Teenovator

What Teenovator does

Teenovator (ФОНДАЦИЯ „ТИЙНОВАТОР") is a Bulgarian nonprofit foundation (EIK 207750743), founded in 2018, that runs a free 9-month national entrepreneurship development program for 10th and 11th grade high school students across Bulgaria. The program is delivered through Teenovator Startup Clubs — teams of 10 students meeting weekly with 2 volunteer mentors for approximately 27-28 sessions, following a proprietary curriculum based on practical exercises and real business examples. Recent editions have reached 800-900 students from 30-35 cities with 90-100 volunteer mentors; the program culminates in two flagship in-person events in Sofia — the Ideas Weekend (January) and the Final Competition (May/June) where student teams present startup projects to investor juries, with the top three teams receiving funding.

The foundation has no proprietary technology platform; program delivery relies on standard online communication tools (Viber group chats, online meeting platforms), a dedicated mentor portal, and a Mentor School for mentor training. Revenue is entirely donation- and grant-based: the program is 100% free for students, schools, and mentors, with operating costs covered by corporate CSR partners (Fantastico Group, Endeavor Bulgaria, SUNOTEC, MSD Bulgaria, myPOS, Launchub, AUBG, Aurubis Bulgaria, SuperHosting.BG, A Data Pro, The Recursive, PostScriptum Ventures, and others), the Foundation America for Bulgaria as the core strategic funder, and the foundation conducts mentor selection through subcontractor L-Assistance EOOD. Distribution runs through direct website enrollment, a partner-school network (minimum 10 students per school), and online clubs for smaller cities where in-person clubs cannot be filled.

The foundation operates with a lean core team of 2 staff (Managing Director Zornitsa Mitkova and Program Coordinator Veselina Shumanova), a 5-member Advisory Council, and an annual cohort of 90-100 volunteer mentors. Marketing is community-led via schools, mentor networks, regular Bulgarian media coverage (BTV, bTV Radio, Bloomberg TV Bulgaria, BNT, Darik News, Capital.bg), and the two flagship Sofia events.

Name

Teenovator

Legal name

ФОНДАЦИЯ „ТИЙНОВАТОР"

Website

https://teenovator.bg

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Teenovator is a Bulgarian nonprofit foundation running a free annual 9-month entrepreneurship program for 10th and 11th grade students nationwide, pairing school-based clubs of 10 students with volunteer entrepreneur-mentors and culminating in judged startup competitions in Sofia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Entrepreneurship Education

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (61143), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Business Incubators & Accelerators (EDAMAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Entrepreneurship Foundations & Startup Basics (EDAMAHAA), Innovation & Design Thinking Programs (EDAMAHAD)

Keywords

• Youth entrepreneurship education
• High school startup programs
• Mentorship-based learning
• Nonprofit educational programs
• Student startup competitions

Headquarters

HQ city

Sofia

HQ country

Bulgaria

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and grants: Teenovator is a non-profit foundation (ФОНДАЦИЯ „ТИЙНОВАТОР", EIK 207750743) that operates entirely on donations, grants, and corporate social responsibility partnerships. The program is free for all students and partner schools. Funding comes from corporate partners, individual donors, and foundation grants.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Teenovator is a free 9-month national entrepreneurship program for 10th and 11th grade students in Bulgaria. Students form Startup Clubs of 10 participants with 2 volunteer entrepreneur mentors and meet weekly for 27-28 sessions following a specially developed curriculum. The program culminates in a Weekend of Ideas (January) and Final Competition (May/June) where teams present their startup companies to investors for seed funding. The program is entirely free, including transport and food for regional students at major events.

Product overview

Teenovator is a free 9-month national entrepreneurship development program for 10th and 11th grade students in Bulgaria, consisting of a core program with startup clubs (teams of 10 students with 2 mentors meeting weekly), major events including the Weekend of Ideas (January) and Final Competition (May), and a mentor training school. The program has evolved through multiple editions (7, 8, and upcoming 9), each running from October to May, with recent editions engaging 800-900 students across 30-35 cities with 90-100 mentors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Teenovator Program (Тийноватор Програма) A free 9-month national entrepreneurship development program for 10th and 11th grade students in Bulgaria, connecting students with real business mentors to develop teamwork skills and build startup companies from scratch. The program is free for all participants and is delivered through Startup Clubs, weekly mentor sessions, and culminates in a Weekend of Ideas and Final Competition.
• Teenovator Startup Clubs (Тийноватор Стартъп Клубове) Small teams of 10 students working with 2 volunteer entrepreneur mentors in weekly 90-minute sessions (27-28 meetings per edition) following a specially developed curriculum of practical exercises and business examples. Clubs meet in person at partner schools or online for smaller cities.
• Weekend of Ideas (Уикенд на Идеите) A major 2-day in-person event in Sofia (January) where all students and mentors prepare and present their first startup ideas to a jury of companies and business professionals. The event draws 600+ students, 100 program mentors, and approximately 80 guest mentors/experts from various industries.
• Final Competition (Финално Състезание) The culminating event in late May at Sofia Tech Park where student teams present their completed startup projects to an investor jury. The top three teams receive seed funding. The Final Competition attracts approximately 700 guests including investors, company representatives, and press.
• Mentor School (Школа за Ментори) Training program for volunteer mentors covering practical exercises, business examples, and child protection protocols to prepare entrepreneurs and startup leaders for mentoring high school students in the program.

Quantifiable outcome

• 900 students from 35 cities participated in Teenovator 7 (2024-2025)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Fantastico Group (Фантастико Груп)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Fantastico Group partnered with Teenovator to host a workshop titled 'How to Sell Successfully?' for nearly 60 Teenovator students. The workshop took place at a Fantastico supermarket, with the operational president Vladimir Nikolov, executive director Svetoslav Gavrilov, and marketing director Miroslava Georgieva presenting. The partnership includes hosting student visits and providing real-world business education through hands-on workshops.
• Foundation America for Bulgaria (Фондация Америка за България)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Foundation America for Bulgaria is a key strategic partner of Teenovator, providing funding and programmatic support. The foundation publishes stories about the program and its impact, helping to raise visibility. Teenovator is implemented with the support of this foundation.
• PostScriptum VenturesminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024PostScriptum Ventures participates as a jury member at the Ideas Weekend event, evaluating student startup presentations and providing feedback to participants.
• SUNOTECminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024SUNOTEC participates as a jury member at the Ideas Weekend event, evaluating student startup presentations and providing feedback to participants.
• APSTEminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024APSTE participates as a jury member at the Ideas Weekend event, evaluating student startup presentations and providing feedback to participants.
• MSD BulgariaminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024MSD Bulgaria participates as a jury member at the Ideas Weekend event, evaluating student startup presentations and providing feedback to participants.
• Endeavor BulgariaminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024Endeavor Bulgaria participates as a jury member at the Ideas Weekend event, evaluating student startup presentations and providing feedback to participants.
• SuperHosting.BGminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024SuperHosting.BG participates as a jury member at the Ideas Weekend event, evaluating student startup presentations and providing feedback to participants.
• A Data ProminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024A Data Pro participates as a jury member at the Ideas Weekend event, evaluating student startup presentations and providing feedback to participants.
• The RecursiveminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024The Recursive participates as a jury member at the Ideas Weekend event, evaluating student startup presentations and providing feedback to participants.
• Aurubis Bulgaria (Аурубис)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024Aurubis Bulgaria participates as a jury member at the Ideas Weekend event, evaluating student startup presentations and providing feedback to participants.
• American University in Bulgaria (AUBG)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024American University in Bulgaria participates as a jury member at the Ideas Weekend event, evaluating student startup presentations and providing feedback to participants.
• myPOSminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024myPOS participates as a jury member at the Ideas Weekend event, evaluating student startup presentations and providing feedback to participants.
• Updata OneminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Updata One is listed as a partner of Teenovator 7, supporting the program's operations and activities.
• LaunchubminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024Launchub participates as a jury member at the Ideas Weekend event and is also listed as an event partner for the weekend.
• Bulgarian Center for Entrepreneurship (Български център по предприемачество)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Bulgarian Center for Entrepreneurship is listed as a partner of Teenovator 7, supporting the entrepreneurship education mission.
• L-Assistance (Л-асистънт) EOODminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2024L-Assistance EOOD (EIK 201648660) is a subcontractor engaged by Foundation Teenovator to perform mentor selection services for the Teenovator project.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• DECA: US-headquartered international student organization preparing high-school and college students for careers in business, finance, hospitality, and entrepreneurship with mentor support and competitive events. Comparable in targeting high-school students, mentor engagement, and competition-driven outcomes.
• Junior Achievement (JA Worldwide): The largest global nonprofit delivering entrepreneurship, work readiness, and financial literacy education to K-12 students across 100+ countries. Operates in Bulgaria and competes for the same donor and school-partner mindshare that Teenovator cultivates, though JA's offering is broader and not exclusively high-school startup focused.
• Enactus: Global nonprofit operating in 30+ countries with student teams (typically university, but with high-school programs) developing entrepreneurial projects with mentor support and a national/international competition. Comparable in mentor-driven, project-based, competition-led format, though Enactus skews older.
• Ashoka Youth Venture / Ashoka Bulgaria: Global social-entrepreneurship network running youth programs that identify and support young changemakers, including venture-style projects with mentorship. Comparable in mission-driven youth entrepreneurship with mentor support, though Ashoka operates across broader social-impact themes.

Emerging players

• Startup Weekend EDU: Techstars-run weekend-format entrepreneurship events oriented around mentorship and rapid idea validation, often used in educational settings. Comparable as an event-driven, mentor-led entrepreneurship experience for students, though shorter-form than Teenovator's 9-month program.
• Launchub: Bulgarian/SEE early-stage venture fund that already participates as a jury partner at Teenovator events. Relevant as a downstream capital pathway for top Teenovator student teams and as a closely adjacent entrepreneurship ecosystem player in Bulgaria.

Regional players

• Endeavor Bulgaria: Local chapter of the global Endeavor high-impact entrepreneurship network supporting founders in Bulgaria. Already a Teenovator jury partner; comparable as a mentor and capital source within the same Bulgarian entrepreneurship ecosystem that Teenovator's students aspire to enter.

Direct peers

• NFTE (Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship): US-based nonprofit running year-long entrepreneurship programs for high school students from under-served communities, with mentor-led teams producing real business plans and pitch competitions. Closely comparable in target demographic, mentor model, and pitch-competition culmination, though NFTE operates in the US market.
• Bulgarian Center for Entrepreneurship: National Bulgarian nonprofit supporting entrepreneurship education and SME development. Already a Teenovator strategic partner; operates overlapping mission in Bulgarian entrepreneurship education and is the most direct national peer in terms of geographic scope and policy advocacy.
• Technovation: Global nonprofit running technology and entrepreneurship programs for girls and young women, including a structured curriculum and pitch competition culminating in real product launches. Comparable in mission-driven youth entrepreneurship with mentor support, though focused on tech and girls specifically.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/teenovator

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Teenovator