An official event attended by partners and participants in the competition marked the official start of "Best Youth Startup in Bulgaria 2026." The national competition is being held for the fifth consecutive year, organized by the Fund of Funds and Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski", and under the patronage of the Minister of Innovation and Growth.
Among the attendees of the event were Yordanka Chobanova, Head of the European Commission Representation in Bulgaria, Todor Mladenov, Executive Director of Sofia Tech Park, Olia Dimitrova, Chair of the Patent Office, Evdokia Pasheva, Deputy Chair of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Ivan Goychev, Deputy Mayor of Sofia, Rositsa Koleva, Director of the Higher Education Directorate at the Ministry of Education and Science, as well as many other representatives of the initiative partners, young participants in the competition, and winners from previous editions.
Videnie, an immersive space for innovative digital art, was chosen as the venue for the opening event. The location naturally reflects the competition's mission to support the bold ideas of young people and provide them with a space for expression and development.
This year, participants will be supported by over 20 mentors - entrepreneurs, experts from sector associations, and investment funds. Together with more than 70 partner organizations, they will hold over 50 webinars and in-person events, which will support the go-to-market strategy or further development of business ideas by young people aged 18 to 29 in three categories until the competition finals in June:
Business Stars – small businesses
Future Unicorns – technology startups
SDG Dragons – projects focused on the Sustainable Development Goals
The three-month training programme is now published on the competition website and includes online training, in-person events, gaming competitions, and networking meetings. Participants will go through all the key stages of developing an idea into a sustainable business - building entrepreneurial self-awareness, generating and validating a business idea, creating a business plan, building a team, developing a product, marketing, presenting and working with investors, funding opportunities for youth startups, and other topics contributing to the development of one's own business.
Applications are open until April 24, 2026, but early registration is recommended so that participants can take advantage of the maximum number of in-person initiatives, which begin in February. Founder Institute Central & Eastern Europe will run the competition stage, which will take place in five stages in April and May.
"Best Youth Startup in Bulgaria 2026" is the largest national initiative to support youth entrepreneurship in Bulgaria, and over the years has managed to engage and make a large part of the key players in the entrepreneurial environment part of its community. Since its launch in 2022, more than 750 participants with over 500 ideas have taken part, and 9 of them have received investment. The competition is the national nominee of the European Enterprise Promotion Awards and is among the ten best European competitions for building entrepreneurial skills in Europe.
