Join the first ever SEE startup challenge
SOUTH EAST EUROPEAN INNOVATORS CHALLENGE 2024
28 October 2024 @ Sofia Tech Park
The South East Innovators Challenge (SEEIC) is the pilot initiative of the SEE Science & Tech Parks Alliance. Its aim is to foster innovation and technology transfer across South East Europe through entrepreneurship and startup collaboration.
SEEIC gathers the best startup companies from the tech park and innovation areas from Bulgaria, Serbia, Turkey, Romania and Greece. It unites them in a startup forum at the end of October in Sofia, where they will learn, explore and challenge their limits and abilities to create new joint ventures and pitching their idea in front of investors for funding.
Speakers and investors
Mayor of Sofia
Deputy Minister, Ministry of Innovation and Growth
Founder & CEO, MClimate
Founder & CEO, Jobful
Founder & CEO, AMPECO
Founder, “The Superhuman” podcast
Chairman Of The Supervisory Board, Sofia Tech Park
Managing Director, IRIS Solutions
Chairman of the Management Board, Sofia Tech Park JSC
Deputy Mayor “Digitalization, innovation and economic development”, Sofia Municipality
CEO, Junior Achievement Bulgaria
former Minister, Ministry of Innovation and Growth
CEO, Sofia Tech Park
Chief AI Officer, Eleven Ventures
Policy & Strategy Director, BESCO
Founder, Sindeo Academy
General Manager, Ostim Technopark, Türkiye
Head of Project Information and Financing Unit, Fund of Funds in Bulgaria
Founder and CEO, Joist Innovation Park, Greece
Co-founder, Razkazi Mi / Mentaware
Executive Director and Chairman of the Board of Directors, Fund of Funds in Bulgaria
Founding member, DEA Accelerate
Science Technology Park – Novi Sad, Serbia
Executive Director and Member of the Board of Directors, Fund of Funds in Bulgaria
Editor, Forbes
Journalist, Economic.bg
Managing director, Nis Technology Park
CEO / Director, Future Unicorns
Managing Partner, Sofia Angels Ventures
Business Development Manager
The Recursive
Founder and CEO, JT International Group
Agenda
28.10.2024 (Monday)
08:30 – 09:00
Welcome coffee
09:00 – 11:30
11:30 – 12:30
Main hall: Jury member session
12:00 – 13:00
Registration
13:00 – 13:30
official opening
13:30 – 14:20
Leadership Panel: Leadership visions for the development of the Southeast region
Moderator: Georgi Nenov – Founder, “The Superhuman” podcast
Panelists:
Prof. Dr. George Angelov – Deputy Minister, Ministry of Innovation and Growth
Vasil Terziev – Mayor of Sofia
Todor Mladenov – CEO, Sofia Tech Park
Derya Çağlar – General Manager, Ostim Technopark, Türkiye
Tasos Vasileiadis – Founder and CEO, Joist Innovation Park, Greece
Milan Randelović, PhD – Managing director, Nis Technology Park, Srebia
Expo area:
Startup expo
Science expo
14:20 – 15:00
Award ceremony
Expo area:
Startup expo
Science expo
15:00 – 15:30
Coffee break
Expo area:
Startup expo
Science expo
15:30 – 16:00
Panel 1: Unlocking secrets to success: SEE Unicorns
Moderator: Milena Stoycheva – CEO, JA Bulgaria
Panelists:
Orlin Radev – CEO, Ampeco
Lyubomir Yanchev – Founder & CEO, MClimate
Mihai Cepoi, Founder & CEO, Jobful
Expo area:
Startup expo
Science expo
16:00 – 16:30
Panel 2: Leading with Vision: Female Entrepreneurs in Focus
Moderator: Boris Kolev – Founder&CEO, JT International Group, DigiMark Ventures
Panelists:
Galya Dimitrova – Managing director, IRIS solutions
Mila Stoyanova – Founding member, DEA accelerator
Kristina Galabova – Co-founder, Razkazi Mi / Mentaware
Expo area:
Startup expo
Science expo
16:30 – 17:00
Panel 3: Central and Southeast Europe: Weighing the Investment Potential
Moderator: Kristiana Kuneva – Business Development Manager, The Recursive
Panelists:
Pavel Lisev – Executive Director and Member of the Board of Directors, Fund of Funds in Bulgaria
Pavlina Yanakieva – CEO / Director, Future Unicorns
Alexander Nutsov – Policy & Strategy Director, BESCO
Expo area:
Startup expo
Science expo
17:00 – 18:00
Panel 4: Transforming Tomorrow: AI’s Role in Innovation and Inspiration
Petar Petrov – Chief AI Officer, Eleven Ventures
Expo area:
Startup expo
Science expo
20:00 – 24:00
afterparty
Participants
Partners
Venue
The John Atanasoff Innovation Forum @ Sofia Tech Park / bul. "Tsaridgardsko Shouse" 111 G, Sofia
The John Atanassoff Innovation Forum is a multifunctional venue for events, conferences, seminars, congresses and other events aimed at enhancing dialogue between the scientific and business communities. Its function is to facilitate the formation of the ecosystem in the field of technology transfer and innovation, as well as to provide a suitable environment for the exchange of ideas.