By Konstantin Kunev | General Manager
The Future Unicorns Accelerator, (formerly Bulgaria Innovation Hub) continues to foster high-impact entrepreneurship and strengthen the bridge between the US and the Central and Eastern European(CEE/SEE) startup ecosystems
Summer 2025 Project Update
As summer settles in, we’re taking a moment to reflect on how far we’ve come, and where we’re heading next. At Future Unicorns, each season brings new milestones, but this one feels special. With the 10th cohort behind us, we’re setting the tone for what’s to come.
This past month, we celebrated a major milestone with our Summer Gathering in Sofia. We brought founders, mentors, and partners together for an evening of live pitches, honest reflections, and well-earned toasts. As five teams took the stage to share what’s next, one thing was clear: CEE is growing companies built to scale globally.
Cheers to the founders of the 10 startups, and the 5 who pitched at the event: CulturePulse, Omnisearch, Petsy, Bronia AI, Moveo.AI, EPIX.AI, ufleet, Mirror 360, Team Schedule, AdScout.
A special thanks to America for Bulgaria Foundation, our longest-standing supporter, and to newer allies like VEDA Accounting, who continue to believe in the power of scaling from CEE. And of course, thanks to Sabale for hosting us with great food, cocktails, and atmosphere.
The Bridge 2025
At The Bridge conference in June—Bulgaria’s premier global gathering of high-impact Bulgarian entrepreneurs and investors—Future Unicorns was proudly represented by our CEO, Pavlina Yanakieva, GM Konstantin Kunev, and board members Pressian Karakostov, Ivan Dimov and Sim Simeonov. They led and participated in key sessions alongside our mentors, partners, and founders from the broader Future Unicorns community, reinforcing our mission to elevate Bulgarian innovation on the world stage.
Sim Simeonov, who is also a serial entrepreneur and investor, joined Boris Valkov, co-founder and CEO of Lace, for a panel on building at AI speed and using emerging tech to increase business velocity.
Pavlina and Sim took the stage to spotlight Future Unicorns as a strategic growth engine for innovation—bridging Bulgaria and the CEE region with U.S. markets. Sim described Future Unicorns as “the only product I’ve seen with a 100% Net Promoter Score,” underscoring the program’s transformative impact on founders and the broader ecosystem.
In another standout panel, Pavlina led a dynamic dialogue with long-time Future Unicorns mentors and sponsors, Momchil Kyurkchiev and Dragan Manoev, who shared their experience on activating the Bulgarian diaspora in the U.S. and beyond, and the importance of giving back to the next generation of global leaders from Bulgaria and the region.
We proudly joined forces with Teenovator for the #ChasingUnicorns charity marathon, where together we raised 30,000 BGN to support the growth of young founders and future changemakers. A heartfelt thank you to all the donors and runners who supported the cause—including Dennis Smith, Alcatraz.ai, alumni Orlin Radev with AMPECO and Nikola Tanev, and long term supporters like the America for Bulgaria Foundation, Larry Biehl with the Bulgarian Entrepreneurship Center and others, for their continued generosity and commitment to our shared mission.
An inspiring keynote from Ivet Lalova opened the marathon and set the tone for a weekend full of energy, insight, and connection.
Finally, we’d like to thank the amazing Bridge team: Nikola Likov, Alexandra Todorova, Olya Antonova, Todor Gigilev, Zanni Sabev, and the entire Bridge crew for putting together another memorable experience filled with insightful workshops, passionate discussions, and impact focused community. We loved reconnecting with our alumni companies like Evrotrust, AMPECO, and AdScout, while building new friendships and bridges along the way.
Thank you to all who have supported us during The Bridge, throughout the years and especially here on the GlobalGiving platform. It's your help, that allows us to prepare CEE founders for their journey and growth in the US!
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