Balgarianovinite.com The Big Data for Smart Society Institute (GATE) on Thursday hosted a forum, titled Next Gen Entrepreneurs Day, dedicated to young entrepreneurs to show them how to move from concept to successfully bringing their ideas to market.
The main focus was the development of entrepreneurial skills, access to funding, and building a sustainable innovation ecosystem in Bulgaria.
Organizational partners of the forum included SIS Credit, Fund of Funds, the Bulgarian Private Equity and Venture Capital Association, Sofia University, the podcast The Next Gen Speaks, and Poland’s Microfinance Centre.
The event took place with support from the European Commission and the European Investment Bank’s InvestEU programme and is part of the Best Youth Startup in Bulgaria 2026 programme.
GATE Institute head Prof. Silvia Ilieva said that seven years after applying to the European Commission with a business plan for the creation of the scientific unit at Sofia University, the GATE team has grown to more than 80 people and has completed over 30 European projects.
She added that GATE’s work has also been linked to supporting Bulgaria’s entrepreneurial environment. As an example, she pointed to the completed Horizon Europe project ExcellEnt, which helped connect Bulgarian entrepreneurs with representatives of ecosystems from other countries.
The institute is currently implementing another project focused on clean technologies and sustainable mobility.
GATE also supports entrepreneurship through its technology entrepreneurship programme.
Ilieva recalled that since 2022, GATE has served as a NATO test centre for big data and artificial intelligence. Since then, the institute has supported more than 60 Bulgarian startups in applying for funding to develop dual-use technologies.
Andriana Sukova, Deputy Director-General of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, said that there are 4.3 million social organizations across the European Union, including enterprises, foundations, and mutual aid societies. She added that these organizations employ 11.5 million people, or 6.3% of all those in work in Europe, and improve territorial cohesion, help reduce poverty, provide access to quality services and involve local communities in social projects.
On financing, she said EUR 1.2 billion has been mobilized in the form of guarantees through financial instruments and funds. These have so far supported 90,000 beneficiaries and 3,000 social enterprises. Because guarantee instruments have a multiplying effect, an additional EUR 11.7 billion has been raised for investment in social enterprises, creating and preserving around 900,000 jobs in Europe.
Bulgaria needs to further develop a culture of risk-taking and learn from failures, caretaker Minister of Innovation and Growth Irena Mladenova said.
She said state institutions should take a systematic approach focused on strategic goals, while funding organizations should be able to identify and support ideas with strong potential. Mladenova assured participants that they have a natural partner in the Ministry of Innovation and Growth.
Fund of Funds Executive Director Alexander Nenkov said that the world and Bulgaria are on the cusp of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, which opens up new opportunities for young entrepreneurs. Nenkov said that unlike previous industrial phases, Bulgaria now has a chance to start on an equal footing with other countries. He added that the country can not only catch up with advanced economies, but could also be caught up by others if it manages to develop the potential of young entrepreneurs and innovation.
Entrepreneurship must go hand in hand with social responsibility and sustainable development, said Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Policy Nataliya Efremova.
Efremova described entrepreneurship as a driving force of change and a tool for building a better society, emphasizing that young people are the key engine of this process. In her words, they have the potential to transform their environment through innovation, new business models, and active civic engagement. GATE Institute Hosts Next Gen Entrepreneurs Day Forum 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-04-23 16:24:00 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law