Made in Romania, the program of the Bucharest Stock Exchange, announced and awarded on Tuesday, September 26, the finalist companies of this year, the future growth engines of the Romanian economy.

Among the 15 successful entrepreneurial stories, three are from the IT&C sector, representing the largest share of the total finalists, followed by companies from the Agriculture, Food Industry, Pharmaceutical Industry, and Manufacturing Industry sectors, each sector being represented by 2 companies. Additionally, there is one company each from the following sectors among the 15 finalists: Energy, Home & Deco, Services, and Clothing, footwear, and accessories.

The 15 finalist companies, listed in alphabetical order, are:

• Adrem Engineering - Company specializing in energy infrastructure digitization through complex automation projects.
• Amber - Creative agency structured as a network of studios with different specializations, offering a wide range of video game development solutions.
• Apidava - A family-owned business that, in its 31 years of activity, has become an international brand, exporting honey to over 12 countries worldwide.
• Ascendia - Company engaged in the development of proprietary products and services related to the e-learning industry.
• Bookster - Bookster brings books closer to people, inspiring over 1,200 companies to grow through reading.
• Chic Bijoux - With 12 years of activity, it has its own workshop for personalized jewelry, selling online in Romania and internationally.
• Croco - A leader in product categories such as "Pretzels," "Crackers," "Sticks," "Petit Beurre," and "Cream Biscuits," enjoying a constant presence in the market since its establishment in 1994.
• Exonia - A 100% Romanian entrepreneurial company that produces over 100 million personalized paper bags annually, most of which are exported to Germany, Austria, France, the Netherlands, and the USA.
• Farmacia Tei - Founded out of love for people in 1992, it is currently the leader in the online pharmacy market.
• Fiterman Pharma - Perseverance, passion, and dedication are the driving forces defining the company's activities in the pharmaceutical and medical field for over 25 years.
• Grup Serban - A group of Romanian capital companies founded in 1994, operating in the agribusiness sector, constantly expanding.
• Kinderpedia - A comprehensive digital management and communication solution for schools and kindergartens.
• Mobexpert - A vertically integrated company, involved in designing and producing furniture and decorations in Mobexpert factories, and selling them both in physical stores and online.
• Qfort - The company operates in the long-lasting utility products industry, manufacturing thermally insulated carpentry to the highest standards.
• Ultragreens - The company's story began in 2014 with the goal of bringing microgreens to all restaurants and kitchens for those who want to eat healthy.

"Romanian entrepreneurship continues to evolve from year to year, just like our Made in Romania initiative dedicated to company founders who contribute to the national economy development. Through the program, we continue to provide a tested and improved platform with each edition, where Made in Romania finalists and semi-finalists can find comprehensive promotion solutions and access strategies to become significant players in our economy. In essence, the Made in Romania project aims to connect capital with the unique ideas of Romanian entrepreneurs, and every year, we discover companies with remarkable projects and successes, in whose growth course we are delighted to contribute. Congratulations to the 15 finalists of this edition! We look forward to discovering together new solutions to implement all their expansion plans." said Radu Hanga, President of the Bucharest Stock Exchange.

"Made in Romania is a concept in which we believe, and we want to see more companies proud of this status. Through this program, we have the opportunity to take a snapshot of the Romanian business environment, and the results from each edition show us that more and more entrepreneurs aspire to become landmarks in their industry at a national level and to promote Romania beyond its borders through their activities. We see a growing openness among them to access development opportunities, and, in this regard, we organize and adapt workshop sessions that address specific needs of companies and implement new tools to assist them in advertising, such as the launch of the Made in Romania podcast this year, dedicated to the finalist companies. Each of the 15 companies has an extraordinary story, and we are delighted to provide this platform to make them as visible as possible." said Adrian Tanase, CEO of the Bucharest Stock Exchange.

The Made in Romania program for identifying and rewarding Romanian companies with growth potential was divided into three main stages, namely: the nomination of Romanian companies, the selection of the 50 semifinalist companies, and the voting process. In the first stage, which took place from March 29th to May 31st, 2023, there were 386 valid nominations received through the platform www.investingromania.com. Among these, from June 1st to June 30th, 2023, the Nomination Committee selected this year's semifinalists based on well-defined criteria, such as turnover, relevant performance from previous years, the prototypes launch, or prospects for innovation in niche markets. In the third stage, held between July 3rd and July 31st, the public vote took place, which sent 3 out of the 15 finalist companies of the Made in Romania program directly to the final. The Public Voting stage gathered 13,774 validated votes, over 26% more votes compared to the previous edition. The most voted company received 2,224 valid votes, the second-ranked company received 2,209 votes, and the third company received 1,456 votes. The other 12 companies were designated on August 3rd by the Made in Romania Jury, composed of experts in various fields of the economy.

The Made in Romania project was launched by the Bucharest Stock Exchange in 2017 with the aim of identifying and promoting top companies in Romania. The development of the www.investingromania.com platform positions the Bucharest Stock Exchange as the primary funding channel for Romanian entrepreneurs. Additionally, the platform is aimed at investors, consultants, and, especially, companies with growth prospects who wish to attract funding from investors or are in the process of preparing for a private placement on the AeRO Market or the Main Market.

In the course of 2023, the project has been supported by Microsoft, "powered by Microsoft," along with the following partners: Agista, Banca Transilvania, BT Capital Partners, BRK Financial Group, Bondoc ?i Asociatii, Dendrio, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, IFB Finwest, Mazars, Mercer Marsh Benefits, Propaganda, UiPath and Termene.ro. The supporters of this edition include ANIS, the Romanian Investor Relations Association on the Stock Exchange in Romania (ARIR), DoingBusiness, Institutul de Studii Financiare (ISF), Romanian Business Leaders and Romania Private Equity Association (ROPEA). The media partners of the program are: Digi24, Financial Intellingence, The Entrepreneurs' Radio, Radio Guerrilla and Romania Insider.

*This is a Press Release.