Tekpon Awards | The Gala for SaaS people
Table of Contents
An interesting fact that I’ve noticed in the SaaS and software industry is that someone, somehow, can find another missing piece of the puzzle and bring it to life. This is an industry of people who identify a need and come up with a solution. Yet, it is quite interesting to find that behind all these machines and technology, innovative solutions lay people with beats of hearts, stories to tell, and a future to change.
The Tekpon Awards: The Oscars of SaaS
Coming back to those who can bring something new on this stage, I have the following story to tell – Tekpon Awards, the Oscars of SaaS, and the software community. If you are new to this or haven’t taken part in this turnaround point, let me put this in simple words. Even though I know a guy who can simplify the message better than I can, I will try.
Tekpon Awards is the new concept of delivering good networking, bringing together people from all around the world, acknowledging the value of people who impact this industry, and celebrating the ongoing work we all put together.
The Gala Experience
Tekpon Awards, the Gala for SaaS, is where people do not come onto a stage to talk for other people but only to thank their mothers, husbands, wives, and teams when they receive the prize. Where networking is at its most comfortable zone, with good food, greater wines, and amazing people to find. Of course, there is also the business element behind all of these sweet words I’m putting here. But, during this Gala, I discovered that people can introduce the business factor better in friendly, personal, intimate discussions. I’m hoping that until now, you ask yourself what kept you from being there.
Romania’s Growing Influence in SaaS
We all know, and by we, I mean us, people from Romania, that we are having amazing growth in this industry. In the last few years, Romania has become an important player in the market that delivers quality entrepreneurs and great ideas. Yet, somehow, we are still fighting to find our voice as a community. But with Tekpon Awards, we find the intro, and our voice is becoming louder and more powerful—we are in the industry, and we are not leaving anywhere.
Thus, Tekpon Awards’ main result was that we managed to put Romania on the SaaS ecosystem map. A US company chose the main city from Romania to make this Gala a real happening. People came from all over the world for this event, from each continent, right in Bucharest. Maybe they were curious about why this event didn’t have speakers on the stage, no other type of fluff content, just prizes and networking. Of course, if you stay until the end, you will find more surprises that happened.
The Event: A Two-Day Extravaganza
18 June. The day. In leading roles, Alexandru Stan & Cristian Dina, this crazy duo that everyone from SaaS knows. The entire team is the supporting actors. If you think that is an easy job, what they do is not. Doing something different in any industry needs a lot of craziness. But they made it – 500 people in two days, in the middle of Bucharest, the ground zero for SaaS. Other than being an opportunity for people to meet outside LinkedIn, it was also the perfect context for people to dress in their best costumes and give some elegancy to this event.
500 people in two days coming from all over the world to:
- Meet other people
- Enjoy
- Get out of their comfort zone
- Experience good networking
A lot of work for many dreamers like we are, with big aspirations to deliver only the best and help people. But, hey, don’t shoot the messenger or the storyteller in my case. If you expected a perfect event from the first edition, you are much more of a dreamer than us and less realistic. We are learning with every initiative and every honest thing we want to do – as honest as our reviews.
Tekpon Magazine: A Bold Move
If you don’t know already, we also have Tekpon Magazine, a print magazine for SaaS people about people from SaaS. A bold move but intelligent. The guys went even further with this idea by bringing a photo booth with the cover of our magazine where people could experiment with how it is to be on the cover of a magazine. Emelie Linheden and Stefan Smulders know it because they are on the actual cover.
Oh, I forgot about the mime. As I said, there is less content at Tekpon Awards. A mime was greeting people, serving them with champagne from a fountain champagne, while a DJ was bringing some sounds to the Gala. Crazy, right? Yet, people were enjoying it. Of course, we had hosts – the one and only Cristian Dina and Razvan Suta from Startup Wise Guys.
The Night’s Winners
To move on to serious matters, let’s present you with the night’s winners, even though after this event, we all are winners in one way or another.
BOOTSTRAPPERS OF THE YEAR
- Stefan Smulders, Co-founder @ Expandi.io
- Michael Kamleitner, founder @ Walls.io, Swat.io
- Saravana Kumar, CEO @ Kovai.co
- Bridget Harris, CEO @ YouCanBook.me
- Andrei Stefan, founder @ Vitals
- Adrian Balcan, founder @ Feedcheck.
Read more about the Bootstrappers of the Year Award
SALESPERSONS OF THE YEAR
- Ignacio Villanueva, VP of Origination @ Boopos
- Desiree – Jessica Pely, founder @ Loyee.ai
- Dragos Gal, Global Head of BD @ Twipla
Read more about the Salespersons of the Year Award
MARKETERS OF THE YEAR
- Olga Andrienko, VP of Brands & Marketing @ Semrush
- Emilia Korczynska, Head of Marketing @ Userpilot
- Bianca Dragan, Head of Brand Marketing @ Paddle
Read more about the Marketers of the Year Award
CEOs OF THE YEAR
- Thomas Smale, CEO @ FE International
- Zandra Moore, CEO @ Panintelligence
- Mads Wedderkopp, CEO @ Dreaminfluence
Read more about the CEOs of the Year Award
FOUNDERS OF THE YEAR
- Sergiu Negut, Co-founder @ Fintechos
- Andrei Pitis, Founder @ Genezio
- Daniel Melkersson, Co-Founder @ Pinmeto
- Mateo Carmona-Arango, Managing Director @ AF
- Alin Dobra, Founder @ Bunnyshell
- Andrei Avadanei, CEO @ Sentinel
Read more about the Founders of the Year Award
ACCOUNTANT OF THE YEAR
- Cenk Tukel, CEO @ Tukel
Read more about the Accountant of the Year Award
DEVOPS SUPPLIER OF THE YEAR
- Andrei Manea, Founder & CEO @ Cloudhero
Read more about the DevOps Supplier of the Year Award
WOMAN OF THE YEAR
- Emeli Lindehen, VP of Marketing @ Younium
Read more about the Woman of the Year Award
TEKPON INNOVATOR
- Gerald Zankl, CEO @ Kickscale
- Jacqueline-Amadea Pely, Founder & CPO @ Loyee.ai
- Jonas Larsson, CEO @ Graftus
- Iulia Trandafir & Paula Avasiloaie, Co-Founders @ Genezio
- Mihai Darzan & Marian Voicu, Co-Founders @ Procesio
- Alex Circei, CEO @ Waydev
- Dragos Bulugean, Founder @ Archbee
- Cosmin Pirvu, Startup Program Manager @ Veridion
- Mira Anastasia Popa, Tail Product Manager @ Digitail
- Georgia Bucea, CEO @ Brinos
- Andrei Boruzescu, Co-Founder @ Ex-Machina
- Bogdan Alangiu, Head of Channels & Alliances @ Flowx.ai
- Alex Petre, CEE @ Druid AI
- Daniel Rogoz, CEO @ Kinderpedia
- Gabriel Paunescu, CEO @ Naologic.com
Read more about the Tekpon Innovators Award
TEKPON STARS
- Tudor Cosaceanu, Regional VP @ UiPath
- Adrian Gheorghe, Startup Program Manager @ Microsoft
- Hrvoje Magic, VP Revops @ Younium
- Bianca Dragan, Head of Brand Marketing @ Paddle
- Dipak Vadera, Director of Marketing @ Dealfront
- Jairo Teinturier, Account Executive @ Deel
- Octavian Brezoi, Head of Sales @ 2Checkout is now Verifone
- Dor Barak, Affiliate Program Manager @ Userway
- Sorin Lungu, Founding Member & QA Lead @ Chili Piper
- Olga Andrienko, VP of Brand Marketing @ Semrush
Read more about the Tekpon Stars Award
TOP IMPACT OF THE YEAR
- Alex Theuma, Founder @ SaaStock
- Cristobal Alonso, El Patron @ Startup Wise Guys
- Monica Zara, Partner & Head of Conference @ How to Web
- Elena Vrabie, Head of Sales @ The Recursive
- Vlad Andriescu, Editor in Chief @ Start-up.ro
Read more about the Top Impact of the Year Award
Big names but bigger achievements. I think that each of these people also needs to know that besides their nomination and win, they all greatly impact our industry. Each person is an important piece that moves this ecosystem correctly.
A Unique Gala: Opera Singer and Champagne Fountain
Wait, the following moment that we had at Tekpon Awards, I’m sure, will make you ask yourself, “How are Alexandru and Cristina getting their ideas?”. Apart from champagne and all the people, the star of the night was the opera singer who dressed this Gala in the most elegant way she knew – with music.
Personally, I’ve never heard of or been to a SaaS event where an opera singer was part of the program. I can’t remember a lot of things that we brought to the Tekpon Awards or any other event. As I said in the beginning, it doesn’t have to be a competition between the nicest and biggest event; the important thing is bringing something new that will add value to the industry – diversity.
Our dream with the Tekpon Awards was precisely this—not to enter into a competition, not to be another conference because we are not, but an elegant event like the Oscars where people can meet the biggest names in the industry, win prizes as recognition for their entire work, network, and have good food. And I hope we checked at least two out of four if not all.
Charity Auction: A Noble Cause
Yet, the main goal with Tekpon is to help people and businesses, and we couldn’t do less for this event, so we had a charity auction where people could bid, and the money went to an association. The bidding piece was a painting made especially for this event. And we made it; we raised $1000 for a noble cause.
I can’t say enough about how everything looked with all the people dressed exactly like they were attending the Oscars, yet I hope people felt exactly how I felt about this event from the side of the team that made it happen. I bet it feels nice to be part of the change and to see how things get even better for Romania’s ecosystem and its people. And we couldn’t end this Gala better than liberating ourselves on the dancefloor, ending such a good event in a positive state of mind, dreaming already on Tekpon Awards 1000, yes with 1000 people, for 2025.
Maybe I am subjective regarding the event, but I only tried to be the storyteller of a great beginning that took us to another level. Again, this event would not have been possible without Alexandru Stan and Cristian Dina, and every member of our team that built the ecosystem in the back for things to happen and Tekpon to grow enough to have something to say in this industry. 4 years ago, Tekpon was an idea in a garage; now, that idea is alive on a stage in Grand Hotel Bucharest and worldwide. 4 years ago, we were looking at the big SaaS brands wishing for just a “hello”; now, we are working with them. Sometimes, it takes a team of dreamers and big hearts to make things turn into reality.
VIP Boat Side Event
The Boats Side Event, hosted by Younium and FE International, Inc., was a standout highlight of the Tekpon Awards 2024. Set against the backdrop of Bucharest’s waterways, this exclusive gathering brought together industry leaders like Stefan Smulders, Horst Wenske, and Ignacio Villanueva Martin, among others.
The event offered a unique opportunity for relaxed networking aboard luxurious boats, where guests, including Dr. Desiree-Jessica Pely, Jacqueline-Amadea Pely, and Alexandru Stan, mingled and exchanged ideas in an intimate, scenic setting. It was a refreshing and memorable experience that perfectly complemented the elegance and innovation of the Tekpon Awards Gala.
VIP Networking Event @ The Vault – Marmarosch Hotel
The VIP networking event in The Vault at Marmorosch Hotel was an exclusive highlight of the Tekpon Awards 2024, sponsored by Paddle. Set in the historic vault of a former bank, this unique venue provided the perfect atmosphere for top SaaS executives and founders to connect over cocktails.
On June 19th, VIPs, including notable guests like Tudor Cosăceanu and Georgeta Gheorghe from UiPath, gathered for an unforgettable evening filled with engaging conversations and new connections. The ambiance of the vault, combined with the elite company and Paddle’s sponsorship, made this a truly remarkable event. Reflecting on the event, it’s clear that such experiences, where genuine connections are made, leave a lasting impression on everyone involved.
Acknowledging Our Sponsors
But all of this would not have been possible without our main sponsors, who trusted us and gave us the drive to dream even bigger. It is important to mention them, as alone, we couldn’t have done it, but together, we are better.
Many thanks to Younium for sponsoring the Tekpon Awards and helping make the event a success. We really appreciate your support and contribution to celebrating excellence in technology. Younium is a leading subscription management platform designed to streamline complex billing processes and optimize revenue operations for B2B companies.
Dear FE International Team, thank you for your invaluable sponsorship of the Tekpon Awards. Your support has been a key factor in bringing our event to life and recognizing the achievements in the tech industry. We deeply appreciate your commitment and partnership. FE International is a premier mergers and acquisitions advisory firm specializing in SaaS, e-commerce, and content businesses. With a global presence, FE International provides end-to-end services for buying and selling businesses, ensuring seamless transactions and successful outcomes for their clients.
Paddle Team, we are immensely grateful for your generous sponsorship of the Tekpon Awards and for your commitment to our event and the tech community. Paddle is a revenue delivery platform for SaaS companies, offering solutions for payments, billing, and subscription management. By simplifying the complexities of global commerce, Paddle empowers software businesses to focus on growth and customer success.
Dear Boopos team, we want to express our gratitude for sponsoring the Tekpon Awards. Your support has been essential in making this event a resounding success. We value your partnership and commitment to acknowledging excellence in the tech industry. Boopos provides flexible financing solutions designed for acquiring online businesses. Through revenue-based funding, Boopos empowers entrepreneurs to acquire and expand e-commerce and SaaS businesses without the usual limitations of equity or debt financing.
2 Checkout is now Verifone, we thank you for all the help and sponsorship. Your support has played a significant role in the success of our event, and we appreciate your commitment to celebrating innovation and excellence in technology. 2Checkout is a global leader in payment technology and commerce solutions. Offering a robust suite of services for online payments, Verifone enables businesses to accept payments, manage subscriptions, and optimize revenue on a global scale.
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the SaaStock Team for all their support since the beginning. Your support has been pivotal in making our event a grand success. Thank you for your unwavering commitment to the tech community. SaaStock is a global community and conference series for SaaS founders, executives, and investors. By bringing together leaders in the SaaS industry, SaaStock fosters networking, knowledge sharing, and growth opportunities for businesses at all stages.
TikTok for Business team, we’re thankful for your support at the Tekpon Awards. Thanks for teaming up with us and getting things done for our event. TikTok for Business offers awesome marketing solutions to help brands connect with the global TikTok community. Businesses can use the platform’s unique, creative, and engaging format to reach new audiences, boost engagement, and achieve their marketing goals.
Looking Forward to Tekpon Awards 2025
Last but not least, I thank everyone from the SaaS industry, not only those who came to the Tekpon Awards and were part of something extraordinary. To each of our team members for their dedication, and the main actors that made this event a reality – Alexandru Stan, CEO @ Tekpon, and Cristian Dina, Managing Partner @ Tekpon, see you all and more others next year for Tekpon Awards 1000.
Yes, 1000 comes from 1000 people.
