Partners

European Software Institute – Center Eastern Europe (ESI CEE)

ESI CEE is the Regional Software Excellence Center of the European Software Institut (ESI) for Eastern Europe. The mission of ESI CEE is to implement leading strategic management and software engineering methodologies to increase industry capacity and productivity in the region, ICT business competitiveness, and ICT professional skills and qualifications. ESI CEE is specialized in building regional capacity and networks through the provision of training and educational services, consultancy, and certifications of ICT practitioners in the fields of quality management, leading ICT projects & teams, information security, strategic ICT business planning, and management. ESI CEE is also bridging the gap between personal ICT qualifications and job profiles needed by ICT organizations to achieve higher maturity and compliance with industrial standards. Furthermore, ESI CEE closely cooperates with academia in order to provide updated modern university curricula for software engineering matching the market demands. As part of its efforts to increase the competitiveness of the ICT sector in the region, ESI CEE is actively supporting young entrepreneurs through mentorship, training, and internship programs.

In addition, the organization is deeply involved in various promotional and networking activities related to digital entrepreneurship as mentors in acceleration programs, pre-incubation entrepreneur clubs, etc.

IDG-bg

ICT Media, the successor of IDG Bulgaria, is the leading publisher in the field of ICT in Bulgaria since 1990. ICT Media has 3 main domains of activity:

Publishing (Computerworld, Networkworld, CIO);
Online activities (web portals: IDG.BG, PC World, websites: computerworld.bg, www.pcworld.bg, www.cio.bg и www.networkworld.bg; webinars; newsletters: ICT Market Weekly, PC World, CFO.CIO.bg);
Organizing conferences and forums are the most rapidly growing part of the business of ICT Media in recent years. They are vertical segments such as financial sector, administration, Energy and Utilities, and hot technology topics: ERP and SRM solutions, market deregulation in telecommunications, information security and so on. Providing a unique opportunity for meetings and exchange of information between decision-makers in the region with representatives of the leading ICT companies.

ICT Cluster Bulgaria

Foundation “Bulgarian Cluster for Information and Communication Technologies” is a cluster initiative supporting emergence and development of clusters in the field of ICT in Bulgaria. The organization`s main objective is ICT SME growth and development through promotion of cooperation, building competitiveness and creation of new business opportunities. Answering the new economic challenges, in 2008 the organization changed its main priorities and focused all activities to help ICT SME to increase their competitiveness and to develop internationally.

Bulgarian Association of Software Companies (BASSCOM)

The goal of BASSCOM is to establish the software industry as an essential part of the Bulgarian economy. The development of this industry is fundamental for the development of information technologies as well as for the country’s economic growth.

The Association helps its members improve their expertise in the organization and development of software as well as learn and develop modern software technologies and management skills (software projects, software companies);

BASSCOM also works towards marketing the Bulgarian software industry more efficiently and will help the companies participate in bigger and more significant Bulgarian and international projects;

Bulgarian Web Association (BWA)

The mission of the Bulgarian Web Association (BWA) is to support the development of Web technologies, and the creation of favorable environment and quality standards for services and products. To promote the advantages of the Web and the Internet among business communities, governments and non-governmental institutions, including the current and future partners in the European Union and NATO.

Start It Smart

Start It Smart is a non-government organization, the main goals of which are to support social integration and personal realization in the field of entrepreneurship; developing and promoting the ideas of young people in entrepreneurship; establishing contacts between young people in the country and abroad, promoting the development of their entrepreneurial spirit.

The organization aims to promote the exchange of experience and information among young people, mentors, and the business community, to initiate and develop practices related to an entrepreneurial culture, to support the development of information technology and scientific innovation; to stimulate the development of start-ups by finding partners, funding and know-how; to create business programs for young entrepreneurs; to initiate dialogue and implement policies for the development of a more favorable environment for young entrepreneurs; to raise the awareness and skills of Bulgarian entrepreneurs for opportunities related to project preparation, financing, and implementation;

The Bulgarian Entrepreneurship and Innovation Cluster (BEIC)

BEIC exists to stimulate communication and collaboration within the Bulgarian entrepreneurship community.

They aim to deliver unity in the community and further understanding of the topics of entrepreneurship and innovation. The cluster and its members seek to define and develop Bulgaria as a fertile environment for innovative entrepreneurship.

The Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics (FMI) of Sofia University, “St. Kliment Ohridski”

FMI was founded on 24 November 1889 as a Physics and Mathematics Division of the first and most prestigious university in Bulgaria – Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”.

Throughout its history, FMI has been a spiritual center of higher education and research. The mission of FMI is to preserve, enrich and transmit the knowledge in the field of Pure and Applied mathematics, Informatics, and Computer science; to be a national leader and a European centre for university education in Mathematics, Informatics, and Computer Science; to be a scientific center of European importance and international recognition.

LAUNCHub

LAUNCHub is a seed fund supporting the most promising entrepreneurs and digital startups in Southeastern Europe
Since 2012, LAUNCHub has invested and committed 5.7 million Euro in 53 startups from 9 countries in the SEE region, including Bulgaria, Romania, Macedonia, Croatia, Greece, Slovenia, Ukraine, Austria and Switzerland.

We have welcomed over 200 founders in our portfolio family and for less than three years we have managed to attract over 5.7 million Euro of additional funding for our companies, seeing through a couple of next rounds, including two Series A and a few joint rounds with participation from angels and other seed investors.