Bulgarian technology startup Flobe Industries is developing an AI-powered solution to help public transport operators identify potential fare evasion and reduce associated revenue losses. Through EIT Jumpstarter 2026, the team is refining its business model, building international connections and preparing for its first pilot projects.
The team first learned about the EIT Jumpstarter opportunity through EIT Community Hub Bulgaria, which introduced Flobe Industries with the programme as part of its work to connect Bulgarian innovators with relevant programmes across the EIT ecosystem. Following a successful application, Flobe Industries joined EIT Jumpstarter in June and completed online training sessions, assignments and pitching activities to advance to the programme’s Startup Builder Training phase. The team is among 81 teams from 23 countries that reached this stage in 2026 and participates in the Smart Cities & Urban Mobility track, powered by EIT Urban Mobility.
Using computer vision to support ticket inspections
Fare evasion creates revenue losses for public transport operators, while ticket inspectors face the practical challenge of monitoring large passenger flows across transport networks.
Flobe Industries is developing software designed to work with cameras already installed across public transport infrastructure. Using computer vision, the solution aims to flag potential fare violations and alert ticket inspectors in real time, helping them identify situations that require attention. The final assessment and any enforcement action remain with transport staff.
According to the team, the solution is being designed to process video data locally, with privacy and data protection considerations informing its development.
Beyond real-time alerts, the platform aims to help operators understand where and when suspected fare evasion occurs. These insights could support more targeted inspections and better deployment of staff. If validated through pilots, the solution could help operators retain revenue that supports the delivery and improvement of public transport services.
From an idea to a business
For Flobe Industries, EIT Jumpstarter is an opportunity to test the business behind the technology: who would use the solution, how it would fit into transport operators’ existing workflows and what evidence potential customers would need before adopting it.
As part of the Startup Builder Training, the team took part in an intensive in-person programme in Zagreb in September. Alongside practical business-development activities, the founders exchanged experiences with other early-stage teams, discussed their approach with specialist and heard directly from venture capital representatives about investors’ expectation.
The Flobe team highlighted the value of these face-to-face interactions. Meeting founders working on other urban mobility challenges broadened their perspective and helped them build professional relationships that could support the company’s next steps.
The team is also working with a mentor from Invento Capital Partners to develop its business plan, receiving feedback on its market assumptions, commercial approach and path towards deployment.
Preparing for the first pilots
As the programme moves towards the selection of finalists for EIT Jumpstarter’s Grand Demo Day, Flobe Industries is focused on a milestone that extends beyond the competition: securing its first pilot projects with public transport operators.
Pilots would allow the team to assess the technology in real operating conditions, understand integration requirements and gather feedback from transport staff. They would also help establish whether the solution can deliver measurable value for operators, which is an essential step towards commercialisation.
Connecting Bulgarian innovators with the EIT ecosystem
Flobe Industries’s EIT journey began with information about a programme shared by EIT Community Hub Bulgaria. It has since led to business training, individual mentoring and new connections across the European innovation ecosystem.
“If the team at EIT Community Hub Bulgaria hadn’t sent it our way, we might have missed Jumpstarter altogether. The programme made us stop talking about our algorithms and start doing the maths. Every euro lost to fare evasion is money that should be going into better public transport. And most operators can’t even say exactly how much they lose, so that’s where we start.” — Fedor Timoshenko, co-founder and CEO of Flobe Industries
The story illustrates how a local entry point can help innovators find opportunities suited to their stage of development. For Flobe Industries, EIT Jumpstarter is providing a setting in which to challenge assumptions, strengthen the business case and prepare for conversations with prospective pilot partners.
