Our next guest has come a long way in his professional and personal development - from investment banking, through digital media and marketing, and e-commerce to rethinking humanity’s relationship with food. Victor Penev is a serial entrepreneur and the founder and CEO of the food database and nutrition data provider Edamam. He is also a mentor and investor in food tech startups and an advisor to early-stage entrepreneurs. Before that, Victor co-founded and sold Bulgaria’s largest Internet Compa...
Mar 19, 2024•1 hr 10 min•Transcript available on Metacast Our next guest is an entrepreneur in the promising field of circular economy, advocating for the continuous use and reuse of materials. Mihail Dimitrov is the co-founder and CЕO of Swipe.bg, a Bulgarian marketplace for buying and selling used smartphones. The company recently raised an investment to expand regionally and grow its market share. Mihail Dimitrov comes with vast experience in e-commerce and business development. He previously worked for the world's largest classifieds platform O...
Mar 05, 2024•1 hr 4 min•Transcript available on Metacast Our guest is on a quest to redefine the way businesses collaborate and work with data in the cloud. With more than 20 years of experience in building successful enterprise software products, George Dochev is the co-founder and CTO of US-Bulgarian scale-up LucidLink. The company’s solution is used by the biggest names in the media, health, and finance industries, namely Adobe, Spotify, and WebMD. At the end of 2023, LucidLink closed the largest round for the Bulgarian ecosystem - a 75M dollars Se...
Feb 22, 2024•1 hr 10 min•Transcript available on Metacast Our guest is only 27 years old but he already has several successful ventures in the e-commerce industry. Ruslan Leteyski founded his first company while still in high school. He’s the founder of CheckOutX and Vanga AI, e-commerce solutions for Shopify & WooCommerce that help merchants increase their revenue. His current project TimeCraft is a platform for providing session-based digital services. Ruslan Leteyski is also an active angel investor. Some of the businesses he supported include C...
Feb 06, 2024•1 hr•Transcript available on Metacast In today's special episode, we're breaking away from the norm to revisit some of our most memorable conversations and catch up with our guests to see where life has taken them since. Our guest for today is none other than Ivaylo Slavov, a veteran in Bulgaria's IT industry. Last time we spoke, his company BULPROS had recently merged with the German giant ec4u, forming DIGITALL and setting ambitious goals to lead the digital cloud services market in the US. Fast forward almost two year...
Jan 25, 2024•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast Our next guest is on a quest to unlock the code of longevity. Milena Georgieva is a molecular biology, genetics, and epigenetics professor at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. She is also a Co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer at the startup company EPIX.AI. In her role, Prof. Georgieva is in charge of R&D activities and manages a group of experts working to understand aging processes and create instruments to measure biological age and extend the human lifespan. The conversation spans f...
Dec 20, 2023•1 hr 6 min•Transcript available on Metacast Our next guest is a dedicated engineer looking for solutions to reduce harmful emissions and popularize hydrogen technologies. Dragomir Ivanov is a leading expert in the field of hydrogen with over 16 years of experience. He is the founder of Hydrogenera - a company developing technologies for the production, storage, and consumption of hydrogen. He is also the author of two patents in the field. Dragomir’s vision is to demonstrate that hydrogen can be the main energy source because it is univer...
Dec 12, 2023•46 min•Transcript available on Metacast Hello, The Recursive Community! We are back from our summer break and today we are taking you on a journey to Bucharest and inside the mind of a seasoned investor. Marius Istrate is currently the Chairman of the Board of TechAngels Romania, an investors' community planning accelerated growth after a decade on the market. He is also a Venture Partner at 3VC and Crew Capital. Among the companies he invested in are FlowX.AI, parol, Carsup, Snackable AI, Transition-One, Romania-Insider.com, Youn...
Oct 19, 2023•1 hr 14 min•Ep 82•Transcript available on Metacast Join us in our latest podcast episode as we delve deep into the realms of leadership, mental health, and authenticity together with Velina Getova, founder of NotYourTherapy, which provides psychological support in the workplace. With more than ten years in human development, Velina has worked with multinational corporations, tech start-ups, universities, and nonprofit organizations in Bulgaria, the US, and the UK. Long years of experience led her to the realization that the most needed skill in ...
Aug 30, 2023•1 hr 13 min•Transcript available on Metacast Join us in our latest podcast episode as we explore the journey of Svilen Rangelov , the co-founder and CEO of Dronamics , the world's first cargo drone airline. Svilen's passion for fast, affordable, and green freight is transforming the way goods are moved across the globe. Dronamics is the company he co-founded with his brother Konstantin in 2014 and in this episode, Svilen shares the story of how they built Dronamics from the ground up, overcoming nearly 700 rejections, plenty of ske...
Aug 02, 2023•1 hr 21 min•Ep 80•Transcript available on Metacast Our next guest is a well-known entrepreneur and investor in the Romanian IT industry. Andrei Pitis has 30 years of experience in tech. He was one of the first official Linux contributors in Romania and co-founder of RoEduNet, a network that offered free internet to students. Later, Andrei founded Vector Watch, a Romanian start-up that produced the first Romanian smartwatch. The company was later acquired by Fitbit, where Andrei held various positions including VP of Engineering and VP of Product...
Jul 19, 2023•1 hr 13 min•Transcript available on Metacast Today on The Recursive Podcast we get to find out more about revolutionizing in-store advertising with robots. Ionut Vlad is the co-founder of Tokinomo, a technology company that uses sensors, motion, light, and sound, to bring shelf products to life and increase shopping engagement. No wonder the startup which produces in-store marketing robots has received various awards, like “Impact Star” by Deloitte, and “Most Inventive Startup” by La French Tech Romania. With a background in graphic design...
Jul 12, 2023•54 min•Ep 78•Transcript available on Metacast Next stop for The Recursive Podcast - Bucharest, where we meet with Lavinia Mehedintu . She has dipped her toes in different educational programs as a student before embarking on an entrepreneurial journey of her own, in the learning and developing pool with the social learning platform Offbeat . With a diverse background in HR and communications, Lavinia aims to provide a fresh, actionable twist to the learning industry's ongoing transformation. In her conversation with Elena Vrabie, Lavini...
Jul 05, 2023•52 min•Ep 77•Transcript available on Metacast Our next guest comes from London but has a special interest in Central and Eastern Europe. Bakhrom Ibragimov is a partner at Molten Ventures, which invests in Europe’s tech leaders from Series A to the growth stage. Bakhrom joined Molten in 2022 from EBRD Venture Capital. There he founded and managed commitments of €500m over three VC funds. Previously Bakhrom was leading investments with Virgin Green Fund and TLcom Capital. He was also an Internet Finance Director at Virgin Media and a tech inv...
Jun 28, 2023•54 min•Transcript available on Metacast Today The Recursive podcast is live from Bucharest, meeting one of the most prominent founders and investors on the Romanian tech scene. Radu Georgescu is a serial entrepreneur with over 30 years of experience in the tech industry. He has successfully exited several companies, including the acquisition of RAV antivirus technology by Microsoft, the ePayment business by Naspers, Avantgate by Francisco Partners, and VectorWatch by Fitbit. Radu is currently the founder of Gecad Ventures, a family of...
Jun 15, 2023•1 hr 3 min•Ep 75•Transcript available on Metacast Our next guest - Sasha Bezuhanova - has left an impact in manifold ways on the Bulgarian tech ecosystem and society. She’s one of the first internationally recognized managers. One of the first Bulgarian female leaders in tech. She’s an active angel investor. A philanthropis t. A social mover and shaker. Sasha Bezuhanova is the founder and chairman of the board of MOVE.BG . Ten years ago she left her business career at HP to dedicate herself to positive social change and sustainable development ...
Jun 07, 2023•1 hr 2 min•Ep 74•Transcript available on Metacast Our next guest has close to 20 years of experience in management consulting and digital transformation. Orlin Dochev is a managing partner at Next Consult , an international business, and digital transformation consultancy, blending both strong management consulting expertise with deep IT knowledge. The company has offices in the USA, UK, Switzerland, Romania, and Bulgaria and is partnering with global technology vendors like Salesforce, Tableau, and SAP ERP. Orlin co-founded Next Consult 13 yea...
May 30, 2023•1 hr 24 min•Ep 73•Transcript available on Metacast Today on the podcast we welcome a Ukrainian entrepreneur who currently resides in Sofia. Dmitriy Aleksandrov is the CEO of Homsters, a SaaS provider of automated digital marketing solutions for the property segment. For 8 years, he grew the company from an idea to a PropTech business running in 5 countries. Homsters was acquired by the global media company Ringier at the end of 2022. But Dmitriy is still at the steering wheel to scale the company’s solutions. Initially working in marketing and t...
May 23, 2023•1 hr 10 min•Ep 72•Transcript available on Metacast Our guest today is one of the Co-founders and а Board Member of Scalefocus - Viktor Bilyanski . He started his career in the field of software development two decades ago. In 2012, a pivotal moment in his career came up, as he joined forces with 4 other professionals to establish Scalefocus. With 7 delivery locations in Bulgaria, Turkiye, and North Macedonia, the company provides tailored software solutions and services that empower Fortune 500 companies, innovative startups, and established lea...
May 10, 2023•1 hr 11 min•Ep 71•Transcript available on Metacast Our next guest is helping marketers all over the world have a scalable process for user acquisition, engagement, and storytelling through social media. Sinisa Rakovic is the CEO and co-founder of HUNCH , a marketing technology company focusing on creative intelligence. Sinisa is also a serial entrepreneur with several successful exits behind his back. He graduated from California State University and spent time at Stanford University. In his conversation with Irina, Sinisa reflects on all these ...
May 02, 2023•1 hr 8 min•Ep 70•Transcript available on Metacast In our next stop in Belgrade, our guest is fascinated by the application of AI, machine learning, and data science in the digital transformation of businesses. Darko Todorovic is VP of Engineering and Delivery at the software company HTEC Group . Prior to that, Darko was in charge of R&D, leading the development center of the company HTEC in Niš. Darko is a Ph.D. candidate in the field of Robotics at the University of Niš, where he was the head of the Robotics Laboratory and thought at the D...
Apr 25, 2023•1 hr•Ep 69•Transcript available on Metacast Next stop for The Recursive podcast - Belgrade! Our next guest became an entrepreneur fresh out of high school. Nikola Krstic is now the CEO of the software company Anoris Technology . His company develops a smart glove designed to help people with impaired vision. The smart glove works like a wearable assistant device enabling blind people to have a better quality of life. And it is inspired by the founder himself. In his conversation with Georgi Nenov, he shares his personal journey to entrepr...
Apr 19, 2023•56 min•Ep 68•Transcript available on Metacast 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, ...
Apr 12, 2023•1 hr•Ep 67•Transcript available on Metacast 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...
Apr 04, 2023•1 hr 20 min•Ep 66•Transcript available on Metacast 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 partici...
Mar 28, 2023•58 min•Ep 66•Transcript available on Metacast 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 iVentur...
Mar 21, 2023•1 hr 8 min•Ep 64•Transcript available on Metacast 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. ...
Mar 14, 2023•1 hr 6 min•Ep 63•Transcript available on Metacast 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-...
Mar 07, 2023•1 hr 12 min•Ep 62•Transcript available on Metacast 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 ex...
Nov 29, 2022•46 min•Ep 12•Transcript available on Metacast 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...
Nov 22, 2022•1 hr 13 min•Ep 10•Transcript available on Metacast 
