28.12.2024
“Connect and Inspire” in Stara Zagora – a community for building meaningful and valuable professional connections, sharing experience, vision, and support for the development of the entrepreneurial and business ecosystem in the region.
Part of the InnovatEase team took part in the event “Connect and Inspire” in Stara Zagora, held on December 28, 2024. The event was part of the Connect and Inspire Series, organized by the Romain Rolland Alumni Club and Invest Stara Zagora, with the support of eDynamix Bulgaria Ltd.
During the meeting, participants had the opportunity to discuss specific issues with the guest speakers that are important for shaping perspectives on the local entrepreneurial community and the future development of the city.
From the InnovatEase team, we once again raised the topic of building a sustainable vision for the integration of resources, technologies, investments, and know-how for “smart cities” and X City “cities of the future.”
CREATING OPEN COMMUNITIES, DESIGNING INITIATIVES, AND DEVELOPING SMART CITIES FOR THE NEXT GENERATION is the cause that the InnovatEase team continues to pursue systematically, seeking like-minded partners with whom to expand our support network in this field.
During the interpersonal networking sessions with participants, we held a special discussion with one of the event’s speakers – Stefan Zhelyazkov, whose professional biography and vision truly inspired us during the event.
Stefan is one of the inspiring examples of successful Bulgarians who decided to return to Bulgaria and, more specifically, to build their career in their hometown. An alumnus of the Foreign Language High School “Romain Rolland,” he pursued higher education at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, USA, where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science in 2013.
Stefan spent six years in New York, working for the investment bank Goldman Sachs, the construction technology startup Honest Buildings, and the shared office space company WeWork.
At the end of 2019, he decided to return to Bulgaria, and specifically to Stara Zagora. Since then, he has been working for the software company Musala Soft on projects for technology clients, while also leading the team of the programming competition CodeIT.BG.
Inspiring representatives of Stara Zagora from business, the public sector, and expert communities discussed topics such as:
- Building a supportive environment for startups;
- Opportunities for remote work;
- Successful examples of growth and innovation in the region.
Panelists in the discussion included Rositsa Raykova from Invest Stara Zagora, Irena Mincheva from @Soriko Ltd., Daniel Kiryakov, PMP from the American Chamber of Commerce in Bulgaria, Stefan Zhelyazkov from Musala Soft, and Stoyan Lozanov from OMNIO, who shared experience, valuable examples, and food for thought. The meeting was moderated by Danail Marinov, whose insightful questions and comments sparked highly productive conversations.
The InnovatEase team remains committed and ready to contribute to the development and strengthening of a strong professional community of entrepreneurs, innovators, and scientists in Stara Zagora.