A New Office for the Next Chapter of Our Bucharest Studio
After growing from 10 to 23 team members in a year, the Bucharest Studio is moving from co-working into a dedicated office built for collaboration: meeting rooms, a conference space for events, social areas, and solid tech infrastructure. More than square metres, it’s a people story where a supportive, values-aligned culture with a startup energy is tightly connected to Belgium through travel budgets and blended teams. The new hub will host meetups, knowledge-sharing and after-work hangouts, and set the stage to hire more team members in the coming year.
What began as a small team of 10 people in a shared coworking space has grown into a studio of 23 (and counting) professionals in just one year. Now, In The Pocket’s Bucharest is taking a bold step forward with a dedicated office in the heart of the capital.
And while having our new office is a great evolution of our Romanian team, square metres don’t build products - people do - and the Bucharest Studio is a living proof of how we live and breathe togetherness. We sat down with a few new joiners (Lavinia Dumitrenco, Maria Nicolae and Adrian Chitu) and two of the people who helped shape the Bucharest studio (Maria Nanescu and Adi Petrescu), because the best perspective on growth comes from the people living it.
Design engineer Lavinia Dumitrenco discovered In The Pocket through our local tech community events in Bucharest. She first encountered some of our team at our Pocket Bytes meetup. “I was really impressed with their work and the good practices they were following as engineers and designers,” she recalls. However, what kept her engaged (and ultimately made her want to join In The Pocket) was authenticity and the team.
For Adrian Chitu, Software Engineer, the journey started with a chance encounter. “A very good friend met one of our colleagues from In The Pocket in Bucharest,” he says. “He told me so many good things about best practices and how the company takes care of its employees in terms of career growth.”
Maria Nicolae, who is also a Software Engineer and one of our newest team members, explains her perspective: “In The Pocket has a different energy than a lot of other digital product studios out there. The international component was very important for me because I wanted to get out of my comfort zone.”
What sets the Bucharest studio apart is its blend of startup energy and enterprise capability. “Even with some cultural differences between Belgium and Romania, the core values, like ownership, integrity and flexibility are the same,” notes Adrian Chitu. “There’s an openness, and the spirit of 'we’re working together on something that matters. That feeling transcends any physical distance.’”
Lavinia also spotlights the supportive environment: “Because people here are so talented, nice, and approachable and willing to help, I always feel supported. Even if someone doesn’t know the answer, they will point me to somebody who might help.”
A New Home for Innovation and Community Building
Moving from a 10-seat shared space in a coworking space to our own office represents more than physical growth. The new space is set up for future growth and features multiple fully equipped meeting rooms, as well as a dedicated conference area for product design and engineering events and presentations. There’s also a kitchen and social spaces,, a dedicated games area for team bonding, standing desks with ergonomic equipment, and robust technical infrastructure.
“It’s another proof that In The Pocket Romania is here to stay,” says Adi Petrescu, Studio Engineering Lead in our Bucharest Studio. “It sends out a strong message to people who are not working at In The Pocket yet. When future candidates come here, talk to team members and feel the vibe, they’ll see we’re an established company that can offer a lot.”
The new space will help us expand our community initiatives. “Now that we have our own space, we’re planning to host meetups and organise the next Pocket Bytes here,” shares with a smile Adi Petrescu. The office will host regular tech meetups and knowledge-sharing events, as well as community gatherings with Romanian tech professionals, and international team visits and collaborations. Additionally, there will also be weekly wellness sessions (like morning yoga, led by Maria!). Location matters, too. “The office is right in the city centre, so it’s easily accessible from all directions,” says Adrian. “It’s a great area for going out, with plenty of things to do.”
Togetherness Across Borders
Despite the distance, the Bucharest team remains closely connected to colleagues in Belgium. “Whenever I went to Belgium, I never felt like there was a barrier. Everybody was so nice and helpful,” says Lavinia.
The spirit of togetherness is one of the key pillars of our European Studios and the main reason why we invest in face-to-face time through dedicated travel budgets and a great office experience. “Every time you join a project, there’s a budget for team travel, either to fly to Belgium or come to Romania,” explains Maria Nanescu, TA Lead in Romania. “This is an important initiative, as it helps us to build connections with other Studios, as well as introducing the concept of blended teams from the beginning of each project so the clients get to know exactly who will be on their team.”
With plans to grow by approximately 10 new team members in the coming year, our new office represents the perfect setting for our future vision. It’s a space designed for collaboration, innovation, and community, a true home for the next chapter of In The Pocket’s Bucharest story.
Explore engineer career opportunities to work alongside our Romanian colleagues at https://www.inthepocket.com/careers.
