#BreakingGrounds

As 2024 comes to an end, we look back on an incredible journey for #BreakingGrounds - a year of growth, connection, and impact for Bulgaria and the CEE region on the global stage. Here are some of the highlights that made this year unforgettable: 🌍 12 delegations, 9 cities, 8 national booths 👥 Over 350,000 visitors reached across all conferences and events: DLD Conference, Tech.eu Summit, Viva Technology, Vienna UP (by ViennaBusiness), Reflect Festival, health.tech conference, WMF - We Make Future, Bits & Pretzels, How to Web, Web Summit, Slush, FinTech Connect 🤝 2,700+ meetings held by Bulgarian delegates with investors, partners, and global leaders 🤝 Collaborations with delegations from other CEE countries, including the Czech Republic, Hungary, Greece, and Cyprus 💡 Key contributors to our success in 2024: 1️⃣ The Bulgarian SME Promotion Agency (BSMEPA), the driving force behind our national booths. 2️⃣ Integrator JSC, whose tireless efforts powered the campaign and made every moment count ✨ Additional Highlights: • 17 companies and institutions supported the initiative throughout the year • Our events brought together some of the best minds from across CEE, fostering innovation and collaboration like never before • Bulgaria’s startups and innovators took centre stage, positioning the country as a leader in the region’s tech ecosystem Thank you to everyone who joined us on this journey: Bulgarian SME Promotion Agency, Integrator JSC, LAUNCHub Ventures, Evrotrust, Sofia Investment Agency, Codery, TouchMenu, Future Unicorns Accelerator, Europe Cloud, Paynetics, Tiger Technology, Encorp, Bronia AI, Sirma, EVLabs, Lexis Solutions, K Consulting Ltd. Your energy and dedication made this year truly special. Stay tuned for a detailed report on the initiative’s achievements and, most importantly, the ROI that highlights the impact of #BreakingGrounds. 🚀 #BreakingGrounds #CEETech #Innovation #BulgarianTech #GlobalStage #2024Recap #Bulgaria #BuildingMomentum #TurningTides

This picture is more than just a collection of badges—it’s a testament to a year filled with purpose, progress, and pride. For me, these badges are the modern-day equivalent of medals, much like the ones I used to collect during my sports years. This year, I had the honour of representing the tech ecosystems of CEE—and for the majority of the time, proudly carrying the torch for Bulgaria under the banner of #BreakingGrounds. 🇧🇬✨🏅 What made this year truly special was the collaboration with tech ecosystems across the region. We organized events and joined forces with innovators and leaders from the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Greece, Cyprus, and of course, Bulgaria. Together, we showcased the strength and potential of CEE on the global stage. 🌍 Over 38,000 kilometres travelled—almost one full lap around the Earth’s equator—to attend some of the world’s biggest and most impactful conferences. From east to west, south to north, it’s been a year of building bridges, expanding networks, and showcasing the incredible talent of our region in Europe. The theme of 2023 was clear: Building Momentum. Together with my colleagues at Storytelling Studio and The Recursive, I believe we succeeded. From connecting innovators to securing opportunities for #CEE startups, we’ve laid a strong foundation. But 2024 brings a new challenge: Turning Tides. 🌊 It’s time to establish credibility and expand networks beyond #Europe. The journey continues, and I couldn’t be more excited about the road ahead. Here’s to progress, partnerships, and breaking new grounds in 2024! 🚀 Irina Obushtarova, Boyko Takov, Iskren Krusteff, Petar Dimov, Konstantin Bezuhanov, Stephane Gantchev, Kristiana Kuneva, Etien Yovchev, Elena Vrabie, Dilyana Haralanova, Amaliya Abbas, Elena Ghiniță, Teodora Atanasova, Ana Marija K., 🇧🇬 Andrey Andonov 🇺🇦, Konstantin Diamandiev, Livia Rusu, Desislava Smokova #BreakingGrounds #CEETech #Innovation #BuildingMomentum #TurningTides #TechEcosystem #TheRecursive #CEE #SEE

Good luck, BG Founders Club 🍀

#BreakingGrounds 24’ final destination is FinTech Connect London 🇬🇧 - the biggest fintech conference in the UK! 🚀 More than 30 of the most renowned fintech leaders from Bulgaria joined forces to showcase what our country has to offer to the world of financial technology! From digital payments to AI-driven solutions and blockchain, Bulgaria is poised to make waves in the world of fintech. 🌐 👉 Find us 4-5 December at the Bulgarian stand (C6) @ ExCeL London. Let’s break new grounds in fintech together and celebrate the success of #BreakingGrounds 24’! ✨

What a pleasant evening we had yesterday at the Embassy of Bulgaria in London! #BreakingGrounds celebrated its achievements in 2024 - a success we share altogether! We are grateful to H.E. Ambassador Tihomir Stoytchev, the Head of the Commercial and Economic Department Krassimir Kiriakov, and the Embassy of Bulgaria in London for the warm welcome and strong support for the Bulgarian tech ecosystem! The networking reception in London was organized together with our partners from British Bulgarian Business Association (BBBA), Bulgarian Fintech Association and BEX - thus, creating more avenues for collaboration between the Bulgarian tech community and the Bulgarian diaspora in the UK! #BreakingGrounds 24’ became a reality thanks to the irreplaceable support of Bulgarian Small and Medium Enterprise Promotion Agency! Shout-out to the lead partner of this year’s initiative Integrator JSC for their dedication and trust! We extend our thankfulness also to Encorp & Evrotrust for supporting our fintech delegation in London! It has been a pleasure to work with so many inspiring founders, investors, entrepreneurs this year - all united in the mission to demonstrate Bulgaria’s unique strengths and innovation potential! #Bulgaria #UK #BreakingGrounds #London #FintechConnect

Join #BreakingGrounds tomorrow at FinTech Connect London & meet with prominent innovators from the Bulgarian fintech ecosystem! 🚀 💡 Tune in to our panel discussion, part of the official conference agenda, titled "Bringing Fintech Solutions to Global Markets: The Bulgarian Perspective" to hear the success stories behind world-class Bulgarian fintech solutions scaling globally. ✨ We are proud to have on stage: 📌 Bozhena Bozhilova, Director of Bulgarian Fintech Association 📌 Kevin Groves, VP of Revenue & Growth at Integrator JSC 📌 Martin Kuvandzhiev, CEO of Encorp 📌 Kristiana Kuneva, Chief Business Development Officer of Storytelling Studio 🗓️ Date: December 4️⃣ 🕒 Time: 11 AM (London time) 📍 Location: Implementation Stage, ExCeL London We cannot wait to see you there and showcase the strength of Bulgaria’s fintech industry! 👋

✨ The long-awaited moment has arrived! This week, #BreakingGrounds is going to FinTech Connect London to showcase the potential of the Bulgarian fintech ecosystem and celebrate the initiative’s success in 2024! 💡 On December 3️⃣, 6:30 PM, join us for an evening of insightful conversations and exclusive networking, hosted by the Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria in London, in partnership with the Bulgarian SME Promotion Agency, British Bulgarian Business Association (BBBA), Bulgarian Fintech Association, and BEX! 📣 We will have the honour to hear a welcome address by H.E. Tihomir Stoytchev, Ambassador of the Republic of Bulgaria to the United Kingdom, and Krassimir Kiriakov, Head of the Commercial and Economic Department @ Bulgarian Embassy. 👉 We will learn more about the exciting projects and valuable work that the British Bulgarian Business Association (BBBA) (Desislava Miteva, Elena Yordanova), Bulgarian Fintech Association (Bozhena Bozhilova), BEX (Georgios Kolovos) are doing to strengthen the link between the Bulgarian diaspora in the UK and Bulgaria’s tech ecosystem. 🚀 We will dive deep into the groundbreaking fintech solutions that Bulgarian entrepreneurs are developing and scaling globally: Iskren Krusteff (CEO, Integrator JSC), Martin Kuvandzhiev (CEO, Encorp), Nikolay Sviretsov (Senior Account Executive, Evrotrust), Iskren Kulev (KindLink). RSVP here ➡️ https://hubs.la/Q02Z_hnk0 Thank you to the Bulgarian SME Promotion Agency for supporting us to make #BreakingGrounds 24’ a reality! Shout-out to our lead partner Integrator JSC and our key sponsor Encorp for boosting Bulgaria’s fintech potential on the global stage! Let’s celebrate the impressive results we've achieved together and build on the fruitful partnerships we've launched! 👏 #Bulgariafintech #FintechConnect #networking #fintechstartups

We’ll be there again! 🇧🇬🇦🇹

🌍As December approaches, it’s planning season for tech companies across Central and Eastern Europe. At The Recursive, together with our partners from Future Unicorns Accelerator, Endeavor Poland, LAUNCHub Ventures, BEX and ANIS Romania and a few other key ecosystem players to be announced soon, we want to uncover the pulse of the region’s innovation leaders - what are your expansion goals, target markets, and biggest challenges for the year ahead? 👉Founders, business developers, marketers: Share your insights by taking our 2025 Expansion Plans Survey and help us map the ambitions and obstacles shaping the CEE tech ecosystem. Your input will contribute to a deeper understanding of the trends that will define next year. 🎁And here’s an extra reason to get involved! The first 5 companies to complete the survey will receive: ✨A free consultation by The Recursive and Storytelling Studio to support you on your expansion journey. ✨ A dedicated social media spotlight via The Recursive channels, celebrating your company in our 2025 Scaling Stars Series. (provided any meaningful growth shared in the survey) 📝Take the survey here: https://hubs.ly/Q02ZFBjN0 Open till December 10. Together, let’s decode the roadmap for scaling CEE tech in 2025!

What a proud moment for the Bulgarian entrepreneurial ecosystem! AMPECO has secured 26M in Series B!