We Started MAST Consult Because We Saw the Same Two Problems Everywhere
Romanian companies making important decisions without proper analysis. And businesses leaving millions in EU funding unclaimed because the system is broken. We exist to fix both.
Our Story
How MAST Consult Came to Be
MAST Consult started with a frustration.
Paul Alexandru Stoia had spent years working in consulting methodology — learning how the best firms in the world analyze problems, structure decisions, and build strategies that actually work. What he kept seeing in Romania was a gap: companies with real potential making critical decisions based on instinct, incomplete data, or advice from people who had never actually built anything.
At the same time, he watched billions of euros in EU funding go unclaimed — not because Romanian businesses didn't qualify, but because the application process was designed by bureaucrats, not by businesspeople. The forms were impenetrable. The scoring criteria were opaque. And the consultants who claimed to help often delivered generic templates that didn't score well.
The third frustration was the disconnect between advice and execution. A company would hire a strategy consultant who'd deliver a beautiful document. Then they'd hire a separate dev shop to build the technology. The strategy firm didn't understand technology. The dev shop didn't understand the strategy. The result was expensive, slow, and often wrong.
MAST Consult was built to solve all three problems at once.
We combined rigorous strategic methodology with deep EU funding expertise and actual software development capability. Not as three separate departments that happen to share an office — but as one integrated team where the strategist, the funding specialist, and the developer work on the same problem together.
We're based in Timișoara — Romania's third-largest startup city, home to Politehnica University, a growing tech ecosystem, and a business culture that values substance over flash. We're small by choice, not by limitation. The size of the team should match the attention we give each client. We'd rather work with 10 companies deeply than 50 companies superficially.
We've worked with biotech research institutes preparing €5–8M funding rounds. We've managed EU grant applications that scored in the top percentile. We've built SaaS platforms from concept to launch. And we've said no to projects where we didn't believe we could deliver — because honest advice sometimes means telling a client what they don't want to hear.
Paul Alexandru Stoia
Founder & Managing Consultant
Paul is a consultant trained in McKinsey methodology who has spent his career at the intersection of strategy, capital, and technology. He founded MAST Consult with the belief that Romania's mid-market companies deserve the same quality of strategic thinking that the world's largest corporations get from the Big Four — adapted to their scale, their budget, and their reality.
His active consulting work spans biotech (investor strategy for the OncoGen/Decode Health ecosystem), healthcare (EU funding for medical facilities), technology (due diligence for blockchain platforms, SaaS product development), and consumer businesses (startup advisory for beauty and wellness brands).
Paul is also the author of 'Your Own Lane' — a book about finding clarity and authenticity in a world obsessed with comparison. The book's core message — 'You are not behind. You are becoming.' — reflects the same philosophy he brings to consulting: meet the client where they are, not where you think they should be.
He is based in Timișoara and works with clients across Romania and Europe.
“You are not behind. You are becoming.”
— from 'Your Own Lane'
What We Believe
The Principles Behind Everything We Do
Clarity over complexity.
Business is already complicated enough. Our job is to make it simpler, not to add layers of jargon and frameworks that make consultants sound smart but don't help you decide. Every recommendation we make should be explainable in plain language.
Execution over theory.
A beautiful strategy that doesn't get implemented is a beautiful waste of time and money. We don't deliver documents — we deliver outcomes. If we can't help you execute it, we won't recommend it.
Honesty over comfort.
We will tell you what you need to hear, even when it's not what you want to hear. If your business plan has a fatal flaw, we'll say so. If an EU application isn't competitive, we'll tell you before you waste the filing fee. Honest advice is the only kind worth paying for.
Quality over volume.
We are intentionally small. We don't scale by adding junior analysts and billing their hours. We scale by going deeper with fewer clients. If we take on your project, it's because we believe we can deliver something exceptional — not because we need to fill a quarterly revenue target.
Our Edge
The Intersection Nobody Else Occupies
This is our competitive advantage. No other consulting firm in Romania sits at this intersection. Strategy firms don't build software. Dev shops don't write grant applications. EU funding consultants don't design growth architecture. We do all three because that's the only way to deliver complete solutions.
Our Network
Part of a Broader Ecosystem
MAST Consult is part of a broader ecosystem spanning biotech research, healthcare innovation, and defense technology. Our work with the OncoGen research institute, Decode Health, and AIDA (Advanced Innovation & Defence Alliance) gives us perspective and connections that a typical consulting firm doesn't have. We operate at the intersection of business, science, and technology — and we bring that perspective to every engagement.
Want to Work With Us?
Let's start with a conversation. Book a free 30-minute call — we'll listen to where you are, share our honest perspective, and figure out whether there's a fit.