StartUP@Blagoevgrad

It is time to announce our third speaker: Konstantin R. is the co-founder and Chief Technical Director of Dronamics, a global leader in cargo drone technology. He is one of the founders of the Black Swan, a revolutionary unmanned aircraft designed to transform middle-mile logistics. At Dronamics, he also leads the sustainability program, focusing on alternative fuels and hydrogen technology to advance greener aviation solutions. 🛩️Konstantin has a background in advanced composites and previously worked for a leading technology company in the field. He strongly believes in the power of innovation to improve the lives of communities around the world. 💻Konstantin Rangelov was born in Bulgaria and studied aerospace engineering at the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands.

🤩 Announcing our second speaker: Mariya Hristova is a leader in the agrifood sector and co-founder of Agriventures, an NGO that supports startups and innovators in agriculture by facilitating access to European funding🌾🌍 She has worked on the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy and Bulgaria’s Recovery Plan at the Ministry of Agriculture. 🌱 As a Climate Ambassador for the European Commission and a representative of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) Community, Mariya supports innovation and entrepreneurship. 💡 She is also part of the EVA Program, which aims to empower women entrepreneurs! 🎓Mariya holds a Master’s in Law from Sofia University and a Master’s in Digitization of Agriculture from the Agricultural University in Plovdiv. She was also selected for a prestigious development program by the America for Bulgaria Foundation at Babson College in Boston 🏆

The time has come for us to unlock our first speaker! 🎉 Velizar Velichkov is a serial Bulgarian entrepreneur and investor. In 2010, he co-founded Grabo.bg, Bulgaria’s largest daily deal platform, now generating over 13 million annually. 💼 He later co-founded Trendo.bg, an e-commerce fashion platform sold in 2018, and 1ForFit, a global direct-to-consumer brand operating in 180+ markets. 🌍 He also co-founded Artvent in 2021 - a company that organises concerts and shows that sell over 250,000 tickets yearly. 🎟️ As an active supporter of the Bulgarian entrepreneurship ecosystem, Velizar serves on the boards of HR Capital, BESCO, and Endeavor Bulgaria. 💡 He has also invested in innovative companies like FantasticStay, Excitel, FindMeCure, Volt - premium taxi, and more. Velizar Velichkov was born in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. He graduated from the National Academy for Theater and Film Arts in 2010 with a degree in Drama Acting. 🎭

Step into the future with StartUP Conference 2024: Unlock Tomorrow! As day blends into night, today’s breakthroughs are already reshaping tomorrow’s horizons. Step into a world where bold predictions and visionary insights reveal the secrets of a world yet to come. Are you ready to uncover the possibilities that await?  Join us on November 27 at 19:20 at the Carl Djerassi Theater, where leaders and innovators will discuss the shifts defining the future of the business world. From strategy to growth, let’s see what lies just beyond the horizon.  Stick around until the end for a special GIVEAWAY! Tickets go on sale Monday, November 18, at our ABF booth. Don’t let the future unfold without you! 

On Monday we held our workshop with Tech Tour! Students stepped in the shoes of entrepreneurs and investors, and learned valuable lessons on how to best present a startup and what investors are looking for in a pitch deck. Special thanks to William Stevens, Blagovesta Dlagatseva and Sophie Stevens-Lemaigre for the insightful presentation! Here’s a sneak peek on how the workshop went:

Want to kickstart your career? Secure your internship at Europe’s largest entrepreneur and investor community, Tech Tour! 🌍🚀 By attending our workshop, you’ll not only gain hands-on insights about bridging the investment gap in tech start-ups, but will have the chance to secure an internship with Tech Tour, gaining direct experience with leaders who connect Europe’s most promising tech companies to investors. 🤝 This is your chance to grow and network!

🚀 Join us for an exclusive workshop hosted by our partners, Tech Tour ! 🚀 💡 Topic: Tech Start-Ups Raising Investment – How to Close the Gap? 📅 Date: 19th November 🕗 Time: 20:00 📍 Location: Aspire This is your chance to dive deep into the world of tech start-ups and investment strategies, gaining valuable insights from industry experts. Plus, don’t miss the opportunity to WIN an internship with TechTour! 🌟

Over the past weekend, our team hosted its highly anticipated annual StartUP Weekend, themed "StartUP Your Engines." The event certainty lived up to its dynamic title, as 14 teams seized the opportunity to cultivate their business ideas alongside the invaluable guidance of 14 incredible mentors.🙌 Throughout the weekend, teams worked tirelessly, fueled by dedication, persistence, creativity, and innovation. The atmosphere buzzed with excitement as ideas took shape, strategies were refined, and visions transformed into tangible plans. On Sunday, the culmination of their efforts was unveiled as each team presented their polished concepts to our esteemed panel of judges. The presentations truly showcased the depth of talent, ambition, and entrepreneurial spirit present at the event.✨ This would not be possible without the help of the mentors who guided each team with their knowledge and experience: Ivan Iliev, Ina Toncheva, Boris Georgiev, Zoran Arsovski, Valya Nadova, Nick Gospodinov, Stoyan Angelov, Julian Borislavov, Alexander Krastev 🔖 , Vesko Kolev, Ognyan Chikov, Gergana Stoitchkova, Mihail Dimitrov, Plamen Tsekov 👏 We would like to thank our amazing facilitator Georgi Nenov for hosting our event for a second year in a row ⭐️ As organizers, witnessing the passion, determination, and sheer brilliance displayed by every participant was truly inspiring. It reaffirmed our belief in the transformative power of entrepreneurship and the boundless potential that resides within each member of our community.🙌 Here's to another successful StartUP Weekend, where dreams were nurtured, connections were forged, and the entrepreneurial spirit soared to new heights!✨

Last but not least we introduce the 🥉 third part of our amazing mentors at the StartUP weekend 🏎. Vesko Kolev is the founder and CEO at icanpreneur | file > new > startup®, the first accelerator-as-a-software that guides tech entrepreneurs and product builders to get from an idea to a market fit without relying on luck. In his previous role, Vesko was VP of Product at Telerik leading a team of over 200 people across 3 continents, responsible for Product Development and Go-to-Market 🦾. Ognyan Chikov is a Senior Blockchain Developer in LimeChain - Blockchain & Web3 Solutions with more than fifteen years of experience in the tech world. He joined the company back in 2017 as its first employee. Now he is part of the development team and Team Leader for different blockchain projects. Currently, he's also a mentor at LimeAcademy, helping experienced devs transition to blockchain development 🍋. Gergana Stoitchkova is part of the investment team at Eleven Ventures, one of the most active VC funds in the SEE region. Her main experience lies in health tech and fintech – as former Program Manager of the Visa Innovation Program run by Eleven and before that - as a Strategy Manager at Paynetics. Gergana was also the Director of the Bulgarian Fintech Association, which she helped build from the ground up. She is also a co-founder of 180 Degrees Consulting and a passionate mentor at Teenovator. Mihail Dimitrov is the founder and CЕO of Swipe.bg, the first Bulgarian marketplace for buying and selling used smartphones. The company recently raised an investment to expand regionally and grow its market share. Prior to his entrepreneurial journey, Mihail had rich experience in business development, investment management, and finance 📈. Plamen Tsekov is the co-founder, and former CEO of Scalefocus, the largest Bulgarian-owned IT services company, leading its growth from 1 to 900 people. Plamen is an Endeavour entrepreneur, as well as a leader with a strong stand and passion for innovation in business and IT organizations. He was also a Board member of AIBEST ⚖️.

Let’s continue with the introduction of the 🥈 second part of our amazing mentors who will be taking the roles of team principals during the StartUP weekend. Valya Nadova is the founder of the Bulgarian Entrepreneurship Center which aims to build a knowledge bridge between the USA and Bulgaria by bringing mentors and know-how to Bulgaria. She has also been working in the Venture Capital industry since 2013 and is currently Operations Manager at LAUNCHub Ventures. With over a decade of experience in the start-up ecosystem, she has worked in all sorts of environments 🙋♀️. Nick Gospodinov is the co-founder & CEO of Fynt AI, a Y-Combinator-backed startup building decision-making AI for critical industries like retail, manufacturing, and healthcare. Fynt helps companies simulate how world events and customer behavior changes will impact revenue and operations. Nick is also a graduate of King's College London 🧠. Stoyan Angelov is a serial entrepreneur focused on building scalable value with new technologies. He is the founder and CEO of Evedo's Ecosystem, a global software company focused on building up the event and entertainment industries with the newest tech. Stoyan is also a co-founder of Start It Smart, Fly Events, Infozone, and PartyCrowder 🛸. Julian Borislavov is an entrepreneur with a deep-rooted passion for the IT industry. His journey began with co-founding ICN.Bg, a hosting company that was exited in 2021 to a large hosting group. Julian is also the co-founder of OpsHero which helps IT companies transform, scale, and innovate at a faster pace. His other current venture is Billia.Cloud, a powerful API that offers billing and automation for hosting providers. Julian is also an investor in some of the known VC funds in Bulgaria like Eleven Ventures & BrightCap🖥. Alexander Krastev 🔖 is the founder of the first Bulgarian LinkedIn marketing agency BookMark and specialized blog TheLinkedBlog.com. He is the author of the column "The Linked Practitioner" in the Bulgarian edition of Forbes magazine. He has led training on how to use LinkedIn for teams from some of the largest Bulgarian companies in various industries 📚.