The Recursive Podcast

Our guest today is one of the most experienced product managers in the Bulgarian tech-scene. Her name is Mariya Rashkovska and she is the head of product management of the Bulgarian Adtech company PubGalaxy. Last year, PubGalaxy was acquired by the Dutch scaleup Azerion. Prior to joining PubGalaxy, Mariya held management positions at companies such as Telerik and Financial Times. She is also the co-founder of Product Tank-Sofia and a consultant who helps IT companies build successful products. In her conversation with Georgi Nenov, Mariya reflects on her journey as a product manager, the right skill set for the job and the leadership qualities she developed running product teams. In the episode, she also shares: 🤷🏻‍♂️ Why do product managers often experience impostor syndrome; ❔Why asking the right questions is key to customer satisfaction; 🛠️ Her top productivity hacks (“There’s no such thing as multitasking. I focus at one thing at a time.”)

Raycho Raychev, co-founder of EnduroSat, is on a mission to democratize space access with his innovative nanosatellite technology. He shares his journey of overcoming investor skepticism and the entrepreneurial mindset needed to create lasting impact. The conversation dives into the complexities of building space tech and the importance of community-driven education in Bulgaria's burgeoning space industry. Raycho envisions a future where launching satellites is as affordable as using smartphones, inspiring a new wave of space enthusiasts and entrepreneurs.

Next, on The Recursive podcast we welcome an experienced engineer and a pioneer in the computer software industry in Bulgaria. Boris Simandoff currently serves as the VP of Tech Innovations at Via, the on-demand transit tech company, born in the US. He’s also the General Manager of their engineering team in Bulgaria. He has more than 20 years of experience in the field of software design, code optimization, and distributed network systems. In his conversation with Georgi Nenov, Boris Simandoff shares the story of his first successful exit back in the days when venture capital was not available and the world startup didn’t even exist in Bulgaria. He reflects on his career path - from managing big projects for the Oskar-winning rendering and 3D visualizations company Chaos Group to shaping the transit tech industry at Via Engineering. In this episode, Simandoff talks about: 🚌 The Future of Transportation and how Via is changing the way people are moving around the world; 🚀 Why the only way to scale as a region is to invest in better education and develop the tech talent; (“Young people are focused on mission and impact. They can get the same salaries everywhere.”) 🔎 How to stay at the top of your game as a software engineer;

Our next guest found entrepreneurship driven by her mission to help people and create something meaningful. While looking for a clinical trial for her sister diagnosed with a medical condition that lacked traditional treatment, Maya Zlatanova saw the need for a platform that helps patients look for alternative treatment. This is how FindMeCure was born. The company is now bringing research closer to patients by developing tools for patients and providing analytics to the healthcare industry. Or as the founders call it - a Google for clinical trials. Always a high achiever and solution-oriented person, Maya Zlatanova shares her candid definitions of failure and success with Georgi Nenov. In this episode you’ll also find out: 💪 How FindMeCure was born because Maya had to win a bet with her future co-founder and partner in life; 👶 How she had to raise a business, and a baby at the same time and what can parenting teach you about managing people; 🚀 How to know as a startup founder that an accelerator program is a good fit for your goals; 👩🏻‍💻 Why there are fewer women entrepreneurs out there;

Next on The Recursive podcast we welcome one of the most prominent executives and pioneers in the IT industry in Bulgaria. Ivaylo Slavov is a citizen of the world. Having a long and successful corporate career in Germany, he came back to Bulgaria more than 15 years ago to help set up the first nearshore IT operations for American giants like HP. 10 years ago he started his own company BULPROS and quickly turned it into one of the fastest-growing IT companies in Central Europe. Last year BULPROS merged with the German company ec4u. Together they aim to become the digital cloud services leader in Europe. Their new company DIGITALL is now set to conquer the US market. In his conversation with Irina, Ivaylo Slavov gives an overview of his versatile management experiences from the boom of the dot-com era  in the late 90s, to building the Bulgarian ecosystem from scratch ten years later, and taking his business ventures to global success. In this episode you’ll also hear: Why learning to be loyal is one of the toughest lessons you learn as a leader; What is the key for successful integration between merging companies (“You can miss the opportunities to use the best things of a culture or a company if you go and say my way is better.”) What does Bulgaria need to scale and become a global brand for innovation;

Next on The Recursive podcast, we welcome a female entrepreneur who is passionate about business change, automation and the circular economy. Adina Huma is the co-founder of a Bucharest-based platform that offers sustainable packaging solutions for e-Commerce players called R-Create. Adina and her co-founder Linda Vasilescu aim to help online retailers reduce waste, lower costs, and attract customers with a green policy. She’s also a seasoned consultant and project manager, And guided the digital transformation and business growth of many businesses. In her conversation with Georgi Nenov, Adina shares why she switched from consulting to entrepreneurship and what she learned in the process. She also talks about the hardest moment which they endured with her co-founder Linda Vasilescu as partners - when they were ready to launch a product and raise money from investors but the pandemic put a halt to every business activity. They decided not to give up, but reshuffle, adapt and look for resolution. In this episode you’ll also hear insights on: How to make it work on a market where you are the first one; How to activate the community to contribute to sustainability goals; The evolution of innovations in the SEE region; (“It’s a really good time for startups. You are now granted the opportunity to be hands-on and make things happen.”)

The Recursive podcast is back from winter break. Our next guest is an entrepreneur who is keen on technology and AI as much as he enjoys talking about philosophy and leadership. Ciprian Borodescu is the co-founder of MorphL, a start-up that developed an artificial intelligence-based solution to help online stores increase sales, and optimize their product metrics. His startup was acquired by the French company Algolia before they even managed to raise a seed round. Ciprian now serves as the Head of the R&D center of Algolia in Bucharest. A follower of stoicism philosophy, a sports lover, and a podcast host of a show about artificial intelligence, Ciprian talks with Georgi Nenov about: 🤝🏽 The hard but life-changing decision to get acquired by Algolia and his own transition from CEO into a Head of R&D; (hint: aligning on values was key) ✨ The impact of his relationship with his life and professional partner Alexandra (“She’s one of my role models. I do the talking, but she’s the one making things happen.”); 🤔 Why he embraced stoicism and how he applies its philosophy to startup life; 👨‍🏫 The importance of coaching in entrepreneurship (“Why should athletes have coaches and entrepreneurs should not?”)

2021 has been a spectacular year for our next guest. Hristo Borisov is the co-founder and CEO of the Bulgarian fintech startup Payhawk, which raised a 20M dollars Series A in the first half of the year, followed by a historic for the Bulgarian ecosystem 112M dollars Series B in November. The startup which helps SMEs manage their expenses has ambitious plans for expansion in the US, Europe, and the Asia Pacific. Before becoming an entrepreneur, Hristo Borissov was a software engineer and a product manager at Telerik, the Bulgarian IT company which still represents the largest exit for the Bulgarian ecosystem. In his conversation with Irina, Hristo talks about how the culture at Telerik, which encouraged experimentation and building new things, helped him develop his product thinking. In the episode he also shares: 📖 His playbook for building scalable products; (hints: be a firm believer in the problem you’re solving and make sure you understand the pain points of the customer) ❤️ Why passion matters for him (“I just can’t do things halfway. If I am not passionate about something, I can’t do it”) 💪🏽 How the resilience and efficiency of startup founders from Eastern Europe help them beat the odds; (“We thrive in scarce city”) 🕸️ How he went all in with Payhawk even though he didn’t have a safety net;

Our next guest has been an entrepreneur even before he knew what that meant. He earned his first money as a teenager, drawing graffiti for small businesses in Bucharest. Bogdan Nicoara is currently the co-founder of Bright Spaces, an end-to-end digital leasing platform for commercial real estate. Born in Romania in 2019, the startup is aiming to become a global tech disruptor in real estate. With a background in software development and digital marketing, Bogdan loves starting new projects and finding creative solutions to problems. In an episode, full of insights and lessons from his journey as a startup founder, Bogdan talks about the advantages of starting a global-oriented business from Romania, getting the hang of a complex industry such as real estate, and how they landed their first client. You will also hear from Bogdan on: How to move from service to a product mindset 🧠; How to filter and process negative feedback to build a better product 🏗️; How to get the smart money investors on board as an entrepreneur 💰; 📖 Check out also Bogdan’s recommendation for a book that helps him build the culture at Bright Spaces: Reinventing organizations by Fredreric Laloux

Next stop for The Recursive podcast - Bucharest. It is where we meet serial entrepreneur and angel investor Gregoire Vigroux. The Frenchman who fell in love in Romania, set up all his businesses there, and made his goal to show everybody all the opportunities that the country presents. As a hyperactive person who likes to be challenged every day, Gregoire is born with an entrepreneurial mindset. He has co-founded and invested in more than 25 businesses across Eastern Europe and has had 4 exits so far. One of his first ventures was the outsourcing company CallPoint, which is now known as TELUS International Europe. It currently employs 5,000 people in Bulgaria and Romania and Gregoire serves as a board member. He started his latest endeavors amidst the pandemic - the online store for refurbished smartphones www.fenix.eco that he exited this summer. And just a month ago, he announced his latest project bonapp.eco - a mobile app combating food waste allowing users to buy food close to its expiration date from nearby grocery stores, restaurants, bakeries, cafés, or hotels. Gregoire is the Co-Founder and President at the French Tech global community in Romania, an ecosystem that supports startups in their international development. In his honest conversation with Irina, Gregoire takes us all the way through his incredible entrepreneurial journey. In the episode he shares: Why he believes entrepreneurship is like Russian roulette and what helped him succeed at this crazy game; The importance of building quality relationships and creating friendships with the people you work with; Why he cares more about impact than business plans and pitch decks; How his ADHD condition impacted his life and career path;