rusnac, founder of Replifactory, with a background in bioinformatics and experience transforming complex scientific processes into functional, practical systems. He helped participants move from idea to execution.
Oleg Ciubotaru, AI Engineering Lead for the United States Federal Government, with experience at Meta in scaling AI-based advertising products. He brought a rare combination of fast-paced startup thinking and the discipline of enterprise-scale, responsible AI implementation to the program.
Florin Păun, jury member of the European Innovation Council, holding a PhD from ISAE-SUPAERO and over twenty years of experience in technology transfer and research commercialization at institutions like ONERA – The French Aerospace Lab. He provided the strategic depth required to turn deeptech projects into scalable businesses.
Andrian Adam, UX and Product Designer at Orange, ex-IBM, specialized in turning complex ideas into validated, testable products. He supported participants in shaping their ideas into real products and preparing for growth and investment.
Mihai Dascăl, medical researcher and software architect in HealthTech and AI, with nine years of experience at the intersection of healthcare and technology, and direct experience designing national-scale E-Health systems. He brought a practical perspective on implementing deeptech products in healthcare.
The closing ceremony brought together the program’s participants, mentors, and partners. Most participants attended in person, while those unable to travel connected online alongside several mentors. During the event, participants received their certificates of completion and had the opportunity to reflect on their journey over the past five weeks.
Technovator extends its gratitude to the UMAEF (Ukraine-Moldova American Enterprise Fund) for supporting this program, to the mentors who dedicated their time and expertise, and to the participants who chose to invest five weeks into their personal development and the growth of their projects.
Technovator is an innovation organization in Moldova that develops the local deeptech ecosystem through acceleration programs, mentorship, education, and connections with international networks. Its initiatives include Deeptech GigaHack, Business Innovation Summit, Deeptech Academy, Science Cafe, and Technovator Labs.
