The CEO of Invest Sofia, Maria Hristova PhD, is a member of the Career Show Awards jury for another year in a row. In this year’s edition of the business awards for the best employer, there are categories in which companies can show the most innovative, creative and effective strategies for managing people in Bulgaria. Among the categories in which employers can present the developed strategies with which they respond to the new working reality are strategy for attracting personnel, strategy for tolerance and inclusion, creation of a new product, Co-working initiative, etc.
“We are happy that Dr. Hristova accepted our invitation to be part of the jury team at the Career Show Awards 2024. One important rule for us is to always partner with professionals at the highest level. This way, the evaluations of the jury can contribute to the development of the working environment in our country and the labor market. We are grateful to have the support and appreciation of such a professional!” shares Hovhannes Hovhannesyan, co-founder of Career Show.
The application process for the leading awards for the best employer in Bulgaria – Career Show Awards 2024 continues. The prestigious awards recognize companies from various sectors in over 80 categories focused on human resources and employer branding. You can submit an application on the awards page – careershow.bg/awards
The CEO of Invest Sofia, Maria Hristova PhD, took part in the 15th edition of the leading economic forum in our country with the participation of financial experts and business leaders at an international level. The event, which is called “The Noise of Money 2024”, is among the most recognizable and established event brands in Bulgaria, which in recent years has expanded its program in the direction of macroeconomics, financial policies, the banking and real estate sector, stock markets and asset management, ESG strategies, entrepreneurial landscape, corporate leadership.
The focus at this year’s edition of the event were: the perspectives on our path to the Eurozone and full Schengen membership, the intensive technological changes in financial services and ESG trends. At the same time, topics such as “Strategies and Innovations for Sustainable Growth” and “Solutions for Personal Finance Management” were also discussed.
During the event, Dr. Maria Hristova spoke with Magdalena Ilieva – manager at the leading fintech company in the field of P2P landing IUVO, who are also partners of the forum.
BuddyGuard – a platform that connects trusted animal caretakers with pet owners, ranked first in the “Best Youth Startup in Bulgaria” competition. The platform makes a quick connection between the parties, on a clear schedule and with timely and secure payments for the service. The platform also received the Audience Award.
The final stage of the competition, organized by the Fund of Funds and the Faculty of Economics of Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”, took place in the hall of the university in the presence of all 40 partners of the competition from the entrepreneurial ecosystem in our country. The event, which is under the patronage of the Ministry of Innovation and Growth and in partnership with the Ministry of Science and Education, was attended by Nikolay Petkov – chief expert in the “Investment Analysis” department at Invest Sofia.
Prof. Taeki Min – professor of business administration at the South Korean Chungnam National University, was also a guest at the ceremony. A day earlier, Prof. Min visited Invest Sofia to get information about the startup culture and ecosystem in Sofia and the country, as well as about investment and business opportunities in our country. Taeki Min is in our country as a visiting scientist at Sofia University.
40 youth startups from all over Bulgaria were admitted to the semifinals of the “Best Youth Startup in Bulgaria 2024” competition. In the semi-finals on May 15, an expert jury selected the ten best ideas that competed for the investors’ attention. A list of all awardees and details of the final ceremony can be read here.
The largest event dedicated to the corporate supply of renewable energy in South-Eastern Europe was held in Sofia for the fourth year in a row. Invest Sofia was represented by its CEO Maria Hristova PhD. During the forum were discussed the latest trends in power purchase contracts, power trading, market development in the region, ESG strategies and corporate sustainability policies, decarbonization strategies, challenges to distribution system services and energy storage, opportunities for financing of RES projects, etc. This year’s edition of RE-Source Southeast brought together more than 50 speakers and over 400 participants.
Representatives of the Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Services of the Rabat – Saleh – Kenitra region visited Invest Sofia to learn about the economic situation in the capital and the services the Agency provides to businesses. The guests were welcomed by the CEO – Maria Hristova PhD, and the head of the “Investment Analysis” department, Viktor Gusev, who presented the activities of Invest Sofia. The delegation included representatives of companies in the food industry, trade, automotive industry, information and communication technologies, etc.
The guests were interested in the level of training and qualification of the staff in Sofia, labor costs and remuneration, as well as the various initiatives of Invest Sofia in support of business.
The delegation from the Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Services of the Rabat – Sale – Kenitra region is in the country to participate in a Bulgarian-Moroccan business forum, which was organized by the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The economic cooperation between our two countries dates back to 1957, when the first trade agreement was signed. The Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Services of the Rabat-Sale-Kenitra Region was established in 1914.
The CEO of Invest Sofia, Maria Hristova PhD, took part in the event, organized by the “Transparency without Borders” Association. The main focus of the forum was the implementation of the aspects of business integrity based on international standards and best practices in the context of the global framework of the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the European regulatory framework for sustainability reporting.
Special attention was paid to the recommendations and guidelines of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, as well as to Bulgaria’s progress in the implementation of the adopted national strategic framework and in the process of joining the organization. The panel discussions and interactive sessions of the forum gave the opportunity for sharing of experiences and best practices on the implementation of anti-corruption policies and tools to increase transparency and accountability of businesses, on the importance of ESG standards and the new European sustainability reporting norms, and will address the challenges and the opportunities for their implementation.
The event was attended by national and international experts, representatives of the executive authority, business representatives, the non-governmental sector representatives and the academic community.
The chief experts from the Agency, Radostina Belcheva and Kristin Demerdzhiev, joined the event, which brought together over 100 partners and like-minded people of the global network for the success of young people in Bulgaria. During the meeting, the main topics that were discussed were: “What adults can learn from young people”, “How professionals in Bulgaria can help them by developing key skills” and “How business can be part of Bulgaria’s brighter future”.
“Tuk-Tam” presented their new direction, in which they want to work with every single company in Bulgaria and their teams, so that young people can have access to better examples, first-hand advice, internship or work opportunities all year round and overall – better chances to develop their full potential.
Our partners at the Institute for Market Economics organized the first annual forum on the state of economic freedom and the rule of law. The CEO of Invest Sofia, Maria Hristova PhD took part in the event called “Growth in turbulent times”. A partner in the organization is the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom. Among the main topics that were discussed were “What are the major economic challenges and will we get out of the trap of being the last in the EU?”, “What have the countries of Central and Eastern Europe achieved in two decades within the EU and why Bulgaria is still in the queue?” and “Is there an end to the political crisis in our country and what is the way forward?”.
The Bulgarian Small and Medium Enterprises Promotion Agency (BSMEPA), together with the Bulgarian-Ukrainian Chamber of Industry and with the support of the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry organized a Bulgarian-Ukrainian business forum with bilateral meetings. Our CEO Maria Hristova PhD joined the event.
The main goal of the event is to expand the trade and economic relations between the two countries, as well as to create prerequisites for the establishment of new contacts between entrepreneurs and companies, considering the complicated and at the same time dynamic situation in Ukraine.
The business forum provided an opportunity for the representatives of Bulgarian enterprises from the sectors: ICT, including fintech and modern technologies, energy, food industry and agriculture, logistics and infrastructure to meet new potential partners, as well as to make direct contacts with enterprises from Ukraine .
“Data Protection and the Road Ahead” is the motto of the GDPR, AI and Data -Driven Regulations conference organized by the American Chamber of Commerce in Bulgaria, the main purpose of which is to discuss the trends in the field of data protection in the rapid development of the economy and the related digital challenges, that are facing the multinational companies.The CEO of Invest Sofia, Maria Hristova PhD, and Radostina Belcheva, chief expert at the Agency, took part in the event. The main topics of the conference were “Digital transformation in the post-pandemic period”, “Technology evolution – technologies with artificial intelligence”, “Challenges related to data protection in the new digital environment”; “Interaction with other EU laws and legal initiatives in the data-driven digital economy” and “The Bulgarian Commission for the Protection of Personal Data and the upcoming challenges in the digital environment”.
The CEO of Invest Sofia – Maria Hristova PhD participated in the event organized by the Bulgarian Industrial Capital Association and the European Economic and Social Committee. The half-day high-level conference brought together European and Bulgarian stakeholders, politicians, representatives of industry, civil society, academia and the media. The main topics discussed at the event were: the most efficient way to use the EU’s capabilities and “strengths” within the framework of the “European Strategy for Economic Security in Energy” and what is the best way to connect the local stakeholders for knowledge transfer and exchange of best practices related to sustainable energy systems and ways of storage.
Invest Sofia signed a memorandum of cooperation with “Dream Business Solutions”. The company has more than 30 years of history in business consulting worldwide. In their 4 years on the Bulgarian market, their growth methodology has been applied in over 500 businesses and 5 large municipalities. The team offers consulting and expert assistance that can guarantee a 61% increase in profit, retention of key employees and increased team efficiency, lower prices for the end user in times of inflation and lower costs by applying the most appropriate technologies and strategies.
The memorandum was signed by Boyko Prodanov – manager of “Dream Business Solutions” and the CEO of Invest Sofia Maria Hristova PhD. The main goal of our cooperation is to join our efforts to promote, support and facilitate economic cooperation between our business partners. The company also becomes part of our Sofia IS initiative, which unites the local administration and companies from the city to provide integrated service for investor inquiries and free assistance in the process of establishing operations in Sofia.