Anita Klasanova
Anita Klasanova, a graphic designer by profession, wasted no time wondering whether her sudden shift in career was the right path. Three years ago, she felt the momentum and invested it in turning a homemade dessert – a treat to the senses – into a now worldwide known brand, Roobar. Now a food technologist both by heart and officially, Anita likes to say that simple food is the innovation today. And she did create an innovation by all means, one that helped change the culture of eating healthy in Bulgaria. She lit the match back in 2006, when together with her husband she opened the first organic shop in Bulgaria. Her homemade recipes have now spread to 4 continents and more than 40 countries.
Boyana Petkova
Boyana Petkova is a pediatrician, mother, poet, and civil activist.
After the loss of her second daughter Meriem she founded "Poppies for Mary" - an NGO that supports parents who have experienced the loss of their child due to perinatal or neonatal death. In June 2012 she launched a campaign to change the law in order to allow these parents to cremate or bury their children, as is the practice in almost all developed countries. In Bulgaria, up until the second half of 2015, these babies were still treated as "biological waste" and burned along with other hospital waste. In July 2015 the law was finally changed as a result of the work of “Poppies for Mary”
Darina Takova
Darina Takova is one of the biggest Bulgarian opera prima. She has been a member of the National Opera for six seasons since 1989. In 1992 she began an active international career that includes stages as Teatro Alla Scala Milan, Arena di Verona, Carnegie Hall in New York, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Royal Opera House Covent Garden London, Opéra national de Paris, Opéra de Monte-Carlo, National Theater Tokyo, Metropolitan Opera House New York, among others.
In the prime of her career, she lost his voice due to medical error and took a long time recovering and realizing she can sing again and return to the stage.
In 2007, she founded the “Darina Takova” foundation to support young Bulgarian opera singers on their path to the international scene.
Dimitar Dimitrov
Dimitar Dimitrov is a software developer with a strong civic position. He is involved in civic initiatives such as Obshtestvo.bg - a network of independent developers and designers who aim to improve the connection between citizens and the government via digital tools, and the Open Media initiative where he is a co-founder. Mitko is involved in Rails Girls Bulgaria that has now held 5 events and coached and inspired over 400 women that have never coded before. In addition, Mitko is actively engaged in the organization of a programming study group for women. Two girls from this group formed a team and qualified for the Rails Girls Summer of Code program and received a three-month scholarship to work on open source projects.
Magdalina Guenova
Magdalina is a political blogger and LGBT activist. She has been politically active but for years now has been working as a manager in the IT field. She is an educated economist by and is currently doing a PhD in international economics and business.
Nadejda Danabasheva
Nadia is easily the best game producer in Bulgaria - the games her company develops and publish have over 35 million users. In 2011, Forbes Bulgaria awarded her for creating the first and most successful browser game for women, developed in Bulgaria.
Radosveta Stamenkova
Dr. Rada Stamenkova is Executive Director of the Bulgarian Family Planning and Sexual Health Association (BFPA) - a leading NGO in Bulgaria and the Balkans in the fields of preventive and reproductive health, health education and advocacy for vulnerable groups. She is also a master trainer of peer educators and a mentor of Roma medical students and health mediators.
Svilen Ivanov
Svilen is a software engineer and the father of 10-year-old Ali - the most beautiful child on Earth according to him! When she was five Svilen and his wife decided to separate but continue to raise her on equal terms which is somewhat exotic for Bulgaria, as he says.