🦇 Best Road trip in Transylvania Ever
Plus how Aiva is using AI to analyze CCTV video streams
Hello from your friend in Bucharest, Romania.
In this issue: Innovators Can Laugh with startup Aiva, my trip to Transylvania, quotes by Walt Disney and more!
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Innovators Can Laugh
Passionate about technology, he invested all his savings into creating a company and worked tirelessly for months on end without any guarantee of success or financial reward.
This is the story of Pushkar Chatterji, co-founder of Aiva, a startup that uses artificial intelligence to help businesses become more efficient and productive through the use of machine learning algorithms.
This was a fun conversation as you get to hear two expats share their perspective of what it is like living in Romania, how Cluj compares to Bucharest, and what exotic Romanian foods Pushkar enjoys.
And of course, how you can a company incorporate AI into their business.
🎙️📺 Catch the interview on Spotify, Apple, other platform, or on YouTube.
Sibiu, Cluj & Sighisoara
I really thought Brasov was the most beautiful city in Romania.
Until I went to SIbiu. Oh wait, until I went to Cluj. 🙂
Over the span of eight days, my family and I traveled to Sibiu, Cluj, and Sighisoara. Places I had never been before. There’s too much to say about each city and place we visited as they were all spectacular in their own way. So instead, I will share what I loved most about our trip and what I think I will cherish most…in no particular order:
The drive from Sighisoara to Brasov - majestic, scenic, views of mountains, hills, and greenery all around. No better drive I’ve experienced in Romania yet.
AirBnbs (places we stayed) - I picked places that were within 5 minutes walking distance of city center. Each place was first rate. In fact, I took pictures of all of them because creating an AirBnb is something that I’m contemplating in the future. Our place in Cluj was one-of-a-kind as the 2nd floor contained a net that was fixed above the first floor living area where my kids could play and jump on while watching tv below. Oh, and the ‘movie apartment’ had a projector and screen that came down that allowed us to watch movies on a big screen. Nice! 🎥
Cluj botanical garden - I’m not one much for gardens, but this one was worth a visit. The little bridges, windy paths off the beaten path, and within walking distance from the center of town. 🌸
Kids pet zoo on top of mountain in Cluj - feed zebra’s, ponies, and goats all from an amazing view on top of a mountain 🦓
Restaurants in Cluj - Daiana Moldovan and Anca Tataru shared their favorite places to eat in Cluj and each one was absolutely delicious!
Thank you Romania for making this trip absolutely wonderful and for allowing me to give my Mom wonderful memories of her visit. If you plan on visiting Cluj and want to know the names of the restaurants we visited or the AirBnbs we stayed at, just let me know.
Funny Clip
Evelina Necula from Kinderpedia and I have some laughs during our conversation. Do you think she chose to have dinner with Ariana Huffington or the $25k in cash? See clip. And if you liked the clip, please subscribe and catch the full episode here.
Some Fav Quotes
➡️ "When you're curious, you find lots of interesting things to do."
➡️ "All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them."
Walt Disney
Upcoming Episode
Andrei Stoica is the co-founder of B2B agency Stoica.co and Elrond Giants - a digital space built for Giants, where tech-driven creators, builders, and web 3 enthusiasts can feel at home.
The End
Thanks for reading today!
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See you all next week!
Eric M.
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