Why Tbilisi Is Quietly Becoming a Tech Hub

Host: Georgia doesn't get mentioned in the same breath as Estonia or Poland when people talk about Eastern European tech. Why not, and is that changing?

Giorgi: It's changing, but slowly, and for reasons that aren't fully understood outside the region. Georgia's real advantage isn't the visa policy or the low corporate tax, although both help. The real advantage is that it's one of the easiest places in the world to start a company. I started three companies here. The fastest incorporation took 45 minutes online. That's not a metaphor — 45 minutes.

Host: That's remarkable. What's driving the developer talent?

Giorgi: Two things. First, Georgian universities produce strong maths and computer science graduates. Second, the influx of Russian tech workers since 2022 has been significant — people who left Russia and chose Tbilisi over Berlin or Warsaw because of the cost of living and the visa situation. There are now thousands of Russian developers in Tbilisi, and many of them are building startups here.

Host: Does that create tension?

Giorgi: Some. But mostly what it creates is a much more international tech scene than Tbilisi has ever had. We suddenly have people who worked at Yandex, Kaspersky, Mail.ru — very senior engineers — sitting in co-working spaces in the old city, building new companies. That's a talent windfall for Georgia.