site.bta GATE Institute Hosts Next Gen Entrepreneurs Day Forum

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.