Award ceremony of the finalists concluded the “Best Youth Startup in Bulgaria – 2025” competition organized by the Fund of Funds and Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski. The event took place on 23 April in the Aula of Sofia University.
After a 3-month intensive training and mentoring program, a one-month competition in 5 stages and a serious competition between 260 teams, a jury of 20 professionals selected 11 winners in the three categories: Business Stars (regional small businesses), Future Unicorns (technology and innovative startups), SDG Dragons (projects focused on sustainable development goals). Among the teams that participated, there were 7 teams with a leader young scientist or PhD student from BAS.
Among the awarded entrepreneurial ideas are: a robot for autonomous cleaning of photovoltaics in industrial solar parks; a smart container with AI technology for collection and classification of plastic bottles and cans focused on promoting recycling and sustainable waste management; a project for the creation of innovative products such as custom 3D-printed splints, protective medical devices for the human body, etc.; a platform for innovative urban games, a project for healthy products based on honey and other natural ingredient, a platform that provides students with effective and flexible learning, etc.
First place in the SDG Dragons category was awarded to BioBliss, a start-up by a team of young ladies from 12th grade at a private high school who presented an innovative button-shaped battery that was produced from bio-waste. The team is working in collaboration with the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and wants to patent the invention. This is also the project that received the highest number of awards from the competition partners.
Another start-up, 3D OPEN DESIGN which won second place in the Future Unicorns category, is collaborating with an institute of BAS in the process of validating its product.
On behalf of the organizers of the competition, Dr. Eng. Dotchka Vassileva, Head of Project Information and Financing Unit at the Fund of Funds, thanked the partner network of public organizations, universities, foundations, etc. for their invaluable support in training, mentoring, events and prizes.
The Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, through the activities of the PhD Training Centre – BAS, was also among the academic partners of this year’s competition. The team of the Career Centre at the PhD TC-BAS actively participated in the events and mentoring sessions organised within the competition.
During the award ceremony, the winners of the competition made a short presentation of their innovative entrepreneurial ideas. Representatives of the partner organisations of the competition had the opportunity to personally present awards to selected finalists. Awards for all 11 winners were presented on behalf of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences by Corr. Memb. Evdokia Pasheva, Vice-President of BAS, who congratulated the young future entrepreneurs for their success.
One of the main partners of the “Best Youth Startup in Bulgaria – 2025” competition, Founder Institute, has been carrying out an extremely fruitful cooperation with BAS since 2023, organizing for the Academy’s PhD students a series of specialized trainings on entrepreneurial skills within the traditional Interdisciplinary Doctoral Forum of PhD TC-BAS.
