Optimism for Bulgaria

To give Bulgarian kids an immersive experience, every year, the Bulgarian-American Commission for Educational Exchange, better known as Fulbright Bulgaria, places some thirty young Americans in schools around the country.

Whether they are working to illuminate corruption or resolve international conflicts, preparing their countries’ economies for the digital future, or helping governments deal with public health crises, AUBG graduates are leaving a profound mark on their communities and the world at large.

Over three months, volunteer mentors from the world of business guided Hristina and other aspiring entrepreneurs through those steps, covering topics such as business planning, budgeting, market research, pricing and sales, marketing, and client relationship management. They talked about their own first steps in business and initial mishaps.

2020 was a tough year to launch a business, but not for Lazar Lazarov. The 31-year-old had been preparing for the move for over 10 years. Moreover, he had just completed Business Academy for Starting Entrepreneurs, the America for Bulgaria Foundation’s free entrepreneurship program, in Pleven, and his idea to start an online shop for custom dress shirts had won the program’s top prize.

Hairdressing was an unlikely choice for someone with a background in veterinary science and engineering and a job in pharmacy. But it was a childhood dream, so she signed up for a six-month hairdressing course, traveling daily for classes in Veliko Tarnovo, 55 miles away, even as she juggled family responsibilities, including a preteen son, and a full-time job.

The Council of Women in Business unites companies and individuals in the goal of promoting women’s inclusion and development in Bulgaria’s economy and public life. The Council is also the America for Bulgaria Foundation’s partner in launching three editions of Business Academy for Starting Entrepreneurs, the Foundation’s free entrepreneurship program, in Lovech, Troyan, and Veliko Tarnovo. In four years, BASE has helped dozens of individuals across Bulgaria build or expand small businesses creating hundreds of jobs.

Plamen Nikolov likes to joke that he is in the business of diffusing wellbeing. He is the executive director of Esseterre, the Bulgarian arm of the world’s largest producer of essential oils, dōTERRA. Essential oils are aromatic oils distilled from plants and an essential ingredient in aromatherapy, the practice of using oils for healing or cosmetic purposes, usually through inhalation. Diffusers are devices used to disperse the beneficial scents.  

The transformative role of digital technologies will be the main theme of the first ever World Press Institute conference in Bulgaria. Titled “New Horizons in Journalism,” the event will be held in Sofia on September 24–25 in cooperation with the Association of European Journalists – Bulgaria and the America for Bulgaria Foundation.

The Kelvin Health app shows huge promise for the early detection of a variety of conditions including breast cancer, vascular diseases, and respiratory infections, according to Kelvin Health cofounder Georgi Kadrev. Founded in 2020, the company is partnering with pharmaceutical giant Novartis and several research hospitals and universities in Bulgaria and abroad and is currently collecting clinical data.