We believe that entrepreneurship and innovation drive positive social and economic change, create jobs, elevate communities and improve lives. Our project supports Bulgarian and SEE/CEE innovators who are passionate and determined to solve global challenges and build resilient communities. We create a two-way bridge between the Bulgarian and SEE/CEE startup ecosystem and Silicon Valley in order to cultivate an entrepreneurial growth mindset and strengthen the private sector in the region.
The startup and entrepreneurial ecosystem in Bulgaria and SEE/CEE is immature, and it lacks critical market knowledge and scaling capabilities. Despite the significant growth over the last decade, the concept of starting and successfully scaling a business is still nascent there. The risk-averse culture and lack of entrepreneurial tradition impede the prospects of success for aspiring entrepreneurs.
By building a two-way bridge between the Bulgarian and South/Central Eastern European entrepreneurial ecosystems and Silicon Valley, we help solve the scaling and key expertise (product development and marketing, access to growth capital, key clients, mentors and partners) bottleneck. We offer a virtual world-class, go-to-market, entrepreneurial education program comprised of ~30 modules, led by Silicon Valley experts, and provide network and community access to high impact entrepreneurs.
The project aims to cultivate entrepreneurship, innovation, and culture of growth mindset and reciprocity in the region to fuel longterm economic growth and sustainable social impact. It delivers both financial and social benefits, strengthens the relationship between the private and public sectors, activates the global diaspora, elevates the entire startup ecosystem and unites the business community around a shared cause.
