A business accelerator supporting communities along Romania’s Via Transilvanica trail has increased the number of initiatives it will finance from 10 to 15. The program was expanded after its evaluation process identified more viable proposals than the initial budget could support.
The selected projects cover local food, accommodation, experiential tourism, cultural and natural heritage activities, physical recovery services, and assistance for hikers, including bicycle repairs and local guiding.
Each initiative will receive a non-repayable grant of up to EUR 8,000 to launch, develop, or diversify its operations. The funding will be accompanied by mentoring and business consulting for 24 months after the contracts are signed.
“We met entrepreneurs who had already invested time, resources, and considerable work in their ideas and needed relatively modest support to take the next step,” said Angela Achiței, president of ADV Group, one of the program’s organizers. “We will work alongside them so the investments become viable businesses that generate income and real benefits for local communities.”
Launched in March 2026, the Via Transilvanica Social Enterprise Accelerator attracted 283 applications from people seeking to develop businesses on or near the route.
Following entrepreneurial training in Iași, 38 business plans entered the funding competition. Of these, 25 reached the final stage and were presented by their founders before the selection panel.
Several of the successful applicants already have premises, experience in tourism, partnerships with local producers, or investments made from their own funds. The grants are intended to help them complete unfinished projects, expand existing services, or turn small-scale activities into sustainable businesses, representatives said.
“Funding is only the beginning,” said Manuela Iftimoaei, project manager and European programs director at ADV Group. “For two years, we will be alongside each entrepreneur, from completing investments and securing permits to promotion and finding customers.”
The organizers said they will monitor each company’s economic results, long-term viability, and contribution to its community. The program also aims to determine whether the businesses broaden the services available to travelers and increase local incomes.
Via Transilvanica was created by the Tășuleasa Social association and crosses Romania from Putna in the northeast to Drobeta-Turnu Severin in the southwest. The route stretches for more than 1,600 km and passes through villages and small towns that travelers might otherwise bypass.
Hikers and cyclists using the trail require meals, accommodation, bicycle repairs, guides, and other services. The accelerator seeks to turn these needs into sources of income for residents along the route.
“Such a trail cannot exist independently of local people and the services they provide to hikers,” said Tășuleasa Social president Alin Ușeriu.
“Every business that takes root represents an opportunity for the community and another reason for people to stay, invest, and make use of their skills,” he added. “We want Via Transilvanica to become an economic and social link that brings value to the places it crosses.”
The trail was inaugurated in 2022 following four and a half years of development. In 2025, the association began expanding it into other historic regions and opened the 170 km Terra Borza Teutonica section, making Brașov the route’s third entry point.
Via Transilvanica now crosses 8 historical regions, 10 counties, and areas containing 12 UNESCO-listed sites. Tășuleasa Social plans to continue expanding the project over the next two decades.
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