The *GEM Romania 2024/2025 Country Report* highlights a notable gap between perceived entrepreneurial opportunities and actual entrepreneurial activity in Romania. While 60.04% of the adult population believes there are good opportunities to start a business, early-stage entrepreneurial activity remains low, at only 4.97%, marking a decline compared to the previous year. One of the most striking findings is the growing fear of failure: 67.20% of adults see it as a barrier to starting a business. The report also shows that entrepreneurship in Romania is strongly driven by necessity. Among early-stage entrepreneurs, 84.20% report starting a business to secure their livelihood due to the lack of jobs, while the figure rises to 93.31% among established business owners. At the same time, the findings reveal an important contrast in digital transformation: entrepreneurs show openness toward digital tools, yet relatively few consider artificial intelligence to be strategically important for their business model over the next three years. Overall, the report portrays an entrepreneurial ecosystem with clear potential, but one still constrained by fear of failure, limited innovation, modest technological readiness, and gaps in institutional support.