The cofounders of Neurolabs, currently based in Cluj, Romania, met at the University of Edinburgh. The company’s founders include Paul Pop, Remus Pop, and Patrick Fulop. The students attended the University of Edinburgh for its the best-in-class in Europe for computer science and artificial intelligence, which is delivered by the School of Informatics.

The company is focused on automating and speeding the check-out process in retail. This is a huge market opportunity globally and the application of AI to the problem makes Neurolabs one hot startup. The company was launched officially last year. Read more about it in this Digit article. An earlier article in EU-Startups gives a more in-depth view of the size of the problem and opportunity that the team is addressing. http://See the company’s animated video here: https://vimeo.com/334396080

For whatever reason, the startup didn’t get accelerated or incubated in Edinburgh itself. Instead, the student startup team joined Fast Track Malmo in Sweden, as well as Data Pitch London. Currently the startup is based in Paris at Station F. Thus far it seems to have the capability to pull down EU grants for which it qualifies.

The startup is focused on building its team and expanding its human resources. Thus it has hired 4 graduates from the University of Edinburgh, and is coordinating with PhDs and professors there as well. Paul Pop has identified Edinburgh as a key source for talent and impressive institutions of higher learning that are driving innovation and new startup activity. Such areas of artificial intelligence are drawing interest from global corporate players as well such as Cisco.

These (now former) student entrepreneurs exemplify the advantages of starting a knowledge-based technology company in Europe. They are able to traverse the landscape, joining accelerators and incubators in different countries, while keeping a foothold on the brainpower of a leading global university. At least in the present time, they are able to leverage the EU’s “free movement of persons” benefit, as well as the state-aid grant programs that mark the block as well. Romania was a late joiner to the EU, coming aboard in 2007, and a decade later in 2017 it had the greatest rate of economic growth at 7%. These student-returner entrepreneurs will benefit their home country’s economy through this effort to grow a world-class technology companny from Cluj, no matter what happens in terms of success or failure.