On March 20th, the “Tirana-Tel Aviv Technology Week” began, focusing on the topics of technology and innovation, with the participation of about 40 leading Albanian companies, as well as 88 Israeli companies, start-ups and potential investors from sectors such as Cybertechnology, Insure-Tech, FinTech and Agri-Tech.
The event is attended by representatives of central and local government institutions, universities and the banking, insurance, agro-industrial, tourism and service sectors.
The “Technology Week” aims to familiarize Israeli entrepreneurs with the information ecosystem and the main Albanian companies operating in the field of technology, as well as to create cooperation agreements between companies in order to promote development and innovation.
The Israeli ambassador in Tirana, Galit Peleg, appreciated the rapid development of Albanian infrastructure and the presence of “a talented young generation, who can speak several foreign languages” and possess the knowledge and skills that Israeli companies are looking for.
Tirana aims to become the Tel-Aviv of the Balkans, said mayor Erion Veliaj, who underlined that 88 Israeli companies are already active in the Albanian capital, where 50% of the country’s economy is concentrated.
Veliaj also recalled that Tirana is the youngest city in Europe and grows every year, with new projects in the technology sector. After extensive renovation, the so-called “Pyramid” will be inaugurated this spring. The communist mausoleum of brutalist architecture will be transformed by the Dutch studio MVRDV into the largest technology hub in the region, which will host companies and start-ups with the support of the Albanian-American Development Fund.
The pyramid will act as an incubator for companies in the field of innovation, art and creativity under the supervision of the best international experts. The prestigious newspaper “The New York Times” also dedicated a long article to this important regional center of technology and innovation.
In the urban zone of Kashar, covering an area of 35 hectares, the “Economic and Technological Development Zone” (TEDA) will be created as a free economic space intended for both technological enterprises and industries operating with international standards, well connected to major transport infrastructure. The initial investment of the project is estimated at over one hundred million euros.