Eleven Ventures

📅 Serbian founders, clear your calendars! Daniel Tomov and Rene Tomova are heading your way for office hours on December 2nd in Belgrade. As per tradition, our friends at Garaža are hosting us at their office. So, come meet Daniel and Rene from 10 AM to chat about what you're building over a nice cup of coffee. Sounds interesting? Register here 👉https://lnkd.in/duwqrKr6. Видимо се! 👋

🏦 2,500 bank branches closed their doors in 2023. Why? Your phone is becoming your everything - from instant loans to split bills with friends. But what happens when AI joins the party? 🤖 At #ForbesInnovationForum, our fintech lead Veselina Markova dug into this with tbi bank's CEO Petr Baron. As digital banking becomes the new normal, the next frontier is clear: winning over Gen Alpha, who've never known a world without smartphones.📱 To build on the conversation about the technological elephant that is now entering every room, our Chief AI Officer Petar Petrov took on the future of tech twice - first with a keynote on navigating the AI revolution, then jumping into a panel discussion with Progress Bulgaria's Stefan Gyoshev and CuratedAI (Techstars '24)'s Siyanna Lilova. Thanks Forbes Bulgaria for hosting the conversations that matter. Real insights from the people building tomorrow's future. 💪 P.S. Petr Baron, we liked the photo you posted way too much and decided to steal it. Hope it's not a problem. 🤭

🎅 Who said December is only for VCs' holiday parties? While some are winding down, Viktor Minchev is gearing up to discover promising European startups during Vestbee Winter Pitch. On December 12th, he will be part of an online pitching session where founders raising pre-seed, seed, and Series A rounds will share their vision with VCs and business angels from across Europe. So, if you're a founder building something interesting and planning to raise in the coming months, this is your spot. Plus, there's potential funding from Vestbee SPV and Vestbee VC partners on the table. Don’t miss it! Time to make your move - you can pitch until November 26th. 🗓️ Apply here 👉 https://lnkd.in/dg2CfCnY 

🥁 Our #Oneof11 family just got bigger 🥁 Meet Cloud Office! And while our deal happened relatively quickly, sometimes the best partnerships start with a "no." That was the case when Ivo Zimbilev approached Chavdar Trendafilov about a collaboration. Chavdar's response was politely saying he wasn't interested. Now that’s Cloud Office’s favorite inside joke, reminding us that timing is everything. ⏰ Today, Cloud Office serves 650+ customers across EMEA with a team of 60+ engineers. And they're just getting started! The company is expanding to Greece with a local office and team led by Konstantinos Kalogerakis as Country Head. 🇬🇷 Their mission is simple: make cloud adoption and AI implementation feel natural, keeping the personal touch of a local partner while delivering enterprise-grade solutions. Welcome to the #Oneof11 family, Cloud Office team! 🙌 Read the whole story here 👉 https://lnkd.in/ef-ktK3S #FutureOfWork Cc: Ivo Zimbilev Dimitar Pavlov Chavdar Trendafilov Georgi Gocev Ivan Dobrinov Dimitar (Dimo) C. Svetozar Georgiev 

🎯 "We'll focus on strategy next time..." Sounds familiar? A shocking 70% of board directors want to spend more time on strategy, but somehow it keeps getting pushed to the back burner. And yet, these are exactly the conversations that could help navigate market shifts, product delays, or scaling challenges. In Chapter 2 of our Board Playbook we break down why this happens and – more importantly – how to fix it. ✔️ Why your strategic planning probably isn't working (and what to do about it); ✔️ The secret sauce of board-management strategy alignment; ✔️ How to turn your strategic vision into real-world results; ✔️ A practical timeline that actually works. Want to transform your board's approach to strategy? Check out the full article here: https://lnkd.in/dCSVnw9D We’re curious to hear your experiences - what keeps strategy conversations alive in your board meetings? 🤔

Remember how optimistic everyone was feeling in H1? Well, Q3 brought us back down to earth a bit. Here's what went down 📊: - Summer slowdown hit hard: Q3 saw just €11.5bn in funding (down from €47.6bn in H1) 📉 - Early-stage stayed strong: Pre-seed, Seed, and Series A deals made up 34% of total funding 💪 - Munich surprised everyone: The city came in second for overall funding (€1.2bn), showing Germany's growing tech muscle 🇩🇪 - Healthtech proved resilient: The sector landed Q3's three biggest early-stage deals 🏥 - Two new unicorns joined the club: Flo Health Inc. (making history as Europe's first femtech unicorn) and EGYM🦄 The bright side? Early-stage funding has been remarkably consistent all year. Plus, we're seeing some interesting shifts – founders are building companies with robust business models rather than chasing the next flashy tech trend. 💡

Blink, and AI has transformed how we do marketing. Blink again, and it's revolutionized how we work. 👀 Recently, our partner Svetozar Georgiev sat down with Капитал to talk about the game-changing shifts AI is bringing—and why businesses need to jump on board. Here’s what he shared: 📍 “Disrupt yourself, or be disrupted.”: Businesses that delay adopting AI risk getting left behind. AI integration isn’t a “maybe”—it’s essential for staying competitive. 📍AI in product development: From product redesign to automating quality control and supercharging customer interactions, AI is already driving real gains. If you can dream it, AI can help build it. 📍Adaptability over tech expertise: Your team doesn’t need to be packed with data scientists. What matters more is having people ready to rethink, adapt, and use the latest tools to amplify what they do best. As Zarko put it, “One thing is certain—we cannot stop progress. We must not be afraid, but we must be informed and adaptive.” Want to learn more? Zarko will be diving into this at the "AI Explained: How to Revolutionize Product Development with AI" masterclass hosted by Капитал and Digitalk. Get your ticket now 👉 https://lnkd.in/dkMGqH3U.

Did you know that Henry Ford once collaborated with Mito Orozov, a Bulgarian engineer from Vratsa and called him the greatest industrial engineer he has ever met? Last night, at BESCO's Hall of Fame, we were reminded that this spirit of Bulgarian innovation is alive and thriving! 🚀 If you weren’t there, we will try to give you some highlights: - The night unfolded in one of Sofia's architectural gems - the Ivan Vazov National Theatre. Talk about setting the stage for innovation! 🎭 - Five stellar nominations (two of them #Oneof11) lit up BESCO's category for ecosystem builders - the entrepreneurs who've shaped our startup scene over the last decade. And when we say stellar, we mean it: Svilen Rangelov and Konstantin R. (Dronamics), Mihail Stoychev and Georgi Petrov (now Uxify), Raycho Raychev (EnduroSat), Hristo Hristov (Darik.bg), and taking home BESCO's unicorn award - Ivo Tzenov (SiteGround). Big congrats, Ivo! 🦄 - One cocktail that stole our hearts with its berry foam and name- Boleron’s berry 🫐 (#Oneof11) Thank you BESCO - The Bulgarian Entrepreneurial Association for doing what you’re doing and for reminding us that it’s not just about us succeeding as individuals but us supporting each other to succeed as a community.

Szia, Budapest! 🇭🇺 Just wrapped up our first time in town and it was totally worth it. Gergana Stoitchkova and Petar Petrov spent a packed day at Puzl CowOrKing Budapest's grand opening. The unconference setup? Exactly our style - practical insights, meaningful knowledge-sharing, and just real talk with founders. Between the back-to-back office hours with 15+ entrepreneurs, catching up with local VCs, and breaking down what's actually possible with #AI in the next two years - time flew by. And Budapest...you definitely know how to make a first impression! We're already plotting our return 😉

Why even have a board? The answer goes beyond compliance. A great board is where founders can work ON the company instead of IN it. It's your strategic compass, providing perspective from experienced minds who share your vision but aren't caught in daily operations. In our latest blog article, we've distilled the key principles of effective board governance that every founder and board member should know - just practical insights from our years in the boardroom. Swipe or check our article - https://lnkd.in/drnrGtHU, to learn: ✔️ Why boards matter beyond compliance ✔️ Core fiduciary duties every director must know ✔️ How to handle conflicts of interest ✔️ Key board responsibilities ✔️ The "Nose In, Hands Out" principle ✔️ Building effective governance Whether you're a founder building your first board or a seasoned director, these fundamentals will help you create lasting value. What's your take on board governance? Share your thoughts below 👇 CC: Svetozar Georgiev, Daniel Tomov, Michael Schuster, Hristo Manov, Todor Breshkov