The Recursive Podcast

Our next guest is one of the first female investors in the CEE region.  Tatjana Zabasù Mikuž is the managing partner at South Central Ventures (SCV), an early-stage VC​ fund investing in the Balkans. Last year, they closed their third fund at 70 million euros.  Tatjana is also the co-founder of the first venture capital fund in Slovenia, which was created in 2008. Since then, she’s been actively involved in more than 40 investments. She has also served as a board member of companies like Cognism, InPlayer, Efos, and Shout. “It takes courage, vision, and quite some funding to be able to make it on the global market. We are looking for companies that already have some traction and our role as a local investor is to share the initial risk. To help them grow and bridge the gap to larger markets”, Tatjana explains the role of SCV in her conversation with Georgi Nenov.  In the podcast, she also talks about:   What is the biggest challenge for Balkan startups to scale;  The role of regional investors in overcoming those challenges;  The mindset shift needed for the systemic success of the regional tech ecosystem;  Supporting the next generation of female founders and investors;

Our next guest is responsible for the global growth of Rakuten Viber, one of the biggest calling and messaging applications with over a billion users all over the world.  Atanas Raykov is building on the app's popularity with a focus on Europe, the US, Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa. He works directly with Rakuten’s and Viber's global executive team to develop strategic partnerships, marketing, and PR initiatives, as well as transform the application into a super app. Previously Atanas worked for 10 years for the biggest telecom in Bulgaria VIVACOM. Atanas is also an LP and mentor for the portfolio companies of LAUNCHub Ventures and Eleven Ventures. Part of the mentors' network of Endeavor Bulgaria. And an angel investor of the CEO Angels Club.  As a student at a business school, Atanas described his future career in the next 10 years in an essay. Little did he know he will turn this vision into a reality.  He landed his first job as an intern during the merger between BTC and Vivatel and worked for the launch of their new united brand - Vivacom.  Atanas worked there for 10 years, changing positions and helping the company become the leader in offering the widest range of telecom solutions in the Bulgarian market.    How did he do that?  “There was a lot of serendipity and a lot of deliberate choices from my side. I am patient and consistent and I play a longer-term game to increase the number of opportunities that come to me”, Atanas shares.    🎙️ Discover Atanas's journey through this episode as he talks about: 💡 His lessons learned from blitz scaling; 🏠 How to utilize Airbnb to upgrade your network; 💰 The successful pitch that persuaded Viber to invest in the CEE region; 🚀 Viber's Next Frontier: Becoming a Super App;

Our next guest is on a mission to transform Bulgaria’s economic model towards high-value-added businesses.  Ned Dervenkov is one of the co-founders of the Bulgarian startup association https://besco.bg/https://besco.bg/ (recently rebranded to The Bulgarian Entrepreneurial Association).  With over 500 members, the NGO is working towards a series of reforms to improve the framework for starting a business in Bulgaria and position the country as an innovation powerhouse in the region.  He had participated in the creation of several laws impacting the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Bulgaria. Prior to that, Ned Dervenkov was a serial entrepreneur with businesses in real estate, sustainable fashion, and finance.  Ned is also a part of ABLE - the Association of Bulgarian leaders and entrepreneurs, where he also serves as a mentor. In this episode, Ned talks about:  How BESCO is creating the infrastructure for the multiplication of success in Bulgaria;  What is the secret sauce of effective advocacy work on a policy level;  The importance of paying forward and supporting the success of others; Can tech unify like-minded people in the Balkans?

Our next guest started his first startup venture at 17. By the time he finished school, he managed to sell the business and return his investment.  Since then Orlin Radev has been a serial entrepreneur, mentor, and supporter of the Bulgarian tech ecosystem. Most recently, he’s one of the founders and CEO of AMPECO. All-in-one electric vehicle charging management platform, essential for the electric mobility evolution.   The company recently closed its Series A investment, supported by BMW iVentures and LAUNCHub Ventures to scale and conquer the North American e-mobility market.  In the episode, Orlin talks about:  How the ability to craft your own destiny drew him to entrepreneurship; The importance of having co-founders who bring a different perspective to the business (“I work better when I have someone to challenge me.”)  How the idea of AMPECO came to be during a 35-hour adventurous drive from Germany to Bulgaria, which concentrated the experience of every EV driver back in 2018; 

Our next guest believes that decarbonization is the biggest paradigm shift in the world economy since the industrial revolution. Dimitar Enchev is a managing partner at PostScriptum Ventures. A private equity fund focused on sustainability and energy transition investments. But besides his investor’s hat, Dimitar is also an entrepreneur. He co-founded CWP Global. A company that developed and realized a number of large-scale renewable energy projects, including the biggest wind farm in Europe. Recently, Dimitar has exited with CWP Renewables, one of Australia's leading renewable energy players. He will now focus on the groups’ projects in Europe and new climate tech opportunities such as green hydrogen. Dimitar graduated from Swarthmore College in the USA and the London School of Economics. In his conversation with Irina, Dimitar talks about: ✔️ How to create the next wave of unicorns in the decarbonization space; ✔️ The 3 big trends driving change in the energy space; ✔️ How CEE can turn its challenges as one of the most carbon-intensive regions in Europe into economic opportunities;

Our next guest is a seasoned manager who walked all the way from consulting to entrepreneurship to ecosystem building. Momchil Vassilev is the managing director of the global entrepreneurial network Endeavor for Bulgaria. In this role, he helps create a vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem and nurture founders with global ambitions, the ability to scale fast, and a give-back mindset. Prior to that, Vassilev has over 20 years of professional experience in management and business development. He co-founded a biotech company called Provity. Led the Corporate Development of VIA Investment group and oversaw audits, mergers, and acquisitions at PricewaterhouseCoopers. In his conversation with Irina, Momchil talks about his own journey towards entrepreneurship, but also about building the backbone of the Bulgarian entrepreneurial ecosystem and galvanizing the next level of its growth. “Endeavor is all about helping high-impact entrepreneurs to grow big and through their success, to impact the economy and society in general”, he explains. Watch the episode to learn: 🏃🏻‍♀️ How to stay relevant in a fast-moving world? 💀 Why do so many startups die before they become scale-ups? 🇧🇬 How to create game-changing innovation in a small country?

Our next guest is an Albanian-born entrepreneur. His professional path is closely connected to Bulgaria. But his impact as an entrepreneur and investor has spread throughout the whole region of Southeast Europe. Elvin Guri is currently managing the VC fund -  INVENIO Partners, advising and mentoring companies from the biotech industry to healthcare, food, and real estate. Elvin Guri co-created Jet Finance, the largest independent consumer lending company in SouthEastern Europe which he exited to BNP Paribas in 2007. He holds an Executive MBA from the University of Oxford. He has supported several educational initiatives in Bulgaria and Albania, including his Alma Mater AUBG, Junior Achievement & Teach for Bulgaria. In his conversation with Georgi Nenov, Elvin Guri talks about: What was the winning combination for Jet Finance to become the largest independent consumer lending company; How to help create a more equitable society through investments; How to nurture the next regional champions; How regional economies can cooperate, but also compete better to grow;

Our next guest is a hardware engineer building the future of biometric security. Vince Gaydarzhiev is the founder of the US-Bulgarian company Alcatraz AI. The hardware-as-a-service startup offers autonomous access control that uses facial biometrics, 3D sensing, and AI. Among the customers of Alcatraz AI are Fortune 500 companies, including telecoms and government-owned banks. Before becoming an entrepreneur, Vince worked as an engineer for high-profile companies like Apple and Nvidia. He holds several engineering degrees from Stanford and the universities of Southern California and Florida. In his conversation with Irina, Vince talks about 🔐 The complexity of innovating the security industry; 💸 The hardships of fundraising for a hardware-as-a-service company; 👔 Why stepping down as a CEO was one of his best business decisions;

Our next guest is one of the power ladies of the Bulgarian VC sector. Elina Halatcheva is a managing partner at BrightCap Ventures. With a background in finance and investment banking, Elina has an MBA from Stanford University. She grew as a professional in the US and UK markets and her expertise ranges from investment banking to e-commerce and real estate. Eventually, Elina came back to Bulgaria to contribute to the growth of the local tech ecosystem. As an investor Elina is also a part of the European Women in VC initiative, trying to bridge the gap for funding for female founders. In her conversation with Georgi Nenov, Elina talks about: 🎯 What are the key qualities of successful founders? 🤝 Why teamwork is important in the investor-founder relationship and for the success of the business? 💸 Strategies for fundraising in a downturn;

Our next guest is a seasoned executive who has walked the road from corporate to entrepreneurship. After more than 20 years in different positions in the IT industry, Dimitar Dimitrov founded his own company. Digital Lights is a software company building innovative solutions for the mobility industry. Recently, it has been ranked the 3d fastest-growing IT company in Bulgaria. Dimitar Dimitrov is also a lecturer at the Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics at Sofia University. His own Alma Mater, where he’s currently also part of the Alumni Board. In his conversation with Georgi Nenov, Dimitar Dimitrov reflects on: 🧠 The philosophy behind doing meaningful work; 🚀 The growth journey of Digital Lights; 🏎️ How software has become the soul of the vehicle and where is the future of mobility taking us;