From 5 to 7 October 2026, Varna hosted the first edition of CONNEXUS – Black Sea Technology Forum, and kidsday was there as an exhibitor, presenting our AI assistant for kindergartens to entrepreneurs, investors, public institutions and educators from across the region. Our participation was made possible with the support of Startup Albania and Albania's Ministry of Economy and Innovation (MEI).
A new meeting point for the Black Sea tech ecosystem
CONNEXUS was organised by ICT Cluster – Varna together with the Municipality of Varna, the Bulgarian Small and Medium Enterprises Promotion Agency (BSMEPA), BRAIN++ – the Bulgarian AI Factory, and the Applied Research and Communications Fund (ARC Fund), under the patronage of the President of Bulgaria, Iliana Iotova. Over three days at Hotel Cherno More, the forum brought together more than 500 participants and 35+ exhibitors from over ten countries, with two parallel conference tracks covering artificial intelligence, automation, cybersecurity, maritime technology, smart cities and digital transformation.
What set the forum apart was its guiding principle, “Learn and Apply”: rather than only talking about technology, CONNEXUS focused on connecting real needs with practical solutions, and on turning conversations into concrete pilot projects after the event.
kidsday at the exhibition
At our stand, visitors could try kidsday live on a tablet and see how one platform helps a kindergarten plan every activity, organise admissions, chat with parents in real time, produce detailed reports and automate billing. Our materials were prepared in Bulgarian, because kidsday is fully available in Bulgarian and we wanted kindergarten owners and educators in Varna and across Bulgaria to see exactly what their team and parents would use every day.
kidsday also appeared on the forum's partner and exhibitor screens alongside institutions such as the National Innovation Fund, the Fund of Funds and Bulgaria's Employment Agency – a proud moment for a startup born in our region. And yes, we had a memorable visitor: a humanoid robot posed for a photo at our stand, a fitting reminder of how quickly AI is moving from the stage into everyday life.
Conversations that matter
The most valuable part of the forum was the people. Over three days we met kindergarten owners, educators, potential partners and investors from Bulgaria and the wider Black Sea region. Many conversations came back to the same challenges we hear everywhere: too much paperwork, scattered communication with parents and too little time for children. These are exactly the problems kidsday was built to solve, and Varna confirmed that Bulgarian kindergartens are ready for a simpler, digital way of working.
Thank you, Startup Albania and MEI
Being present at international events like CONNEXUS would not be possible without the support of Startup Albania and Albania's Ministry of Economy and Innovation. Their commitment to helping Albanian startups reach new markets is opening real doors for companies like ours, and we are grateful to be part of that effort.
“Varna showed us how much appetite there is in Bulgaria and the wider Black Sea region for practical AI in early childhood education,” said Bardh Kadiu, Founder & CEO of kidsday. “Thanks to the support of Startup Albania and the Ministry of Economy and Innovation, we were able to bring kidsday to this audience and build relationships that we will keep growing in the months ahead.”
What's next
We are following up with the kindergartens and partners we met in Varna and continuing to grow kidsday in Bulgaria. If you run a kindergarten or nursery and would like to see what kidsday can do for your team, visit kidsday.com and book a free demo.
