George SmartEU currently has 32 funding programs included, which fall into two broad categories: financial instruments (guarantee schemes) and grants (national or European). Funding program availability is updated in real-time in the app to give entrepreneurs access to the latest and most relevant information on accessing funds based on eligibility criteria.
“George SmartEU is a useful tool in stimulating local entrepreneurship, in the sense of developing transformational projects for their own companies and for the community, from technological modernization to creating skills for the present and the future. It truly facilitates information for all those interested in funding programs and provides entrepreneurs with real-time access to relevant data through which they can create business and impact at large scale (…)”, said Sergiu Manea, CEO of BCR.
“George SmartEU brings together technology, access to resources, suitability between business plans and available financing with new development opportunities (…)”, said Oana Bara, Coordinator of BCR Financing Programs.
The George SmartEU solution was created together with Oceanobe, a software development company from Iasi, and the development and implementation process lasted three months. Oceanobe is a 100% Romanian company, a creative hub for innovative software products, covering areas such as sustainable construction, asset management, banking, payment processing, mental health, energy, and digital media.
“(…) Romania has a growing number of innovative start-ups and talented entrepreneurs aiming to revolutionize various sectors, including the financial sector. Oceanobe and BCR have the same vision in this field, that of facilitating access to digitization, including fields that may seem more traditional at first glance, such as applying to European funds (…)”, said Robert Tamas, Founder of Oceanobe.
George was launched in 2018 and has 2.3 million users. From 2021, the ecosystem also opened for business, offering entrepreneurs a portfolio of digital products and functionalities. Currently, over 140,000 companies are registered in George for business.