Start.bg
Start.bg is a Bulgarian internet directory owned by Investor.BG AD that catalogs 279,401 links across 2,679 thematic categories, serving Bulgarian SMBs, bloggers, and individual website owners via free submissions and paid VIP link advertising subscriptions.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2001
- HeadquartersVarna, Bulgaria
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Start.bg does
Start.bg is a Bulgarian internet directory and link catalog, operational since 2001, that organizes 279,401 indexed links across 2,679 thematic categories spanning news, business, education, health, travel, culture, entertainment, and government reference services. The platform is structured into a Thematic Catalog (katalog.start.bg), an Alphabetical Catalog (abv.start.bg), and a Regional Catalog (regioni.start.bg), plus specialized topical sub-portals (e.g., it.start.bg, astronomia.start.bg, obrazovanie.start.bg) curated by external editors. The core technology is a category-based web directory with RSS feed aggregation from sister media properties, and the product surface consists of free directory submissions via a 'Suggest Link' (Предложи линк) flow, a self-service VIP Link advertising purchase system, and banner advertising placements.
The business model is self-serve and horizontally segmented across Bulgarian SMBs, bloggers, and individual website owners. The primary revenue stream is paid VIP link placements — highlighted links in a dedicated box at the top of relevant category pages — sold as tiered subscriptions ranging from 10.23 EUR/month (1 month, no discount) to 92.03 EUR/12 months (25% discount), with intermediate tiers at 2, 3, 6, and 9 months. Banner advertising is offered as a secondary product. All prices include VAT, and free link submissions remain the dominant non-commercial user action.
Start.bg is wholly owned by Investor.BG AD (Инвестор.БГ АД), a Bulgarian media company headquartered in Sofia that also operates Investor.bg, Dnes.bg, Gol.bg, Blog.bg, Rabota.bg, Puls.bg, Automedia.bg, Tialoto.bg, and other Bulgarian web portals. Cross-promotion across this sister-site network is the primary distribution channel. The company has no disclosed external funding, no public listing, no disclosed revenue, and no named enterprise customers; monetization depends entirely on long-tail SMB and individual advertiser spend on VIP link placements within a structurally declining category (web directories).
Start.bg firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Start.bg
- Legal name
- Start.bg
- Website
- https://start.bg
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2001
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Start.bg is a Bulgarian internet directory owned by Investor.BG AD that catalogs 279,401 links across 2,679 thematic categories, serving Bulgarian SMBs, bloggers, and individual website owners via free submissions and paid VIP link advertising subscriptions.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Start.bg industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Online Web Directory
- NAICS
- Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418), Other Services Related to Advertising (54189)
- SIC
- Services-Advertising (7310)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Lead Generation & Performance Media (B2B/B2C) (MPAAACAK)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- B2B Marketplaces & Wholesale Platforms (BPAMAGAD)
Keywords
Where Start.bg is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Varna
- HQ country
- Bulgaria
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Start.bg business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- VIP Link Advertising: The primary revenue stream is through paid VIP link placements in the directory. VIP links are displayed in a special box at the top of relevant category pages. Pricing is tiered by duration with volume discounts, starting at 10.23 EUR/month with discounts up to 25% for annual commitments. Regular directory submissions are free.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | 1 Month VIP Link |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | 2 Month VIP Link |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | 3 Month VIP Link |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | 6 Month VIP Link |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | 9 Month VIP Link |
| Subscription | Annual | 12 Month VIP Link |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
Start.bg product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Start.bg operates a Bulgarian internet catalog and web directory indexing 279,401 links across 2,679 thematic topics, providing organized discovery of Bulgarian websites and online resources. Its primary commercial offering is a self-service VIP link advertising system that lets businesses and website owners purchase highlighted, prominently placed link placements on relevant category pages with tiered subscription pricing from 1 to 12 months. Free basic link submissions complement the paid advertising inventory, and the directory aggregates RSS news feeds from partner media properties under Investor.BG AD.
Product overview
Start.bg is a Bulgarian internet directory platform offering a web catalog with 279,401 links organized across 2,679 thematic topics. The platform consists of a core directory product supplemented by paid advertising services including VIP links (highlighted sponsored links in special placement boxes) and banner advertising. Additional offerings include a self-service VIP link purchase system with tiered pricing and discount structures, plus themed category sub-pages covering specialized topics such as IT, Astronomy, Education, and Music, each maintained by external editors.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Start.bg Internet Directory Bulgarian internet catalog/directory providing organized links across 2,679 topics with 279,401 total links, with thematic, alphabetical, and regional catalog sections. Used by Bulgarian internet users for web discovery and by Bulgarian website owners for free directory listing.
- VIP Link Advertising
Companies that use Start.bg
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Start.bg technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Start.bg partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Investor.BG AD (Инвестор.БГ АД)coreInvestor.BG AD is the parent company and owner of Start.bg. The company also operates a portfolio of Bulgarian web properties including Investor.bg (business news), Dnes.bg (general news), Gol.bg (sports news), Blog.bg (blog hosting), Rabota.bg (job board), and multiple other portals. Start.bg functions as part of this integrated media ecosystem.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights3 records
Start.bg competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Foursquare: Foursquare operates a location-and-business discovery platform with paid placement and promoted listings for venues — comparable to Start.bg in offering directory discovery plus performance- and placement-based advertising, though mobile-first and global.
- Yelp: Yelp is the most widely recognized web directory of local businesses, monetizing through featured placements and ads on category pages. Start.bg operates the same directory-plus-paid-placement model, only scoped to Bulgarian websites rather than local SMBs.
- Superpages.com: Superpages is an established online business directory offering free listings and paid featured placements by category and region, comparable to Start.bg's directory-and-VIP-link offering at a much broader US scale.
- Yellow Pages (YP.com): YP.com is the digital continuation of the legacy printed Yellow Pages directory, listing businesses by category and selling premium placement and ads. Start.bg is the Bulgarian-market analogue of this directory-plus-ads model.
Direct peers
- Brownbook.net: Brownbook is a community-edited global business directory with free and paid listing tiers across categories and geographies, structurally similar to Start.bg's free submission + VIP placement approach.
- Hotfrog: Hotfrog is a global small-business web directory that lets companies submit free listings and buy premium placements for visibility on category and regional pages — directly analogous to Start.bg's free + VIP link model.
- DMOZ / Open Directory Project: DMOZ was the canonical human-edited web directory organized into topic categories, where editors curated link lists — the closest structural and editorial-model precedent to Start.bg's 2,679-topic, editor-curated catalog.
- Tupalo: Tupalo is a city-by-city web directory of local businesses with free listings and paid enhanced placements, the same directory-plus-paid-visibility construct that defines Start.bg, though Tupalo operates across cities rather than topics.
- Cybo.com: Cybo is a worldwide local-business web directory operating across 200+ countries with free and premium listings by category; it competes for the same SMB-visibility budget as Start.bg, though at much larger scale.
Emerging players
- Trustpilot: Trustpilot is a category-organized business directory that monetizes through paid plans giving companies higher visibility and richer profiles — analogous to Start.bg's VIP link upgrades that buy enhanced category-page presence for SMBs.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Start.bg social profiles
Digital presenceStart.bg financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Start.bg leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Start.bg funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Start.bg M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Start.bg
What does Start.bg do?
Start.bg operates a Bulgarian internet catalog and web directory indexing 279,401 links across 2,679 thematic topics, providing organized discovery of Bulgarian websites and online resources. Its primary commercial offering is a self-service VIP link advertising system that lets businesses and website owners purchase highlighted, prominently placed link placements on relevant category pages with tiered subscription pricing from 1 to 12 months. Free basic link submissions complement the paid advertising inventory, and the directory aggregates RSS news feeds from partner media properties under Investor.BG AD.
Is Start.bg a public or private company?
Start.bg is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Start.bg founded?
Start.bg was founded in 2001. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Start.bg based?
Start.bg is headquartered in Varna, Bulgaria, in the Europe region.
How does Start.bg make money?
One revenue line is on record: VIP Link Advertising.
Who are Start.bg's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Foursquare, Yelp, Superpages.com and Yellow Pages (YP.com). Direct peers are Brownbook.net, Hotfrog, DMOZ / Open Directory Project, Tupalo and Cybo.com. Trustpilot is listed as an emerging player.
Does Start.bg have an API?
No public API is recorded for Start.bg.
What industry is Start.bg in?
Start.bg's product category is Online Web Directory. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAAACAK, Lead Generation & Performance Media (B2B/B2C), with a secondary code of BPAMAGAD, B2B Marketplaces & Wholesale Platforms. Its NAICS code is 5418 and its SIC code is 7310.