Meet Our Guest
Denisa Lazurca drives ethical innovation in sustainability, healthtech, and startups—empowering founders through tailored accelerator programs and systemic impact.
Denisa Lazurca is proof that entering the world of startups, tech, and innovation does not happen the same for everyone. For her, it started from an unexpected place as she was inspired by the values she learned when it comes to craftsmanship, storytelling, and community. Her grandmother was the one who sparked her love for handcrafting and traditional garments, an experience that had later evolved into a deeper passion for sustainable fashion and ethical entrepreneurship.
“When I worked in the fashion industry, I saw unethical practices up close — exploitation, lack of transparency. It was a turning point,” Denisa explains. “That experience pushed me to understand innovation and business on a deeper level.”
From Fashion to Funding: The Rise of Dress4Good
This movement led to the creation of her project Dress4Good, an educational platform that prompts conscious consumer behavior in her local ecosystem. Having a sustainable core, the platform also highlights Denisa’s values: transparency, inclusivity, and long-term impact.
She also highlights how “Sustainability isn’t just a green label,” adding that “It means measurable goals, ethical leadership, and using resources responsibly”. As a result, those principles stuck with her, guiding her work from startup accelerators to international partnerships.
Building Accelerators That Actually Make a Difference
At SynergistEIC and EIT Urban Mobility, where she occupied the program manager position, Denisa has helped design and implement numerous programs that support early-stage startups in greentech mobility as well as healthtech.
When asked what makes a successful accelerator, she responded that “Personalization is key,” adding that “Each startup has different needs. Real impact comes from tailored guidance — connecting founders with mentors, helping them find funding, and adapting roadmaps.”
More so, Denisa thinks that true innovation begins with resilience, scalable models, and mission-driven teams that fix real problems, not only hype-driven trends.
FreshBlood and Healthtech: Innovation That Heals
Denisa’s connection to FreshBlood Health Tech, her first startup ecosystem experience, still runs deep. As a former board member, she also helped shape programs and launch Hubantage, an accelerator that is focused exclusively on healthtech founders.
“Healthtech is personal. Innovation here can transform lives,” she says. “That’s why I was so passionate about building programs that truly support early-stage founders in this space.”
From Angel Networks to Policy Shaping
Denisa also supports both operational strategy and investor-startup matchmaking, supporting her opinion that is more than just capital. “Angel investors invest in people first. Founders need to be reliable, coachable, and committed.” More so, Denisa is also glimpsing policy influence through her roles as a technical expert at North-West RDA, keeping her focus on EU-founded programs and systemic change.
She mentions, “We need more than grants and mentoring. We need long-term mechanisms, co-created with public institutions and global partners.”
Empowering the Next Generation
Whether it is the case of working with student entrepreneurs or founders with experience, she adapts her mentorship to the person, going from building business basics to scaling international partnerships.
Her recommendation for young entrepreneurs? “Start by contributing. Volunteer. Join communities. That’s how I started. You learn, you connect — and eventually, you lead.”.
For her future plans, Denisa Lazurca is looking into strengthening the link between grassroots and synthetic transformation. With her work, she uses a mix of heart, strategy, tradition, technology, ethics, and impact.
“Right now, in my role as a technical expert at NW RDA, I am mainly involved in European-funded projects. I’m also exploring how to better support startups not only through mentoring and grants, but also through more strategic, long-term mechanisms such as influencing public policy or co-creating programs with international organisations. That’s a direction I want to grow into, because innovation needs both grassroots energy and systemic support.”
So, whether you meet her at a EU summit, a workshop, or a hackathon, one thing is clear: Denisa is looking to create and redesign the future.
