French Tech Sofia

French Tech Sofia was delighted to support CCI France Bulgarie for the sixth edition of their prestigious Innovation Awards, held at the elegant Grand Hotel Millennium Sofia. This annual ceremony celebrates the most dynamic players in the Bulgarian business ecosystem. This year, six exceptional companies and individuals were honored for their outstanding achievements in innovation, performance, and entrepreneurship – including a groundbreaking start-up, awarded in partnership with BNP Paribas. 👏 Congratulations to all the winners: - Innovation Award – Wiser Technology - Performance Award – Proxiad SEE - Businesswoman of the Year – Vesela Ilieva, Unique Estates | Christie’s International Real Estate - Businessman of the Year – Jesús Caballero Pinto, Sofia Airport - Special Jury Award – Kolev&Kolev and Kinetik Automotive - Innovative Start-up – Capto (in partnership with BNP Paribas) 🚀 As innovation is at the heart of what we do, we were especially inspired by the panel discussion on “Artificial Intelligence – Opportunities and Challenges”, moderated by Alexander Bekyarov (HP Inc. Bulgaria) with insights from: Nikola Barbutov , Deputy Mayor of Sofia, in charge of Innovation and International Relations, Dimitar Dimitrov , CTO at Wiser Technology Fabrice Gouttebroze, SVP International Sales at Sirma Group. The event brought together key figures from government, industry, and the innovation ecosystem, including Mr. Atanas Zafirov, Deputy Prime Minister of Bulgaria - Mr. Martin Danovsky, Deputy Minister of Innovation and Growth - Mr. Nikolay Pavlov, Deputy Minister of Economy and Industry - Mr. Tsvetan Simeonov, President of the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry - Ms. Mila Nenova, Executive Director of the Bulgarian Investment Agency. 🙏 A big thank you to the organizers, sponsors, and fellow partners who made this celebration of innovation possible: BNP Paribas, Schneider Electric, Air Liquide, EDENRED Bulgaria, Polygraphia Office Center, NAOS (Bioderma - Institut Esthederm - Etat Pur), Arsov Natchev Ganeva, Congress Engineering – and to the media partners: Nova Broadcasting Group, Капитал, Bloomberg TV Bulgaria, Bulgarian News Agency (BTA), ECONOMY.bg, and Мениджър . We’re proud to see innovation thriving in Bulgaria – and we’re here to help it grow. 🇫🇷🇧🇬 #FrenchTechSofia #InnovationAwards #Partnership #AI #Startups #CCIFranceBulgarie #TechInBulgaria #FrenchTech

Yesterday we hosted our 7th French Tech Afterwork in Sofia — and it was another fantastic evening of connections, insights, and inspiration. A big thank you to everyone who joined us and made the evening great once again! 🙌 🎤 On stage, we had the pleasure of welcoming two seasoned speakers and entrepreneurs: Danail Arapkuliev, Venture Designer at Camplight | Your Digital Venture Builder. Danail delivered a talk titled “Accelerate Innovation by Testing First!”, where he unpacked a framework for fast, lean product experimentation. From building MVPs to validating assumptions early, his insights were gold for anyone launching a startup or innovating within a team. His message was clear: fail fast, learn fast, and stay frugal while doing it. Wilfried Durand, founder of Onvey and VP of French Tech Sofia. Wilfried took us on a candid journey through his transition from founder to angel investor. He shared what it's really like to back startups with your own capital — what works, what to watch out for, and why mindset matters just as much as money. His hands-on experience and practical takeaways made for a session packed with value and honest lessons. Special shoutout to Zdravka Kambourova and Easy Exhibit for coming through with a last-minute venue change! NETWORKING Premium Coworking & Event Spaces turned out to be an excellent spot, we loved the vibe and hope to be back soon! Swipe through the photos to catch some highlights 📸 And if you missed this one — don’t worry, we’ve got more coming up. Mark your calendars: 📅 Innovation Awards by CCI France Bulgarie – March 26th 📅 French Tech Sofia Afterwork – Tuesday, April 15th Keep posted!

🚨 Important Update for French Tech Sofia Event! 🚨 Due to an organizational issue, we have to change the event location at the last minute. 📍 New Location: - NETWORKING Premium Coworking & Event Spaces - Just 5 minutes walk away from the original spot - Sofia Center, General Gurko St 16, 1000 Sofia We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience—but we’ll make it up to you with amazing presentations from our speakers! Thanks for your understanding, and see you there!

🚀 Join us for the next Afterwork French Tech Sofia, happening on Tuesday, March 18th, starting at 6:30 PM! This edition brings you two fantastic speakers who will dive into the realities of innovation and investment—from testing ideas before you build, to navigating the complex world of business angels. We’ll gather at Networking, Premium co-working space, for the talks from 7 PM to 8 PM, followed by a relaxed networking session with drinks at Crafter. Great content, great people—don’t miss it! Meet Our Featured Speakers: 🗣️ Danail Arapkuliev Venture Designer at Camplight | Your Digital Venture Builder.
Danail has spent over a decade transforming ideas into scalable products. At the crossroads of user experience and product strategy, he champions rapid validation and smart decision-making. His talk—“Accelerate Innovation by Testing First!” will give you actionable tools to de-risk ideas and build what truly matters. 🗣️ Wilfried Durand, founder of Onvey and VP of French Tech Sofia -
Entrepreneur and angel investor, Wilfried has seen both sides of the table. Drawing from his own experience and dozens of startup journeys, his session “Business Angels Uncovered: What Works, What Hurts?” will unpack the hidden traps (or misconceptions) and real opportunities of angel investing. Both talks include a 20-minute presentation + 10-minute Q&A, so bring your curiosity and your questions! Event Details: 📅 Date: Tuesday, March 18th ⏰ Time: 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM, followed by Afterwork networking 📌 Location: Networking, Premium co-working space,  Floor 8, General Gurko St 16, 1000 Sofia, Bulgaria 💬 Language: English 🎟️ Free Entry

Our 6th French Tech Afterwork was a resounding success last Tuesday! We’re excited to share some pictures from the event. We, once again, had inspiring conversations and invaluable networking. 👏🙂 We had the pleasure of welcoming Zdravka Kambourova and Sissi Simeonova to the stage—two visionary entrepreneurs who captivated the audience with their passion, expertise, and impactful stories. 💪 Zdravka Kambourova - As the Founder & CEO of Easy Exhibit, Zdravka (“Zaza”) shared her visionary approach to the intersection of creativity, marketing, and sales. She delivered a compelling talk on optimizing trade shows to maximize any company global visibility. Her actionable strategies and practical tips on standing out in competitive markets left us with many great ideas. For anyone looking to kickstart or scale their sales strategy at trade shows, Zdravka’s insights were gold! Sissi Simeonova - Co-Founder and CEO of Foody and a Forbes "30 Under 30" honoree, Sissi shared her experience as a social entrepreneur and Youth Delegate to the United Nations. She inspired us all with her journey, demonstrating the power of purpose-driven leadership and sustainable business. Her talk focused on social innovation, fighting food waste, and building impactful ventures that resonate with the next generation. Her story was a masterclass in turning passion into purpose. A huge thank you to everyone who attended, engaged, and made the evening truly special. We are grateful to our generous sponsors — NEO Cyber Camp, Ingotify, and Onvey — for their support and belief in our mission. 📅 What’s next? Mark your calendars! Our next event is coming up, as usual on the 3rd Tuesday of the month, next March 18th. Stay tuned for more details!

Join us for the Afterwork French Tech Sofia, next week on Tuesday, February 18th, starting at 6:30 PM. This edition features two incredible speakers bringing unique insights from both business and human perspectives—expect valuable takeaways and plenty of inspiration! We’ll meet at Shtrak for the speaker sessions from 7 PM to 8 PM, followed by the more casual and relaxed networking session with drinks at Crafter, just across the street. Meet Our Featured Speakers: 🗣️ Zdravka Kambourova Founder & CEO at Easy Exhibit. A dynamic leader at the intersection of creativity, marketing, and sales, Zdravka (“Zaza”) has extensive experience working with high-stakes industries like automotive and exhibitions. She specializes in optimizing trade shows to help brands gain global visibility—don’t miss her insights on how to stand out in competitive markets! 🗣️ Sissi Simeonova, Co-Founder and CEO of Foody. A social entrepreneur, engineer, and Forbes "30 Under 30" honoree, Svetoslava (“Sissi”) is also a Youth Delegate to the United Nations. Driven by passion and purpose, she represents the next generation of changemakers—get ready to be inspired by her journey! Each speaker will deliver a 20-minute talk followed by a 10-minute Q&A session, providing you the perfect opportunity to gain valuable insights and ask your questions. Event Details 📅 Date: Tuesday, February 18th
 ⏰ Time: 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM, followed by the Afterwork networking
 📍 Location: Shtrak, Hristo Belchev 3, Sofia 1000 The event is free to attend and will be conducted in English. ✨ Come listen, connect, and support these amazing speakers! Feel free to bring a +1. We can’t wait to see you there!

Our 5th French Tech Afterwork session with speakers was last Tuesday. What a great way to kick-off 2025 👏 🙂 We had the pleasure of welcoming Raya Hristova on Alexis Chevallot, two entrepreneurs, to the stage where they shared their experience and views. The least we can say, both are deeply knowledgeable, experts and passionate about their fields. 💪 Raya shared tools and processes around Design Thinking. Her insights included practical advises to deliver faster and better solutions and actually meet market expectations. We had the chance to have behind the scene view on her new fintech venture, TwoWay, as an illustrative and practical use case. Alexis, co-founder and CEO of Capto debunked for us the true meaning and challenges around automation for online services and tasks. Better yet, he shared on overview of all the possibilities when (or not) using automation to increase business opportunities, scale 10x at no extra cost, while unlocking human potential. ✨ Events like this remind us of the incredible community we’re building together. A heartfelt thank you to everyone who attended, participated, and contributed to making this event truly special. A special shout-out to our generous sponsors— NEO Cyber Camp, Ingotify, and Onvey — for their support in bringing this event to life. 📅 What’s next? The next event is yet to be announced, and will happen as usual on the 3rd Tuesday of the month, on February 18th. Stay tuned for updates!

Join us, next Monday 27th of January, for an insightful conference on Artificial Intelligence, organized by Institut français de Bulgarie, the French Ambassy and CCI France Bulgarie. 📅 Date: Monday, January 27, 2025 ⌚ Time: from 14:00 to 18:00 📍Venue: Institut français de Bulgarie, 3, Slaveykov square, Sofia. ➡️ Conditions: free entrance, event accessible upon registration until Friday, January 24th. ➡️ Register HERE (Google form): https://cutt.ly/je9xdhB5 🇬🇧 Language : English (no translation provided) ➡️ Discover the full programme ans speakers here: https://lnkd.in/dGe6geNP

We’re excited to invite you to kick off the new year with our next event on Tuesday, January 21st, starting at 6:30 PM. We're super proud to host 2 incredibly talented speakers withs lots of energy, don't miss them! To kick of this new season, we’ll meet at Shtrak for an engaging evening of insights and networking. From 7 PM to 8 PM, our featured speakers will share their expertise, followed by a relaxed networking session with drinks at Crafter, just across the street. Meet Our Featured Speakers: 🗣️ Raya Hristova, Co-Founder of TwoWay. A seasoned Design Thinking and UX strategist, Raya has spent years working with global FinTechs before returning to Sofia. She brings a sharp, expert perspective on problem-solving, creative processes, and innovation. As a co-founder of TwoWay, an ambitious FinTech startup, Raya is at the forefront of creating next-gen solutions for investment bank traders. 🗣️ Alexis Chevallot, Co-Founder and CEO of Capto. With years of experience in automating repetitive manual processes, Alexis is passionate about helping businesses maximize value for their teams and clients. After nearly four years at PwC, Alexis chose Bulgaria as his base, running his headquarters in Bansko and building a strong market presence in the country. His journey is proof that anything is possible in Bulgaria! Each speaker will deliver a 15-minute talk followed by a 10-minute Q&A session, providing you the perfect opportunity to gain valuable insights and ask your questions. Event Details 📅 Date: Tuesday, January 21st
⏰ Time: 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM, followed by after-work networking
📍 Location: Shtrak, Hristo Belchev 3, Sofia 1000 The event is free to attend and will be conducted in English. Register now to secure your spot! Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from industry leaders and connect with like-minded professionals. We look forward to seeing you there!

600 Strong! (and growing! 💪) A huge THANK YOU to each and every one of you for following us here 😊 You were just a few a couple of months ago and it's been incredible to see your increased support as we grow as a community. Today's a small milestone we're proud to share with you. For being part of this journey, thank you so much indeed! 🎉 🥳 #ThankYou #Milestone #FrenchTechSOF