This book tells the story of the young Balkan startup ecosystem and the
mindset change that was provoked by its pioneers. It celebrates entrepreneurship by showing how it can be embraced as a value and a way of thinking in societies with limited entrepreneurial traditions. The text
offers insights and an analytical overview of the processes that occurred
after 2000 and the factors that enabled Bulgaria to become the startup
capital of the Balkan region. It also outlines some of the factors that will
be critical to sustaining this success in the future in the complex global
and European context.
One of the key contributions of the book is to identify the achievements of the regional ecosystem that go beyond the financial numbers: this perspective is essential to an understanding of the profound change
brought to countries with a newly discovered entrepreneurial spirit. In
this, the book uncovers the role that the leading accelerator venture funds
played in the creation of a vibrant regional community of entrepreneurs.
The book also features remarkable real-life case studies and insights from
many of those involved in regional startups as well as programmes and
investment funds in the region.