"Since Ubisoft Sofia opened, we have so far created 195 workplaces and we have plans to grow. In the next 2 to 3 years, we are planning to become at least 300. We are taking advantage of the local talent, be it in the sphere of technology or in the sphere of creativity and content development. We do consider Bulgaria a good destination to continue growing in the future," Mr Balabanov added.

Mikhail Lozanov, Ubisoft's creative director, has worked for the company in Sofia since day one, initially as a lead programmer, back in 2006.

"I heard that Ubisoft opened an office; It was one of the companies that I really respect, so I applied and I joined. That was 12 years ago. I joined as a lead programmer and I grew to creative director," he said.

CLIMBING TO NEW FRONTIERS

But it's not just foreign companies investing in Bulgaria and creating new jobs. Walltopia, a Bulgarian company which exports its products all over the world, has taken advantage of a top quality local workforce and expanded exponentially.

Walltopia was founded in 1998 and is the world's leading climbing wall manufacturer with over 1,800 projects in more than 50 countries on 6 continents.

Walltopia designs and manufactures a wide range of active entertainment attractions, including rope courses and challenging obstacle courses. The company has it’s own production plant in the city of Letnitsa, a two-hour drive from its headquarters in Sofia. Walltopia has assembled millions of square feet of climbing walls and has a team of more than 600 professionals around the globe.

Irina Staneva, Walltopia's investment manager, sums up the secret of her company's success in three words: "Passion, product and people".

"We do everything here, in-house: We don’t outsource," Ms Staneva explains. "We do the design, engineering and architectural work where needed. We produce, we ship and we install everything. So, we control the full process and we control the quality in every step of this process, which is very important when you work with companies all around the world," she said.

"I think Bulgaria is a very good place for investment, especially in the last few years, because everything is booming and it’s developing. There are many businesses that are growing exponentially. That’s good not only for the economy, but also for the people who want to stay and live here. Because they could make really good careers. There is not much bureaucracy here, compared to other countries. We have low taxes, 10% on everything. So, I think it’s a good deal," Ms Staneva added.

One thing is for sure. A growing number of foreign companies are coming to Bulgaria and investing there, while local entrepreneurs are expanding their activities and conquering foreign markets. They all agree that Bulgaria has been transformed into an investment-friendly country that can definitely achieve even higher growth rates.