Paint Your Future With StartUP Conference 2018




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  • 2018-04-06 21:38:03
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[caption id="attachment_39136" align="aligncenter" width="1024"]The opening ceremony of StartUP Conference 2018; Georgi Dobrev for AUBG Daily The opening ceremony of StartUP Conference 2018; Georgi Dobrev for AUBG Daily[/caption] Seven rainbow colors and seven speakers marked the seventh annual StartUP Conference 2018, organized by StartUP@Blagoevgrad on March 31. The event, which went under the slogan "Palette of Innovation", had a significant change from previous years - instead of a whole weekend, it was only one day.
"We are trying to have a new format and speakers from different countries," said Viktoria Pesheva, president of StartUP@Blagoevgrad. We actually managed to get one from the USA, his name is Ash Kumra and he is a very well-known speaker." 
The conference started with two simultaneous workshops. One was held by Jesse Scinto, Fulbright U.S. Scholar, and Senior Lecturer, who showed the audience how to make the perfect pitch and further elaborated on persuasive techniques for entrepreneurs. He presented three types of pitches and encouraged the audience to practice in pairs and record each other's pitch. The other workshop was led by Ivajlo Shipochky who discussed the basics of digital marketing. Later, the audience welcomed Vassilena Valchanova, the Digital Strategist of Enhancv, who talked about small business branding and how to conduct successful customer research and influence people. [caption id="attachment_39138" align="aligncenter" width="1024"]The audience listening attentively; Georgi Dobrev for AUBG Daily The audience listening attentively; Georgi Dobrev for AUBG Daily[/caption] Angel Kurtev shared insights about business analysis. After a short break, the former number one professional gamer in World of Warcraft and founder of Gameleap, Ivan Georgiev, gave a talk about his life and how he became successful. According to him, the hardest part of building a company is getting people to use your product. He pointed out that perseverance is what one needs to have in order to succeed.
"At the end of the day, it is what we choose to do with our time that is going to make a difference in our lives," Georgiev explained.
Next on the agenda was Blagovest Belev, AUBG alumnus and founder of BlockChain.bg, who gave a talk about the perspectives of being an entrepreneur. Next was the young entrepreneur Daniel Georgiev who decided to quit his job, drop out of university at the age of 19 and launch Iris - the world's most innovative eye protection software. While Ivan Georgiev claimed that balance between professional and personal life means being mediocre, Daniel Georgiev commented otherwise.
"After one point money, impact, and fame are not enough to motivate you. When this happens finding the right kind of a woman and your desire to care for her is the only thing that can get you to the next level," said Daniel Georgiev.
[caption id="attachment_39137" align="aligncenter" width="1024"]Daniel Georgiev giving his talk; Georgi Dobrev for AUBG Daily Daniel Georgiev giving his talk; Georgi Dobrev for AUBG Daily[/caption] [caption id="attachment_39139" align="aligncenter" width="1024"]Georgiev illustrating the progress of his company; Georgi Dobrev for AUBG Daily Georgiev illustrating the progress of his company; Georgi Dobrev for AUBG Daily[/caption] Later followed Belizar Marinov, a founding member of Association of the Bulgarian Leaders and Entrepreneurs - ABLE, who elaborated on the importance of choosing the right members of your startup team. He advised choosing your co-founders based on their abilities and avoid starting a business with your family members or loved ones. [caption id="attachment_39140" align="aligncenter" width="1024"]Belizar Marinov presenting; Georgi Dobrev for AUBG Daily Belizar Marinov presenting; Georgi Dobrev for AUBG Daily[/caption] The last and most anticipated speaker for this year's conference was Ash Kumra, the CEO of YOUNGRY and a national radio host recognized twice by the White House for making an impact. He emphasized on happiness, the state of mind, and meditation as a tool for fighting stress. Kumra had the audience close their eyes and meditate with him for five minutes. He stated that control equals trusting the right people in your life and that people need to fight low self-esteem with good memories. [caption id="attachment_39173" align="aligncenter" width="960"]Ash Kumra discussing meditation; Dimitar Bratovanov for AUBG Daily Ash Kumra discussing meditation; Dimitar Bratovanov for AUBG Daily[/caption]