In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized (subject to certain rules and regulations).

Carl Djerrassi Theater in ABF Student Center
12, Svoboda Bachvarova str.
Blagoevgrad, Blagoevgrad, 2700
Bulgaria

Ane Marie Anderson

Ane Marie Anderson’s formal education is in medicine and vaccine research, but she also has a passion for learning how people are influenced by their surroundings and the creation of interactive learning environments. This passion drove her to co-found the interactive experience startup Alibier, a company which designs custom role playing games and interactive experiences to improve learning and communication. Ane is also a producer for Mortified Oslo, a production which invites adults to read diaries and literature written in their childhood and teenage years on stage in front of a live audience.

Cristina Bowerman

Cristina Bowerman was born in Italy in Cerignola, in the province of Foggia. In 2008 she received ‘two forks’ in The Gambero Rosso Guide and in 2010 she was awarded a Michelin star - the only female chef to receive one that year. In 2013 she was awarded the prize “Woman Chef of the Year” by Identità Golose. Cristina told her exciting story in her 2014 book “From Cerignola to San Francisco and Back - My Countercurrent Life as a Chef”. In 2015 Cristina Bowerman was selected as Chef Ambassador at Expo Milano, the only woman chosen. Among her most beloved commitments are ACTION AID, Fiorano For Kids,and Food Act.

Ivan Dimov

Ivan Dimov is the Founder and Chairman of the Single Step Foundation, which provides support to LGBTI youth and their families in the process of self-acceptance, coming out and affirming their sexual orientation and gender identity. Dimov returned from New York to his native Bulgaria in order to establish Single Step in 2016. Ivan is an investment banker and investor in the media, telecommunications, and technology sectors in New York, Buenos Aires, and Sydney and a former CFO of Edamam, a company which provides nutrition data services and value-added solutions to health, wellness and food businesses. He is a an avid marathon runner, Cross Fitter and world traveler, who loves to constantly challenge himself.

Jerzy Latka

Jerzy Latka is an architect, designer and researcher working at the Faculty of Architecture Wroclaw University of Science and Technology in Poland and in the research and design platform for paper in architecture ‘ARCHI-TEKTURA.eu’. He conducted his research and gained his experiences in several countries such as Poland, Romania, the United Kingdom, Japan, the Netherlands and Israel. In his professional and academic works he focuses on the use of paper as a building material for contemporary design and architecture. In 2017, Jerzy was named as one of MIT’s 35 Innovators Under 35 for his “House of Cards,” a sturdy paper composite structure that could be erected quickly after natural disasters of displacement.

Lisa Glybchenko

Lisa is a senior at AUBG majoring in politics, but she tries to apply her passion for art to every subject. This mindset was challenged when she took a graphic design internship at a scientific toy company. There she found a way to express and communicate complex ideas through illustration. Her hard work caught the attention of the Alive Peace conference in Switzerland and the World Youth Forum in Egypt. Her most recent experience is working with the Playing to Live! which provides expressive arts therapy to children dealing with trauma and mental health issues.

Maja Daniels

Maja Daniels is a Swedish photographer based in London. Having studied journalism, photography and sociology, her work focuses on human relations in a western, contemporary environment. She is particularly interested in issues that relate to the body and its association with notions like ‘self’ and ‘identity’. The project “Into Oblivion”, one of her many compositions with a strong focus on the politics of aging and policies for people with Alzheimer’s disease in the western world, is an example of how she combines photography and sociology in a creative and authentic way.

Marija Matovska

Marija Matovska is a manager of Social Business in the Impact Social Lab and the National Coordinator of the international Social impact Award program, where she assists and mentors young people in conceptualizing their ideas and supports the development of business models and plans for social businesses. Beside her dedication to social entrepreneurship, marketing and business, she is also passionate about human rights- especially sexual and reproductive health and the rights of the disabled. This devotion has led her to join several organizations and informal initiatives, such as Inclusive Solutions, Trisomija 21- Skopje and Vo Mojot Svet.

Martin Grahovski

Martin Grahovski founded the project ‘’3 Minute Bulgaria’’ - a platform he uses to promote Bulgaria online at just 23. Martin graduated from Leiden University College in The Hague, Netherlands, with a major in law, but spent his college years co-founding Strobe Pictures. An avid lover of video journalism and storytelling, he decided to focus on creating his now famous project showcasing Bulgarian regions and their history that may not be well known around the world.

Martina Dimoska

Martina Dimoska is аn engineer, a bachelor at the Faculty of Technology and Metallurgy studying material engineering and nanotechnology, and a Global UGRAD alumni following her studies in Aerospace Engineering at Kent State University. She is a community influencer, constantly delivering speeches on topics spanning from technology and innovation to leadership and motivation. At an early age, Martina began challenging herself with competitions in building functional prototypes and creative idea delivery, such as the NASA Space Apps Challenge and the UNDP Climate Challenge. A dedicated mentor and researcher, Martina is constantly pursuing innovative approaches and new tests and methods for improved outcomes. On March 24th 2018, she received the 'Extraoridinary Presentation Award' for the article 'Feasibility of an eco-ethical simulation in a conditionally real world' on GREDIT2018 International Conference.

Mira Gateva

After receiving a BA in Journalism and Mass communications and Political science and International relations from the American University in Bulgaria, Mira Gateva completed a joint EU Master program in International Communication at the New Bulgarian University and Hanze University in Groningen, the Netherlands. Ever since, she has been actively working in the communication field in Bulgaria. She is currently focused on turning companies into successful brands and has been presented with numerous awards and honors in her fields of work.

William Clark

Professor William Clark received a doctorate degree from Pennsylvania State University in Forest Sciences he decided to move to Blagoevgrad and teach there, at the American University in Bulgaria. William's passion for nature is carried out through both his research into conservation and natural resource management, and through his activities, such as his 522 kilometer bicycle journey across Bulgaria in just 4 days in 2016.