Theme: Unravel the Abstract

TEDxAUBG is a student club at the American University in Bulgaria (AUBG). Since 2012, a group of highly motivated students has been organizing an annual conference under the guidance of the official TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) organization. On April 8 2023, TEDxAUBG will organize its eleventh conference called "Unravel the Abstract". We are happy to have the opportunity to welcome remarkable speakers in Blagoevgrad again and to organize the conference, which will be held in the Carl Djerassi Theatre at AUBG. Coming from Bulgaria, Finland, Germany, the UK, France, and Denmark, the speakers will deliver speeches on various topics including innovation, digital literacy, education, cinema, entrepreneurship, and many more. Our mission is to touch and inspire as many people as possible through the speakers we have invited and their ideas.

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

Andrey Andonov

Screenwriter, Director, and Producer

With over 10 years in the entertainment industry, Andrey has produced Yatagan, one of Bulgaria’s most-watched films in 2019, NoOne, an award-winning movie made in 2017 that is currently being sold to HBO and two other movies, Yes Me Can and Do You produced in 2012. Andrey is also a podcast maker and book author! He published his first book “IS CINEMA DEAD?: A Filmmakers struggle with a thousand problems” in 2021, which dives into the power of storytelling and how it can change our lives.

Darina Sarelska

Broadcast news professional, Media scholar, Assistant Professor in Journalism and Mass Communication at AUBG

Darina is a broadcast news professional, media scholar, and a new and esteemed Assistant Professor in Journalism and Mass Communication at AUBG. She has previously been a Graduate Research and Teaching Assistant at the University of Tennessee, where she acquired her Ph.D., and later became an Assistant Professor at Western Illinois University. With over 20 years of experience in the journalism field, Darina has worked extensively as an Executive Producer and News Director at the two most popular Bulgarian commercial TV outlets - BTV and Nova Television. Darina is a passionate advocate for freedom of the press, a consummate journalist, and an active contributor to the growth and development of media literacy.

Elvin Guri

Entrepreneur, Investor

Elvin Guri is a highly accomplished entrepreneur, investor, and CEO of INVENIO Partners, a regional private equity and growth equity fund with a focus on small and medium-sized enterprises in Bulgaria, Romania, and Serbia. With a successful track record in private equity and banking, Elvin's work and investments have reached the international level and spanned multiple industries. Before founding INVENIO Partners, Elvin co-founded the largest independent consumer finance lender in southeast Europe, which was later acquired by BNP Paribas Personal Finance. Alongside his professional pursuits, Elvin is deeply committed to education, earning an MBA from the University of Oxford and supporting various educational initiatives, including his Alma Mater AUBG, Junior Achievement, and Teach for Bulgaria.

Fiona Chambers

Design Thinking Coach in Education, Sport & Innovation

Fiona is a senior leader in higher education with over 30 years of global experience in education, sports, and innovation. She is passionate about leading strategic design in multinational educational environments and has an extraordinary ability to educate people to solve complex problems through human-centered innovation. She is the founder and co-director of the Irish government-funded Postgraduate Diploma for Innovation through Design Thinking, as well as the elected President of the International Association for Physical Education in Higher Education. In April 2020, she founded the Global Design Challenge for Sport and Physical Activity (GDC), a free online innovation competition under UNESCO patronage that uses design thinking to crowdsource ideas for incubation and impact.

Helena Boschi

Psychologist, Expert in applied neuroscience

Dr. Helena Boschi is a renowned psychologist and expert in applied neuroscience with over 25 years of experience in providing practical insights on organizational behavior, leadership, and team development. Her work is focused on enhancing brain power and psychological well-being in the workplace. 🧠With a passion for understanding the human brain and behavior, Dr. Helena Boschi has researched emotional and rational neural networks, cognitive biases, psychological and physical well-being, corporate psychopathy, and adult learning. She shared her insights into how the brain affects our behavior in her recent book, "Why We Do What We Do." As a speaker and educator with experience in the business world, Dr. Helena Boschi now provides practical tips to help individuals get the most out of their brains and help others do the same.

Henry Nelson Case

Lawyer, Content Creator

Henry is a qualified lawyer from the UK, and a newfound influencer as well. He strives to promote the importance of mental health in the workplace and challenges toxic corporate behaviors. On social media, he creates relatable and impactful content that positively touches the lives of all those who have been affected by negative corporate workplace behaviors. Henry is also a co-founder of a company that helps law firms and organizations utilize the benefits of short-form videos. With his personal experience in the corporate world and a passion for mental health awareness, Henry aims to foster a community of people that can openly talk about their experiences and support each other.

Ivaylo Ivanov

Finance and Economics student at the American University in Bulgaria

Ivaylo is a senior student at the American University in Bulgaria, studying Finance and Economics, who's been crushing it in the corporate world with internships at IBM, UniCredit Bulbank, and Kyndryl.

Neli Koleva

Chief Officer of Public Partnerships at the Bulgarian NGO “Teach for Bulgaria”

Meet Dr. Neli Koleva, the Chief Officer of Public Partnerships at the Bulgarian NGO “Teach for Bulgaria”. She is an accomplished educator and social entrepreneur with over two decades of experience in modernizing education and NGO activities. She holds a Ph.D. in Literature from Rice University in Texas and she teaches at AUBG’s EMBA program, alongside her role as a key expert on policy and government relations in “Teach for Bulgaria”. Dr. Neli also serves as the “Teach for All” network's liaison and she is the project manager for key projects in policy innovation in the field of education with the European Commission.

Niamh Shaw

Writer, Communicator, and Educator

Niamh is a writer, communicator, and educator coming from Ireland. She is passionate about igniting curiosity and rekindling people's passion for knowledge! She shares her love for science and space through various means, including podcasts, videos, and social media. As an ESA Champion for Education and a space reporter, she has been inspiring audiences worldwide for over 12 years. Niamh's work has earned her recognition as one of UCD's 2022 Class Acts and a Science Foundation Ireland award in 2018. Her ultimate aspiration is to report live from the International Space Station or the Moon.

Patrick Flesner

Investor, Coach, and Mentor

With two decades of experience in private equity, venture capital, and mergers & acquisitions, Patrick's expertise in scaling businesses is reflected in his book ‘FastScaling’, and his leadership story is showcased in his second book ‘The Leadership House’. He has been featured in esteemed publications such as Inc. Magazine - I by IMD and MIT Sloan Management Review. He also conducts virtual and in-person keynotes on climbing the leadership ladder. He’ll be joining us on stage to share his extensive experience in leadership!

Sam Jlassia

Startup founder, A boxing coach, and University professor

Sam is a startup founder, a boxing coach, and a university professor who constantly chooses to challenge himself in life. After finding initial success as a sales engineer, Sam had the desire to do something more. That’s when he founded Teatch.io, a startup that provides training and coaching services for businesses and individuals. Sam also has an impressive sports background, beginning his career as a boxer and eventually becoming an accomplished coach and leading several boxers to national and world championships. Alongside coaching, he also developed his passion for mental preparation and a desire to always help people. This got him involved in several other projects, including a program that teaches boxing to women who have been victims of violence.