The StartUp Business Case Study Opening took place on Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2013 in the BAC Andrey Delchev Auditorium. Six start-up companies pitched their projects in front of the audience. Students from Prof. Veneta Andonova’s strategic management class and Prof. Milena Nikolova’s marketing class will have to create marketing strategies for the company of their choice.

Marius Ursache

Marius Ursache, a Romanian entrepreneur, shared tips and tricks on how to create a successful pitch. “You need to pitch as much as possible,” Sorsacce said. “Even if you fail, you will learn new stuff.” The best pitch, in his opinion, is “show, do not tell.”

The second way of pitching is to say that for the needs of the customer and for their problems, the product will solve those problems in a certain way. Sorsacce explained that that is the first phrase that can be used. Another way is to stress in what your product is better than that of your competitors.

A good  way to introduce your product is through Twitter. “Trying to express the essence of your company in only one phrase that is 140 characters or less,” Sorsacce said.  The purpose is to get the other person interested in what you do. The next pitch technique that Sorsacce presented was the question pitch – you ask a question and the answer is actually your pitch. The Pixar pitch is also an option. It has a fixed framework that describes the solution of a problem, the long term effects, and an ideal situation “in which your product has changed the world.” His last advice was:  “it is very important to know why you pitch.”

Jobio was the first company to take the floor. Vladimir Vassilev, one of the co-founders of the company, talked about why he is doing a start-up. “I am doing it because it is awesome,” he said and pointed out that being in a start-up is like “having ten jobs,” giving you a lot of experience. Vassilev presented the product of his company: an online platform for people looking for jobs, in which they can test and prove their skills through professional and psychological tests and practical tasks. He pitched his idea to Jobio – the skills of a person are more important than the background and the diploma. “Skills are what actually help you in business,” he stated.

Vladimir Vassilev, Jobio

The second company that presented their start up was Join the Players. Their product allows amateur sport players to have a video recording of their games from several different angles. Also, they are provided with statistics of their scores and have the opportunity to discuss their achievements with other people. What the company needs is a marketing person, who can help them bring the attention of people to the product. “We are looking for an in-depth market research of most European countries,” the representative of the company explained.

Antoniya Parapanova was the next speaker – she is a co-founder of HireHive and an AUBG alumna. Her online platform provides an easier, faster and more effective way for employers to work with recruitment agencies to find the best candidate for a job opening. “We really value the opportunity to get your help,” Parapanova said. “We want this to be a win-win situation.” The help of the students will be rewarded with experience and help on the part of the company.

Zhivko Georgiev, co-founder of Albiza, tried to attract the interest of the students with a social network for interactive knowledge sharing. He explained that the goal of Albiza is to optimize the learning process by making it faster and much more efficient. They are trying to gather students and teachers around the platform and create a communication channel between them. When someone asks a question, teachers from around Bulgaria, and later on around the world, can answer it. Currently the company is building its global market strategy and is looking for investors and partners.

The fifth company that pitched its idea was Deed. Svetla Markova, co-founder, explained that their product already up and running, and in that sense it is at a more advanced stage than the other start-ups. Deed is a creative platform for employee engagement, where employers can create challenges for his/hers employees. At the moment, Prof. Nikolova’s marketing class is enrolled in one of the challenges. “If you are interested in engagement and in sales,” Markova said. “I am sure we can find ways to collaborate.”

Asparuh Koev

Last but not least was Trasmetrics, a company founded by Asparuh Koev, an AUBG alumnus. The company deals with big data predictive analytics of cargo transportation firms. He said that Transmetrics plans to expand its operation to the East of Asia. They have already hired AUBG students, who started there as interns, and are looking for others who can help with the marketing campaign, and eventually join Trasmetrics permanently afterwards.

Mr. Ursache closed the event and presented his idea using the Pixar pitch. Enterni.me is an online platform that connects all of your personal data from different sources and social networks and analyzes the information, creating a digital avatar that would act and think like you thus preserving your identity. The company is looking for people who are excellent in artificial intelligence management. Moreover, they need a marketing intern to help with the customer support and media relations.

The short presentations were followed by short Q&A sessions, allowing students to ask additional questions and get more insights about the products.

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