Our next guest is one of the power ladies of the Bulgarian VC sector.
Elina Halatcheva is a managing partner at BrightCap Ventures.
With a background in finance and investment banking, Elina has an MBA from Stanford University. She grew as a professional in the US and UK markets and her expertise ranges from investment banking to e-commerce and real estate.
Eventually, Elina came back to Bulgaria to contribute to the growth of the local tech ecosystem.
As an investor Elina is also a part of the European Women in VC initiative, trying to bridge the gap for funding for female founders.
In her conversation with Georgi Nenov, Elina talks about:
🎯 What are the key qualities of successful founders?
🤝 Why teamwork is important in the investor-founder relationship and for the success of the business?
💸 Strategies for fundraising in a downturn;
// T I M E C O D E S
00:00 Introduction
02:43 Elina’s career journey from the US, to UK and back to Bulgaria
06:05 American vs Bulgarian startup culture
08:50 How did she grew an appetite to work for startups
11:30 How Elina entered the VC world
13:10 The importance of teamwork in the VC-Startup relationship
14:23 Lessons learned from being an investor
16:25 Creating successful founders on a global scale and having an impact
18:00 Bright Cap’s approach to invest in Bulgarian-born founders with international exposure
19:49 US VC funds eyeing European startups
21:43 Elina’s favorite question to ask founders
22:40 What qualities she looks for in a founder
25:00 Which is the next step in the Bulgarian startup ecosystem’s evolution
27:03 How to develop the missing sales and marketing expertise
28:10 Tech talent and capital deployment: Europe vs US vs China
30:55 How to increase your chances of fundraising in an economic downturn
32:00 Deploying the power of Bulgarian diaspora
34:10 What makes a good leader
36:48 Is there still a glass ceilingfor women in the VC sector
41:10 Bridging the gender gap in the European VC industry
44:04 Elina’s advice for the next generation of female leaders
46:48 What does climbing mountains have to do with startups
48:19 How Elina unwinds
50:45 Do most founders read and do self-development
For more inspiring conversations with leaders from SouthEast Europe, subscribe to this channel.
Hosts:
Irina Obushtarova and Georgi Nenov
Producer:
Zornitsa Stoilova
Creative Director and Video Production :
Andrey Andonov
Location:
Cinema Vlaykova
// A B O U T
The Recursive is an independent media platform for innovation journalism. From entrepreneurs and investors to tech communities, we shine a light on the vibrant innovation ecosystems in Southeast Europe. Our mission is to tell the stories of those shaping the future economy in the region and make them reach the world.
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