SHEleader in a SHEll Bulgarian Centre of Women in Technology - BCWT

On March 23, our Ukrainian friend Tetyana Puchkova, Director of the International Programs of the Kyiv-based think tank Maidan of Foreign Affairs, joins us for one brave conversation one month after the start of the Russian invasion.

The war of the Russian Federation against Ukraine has changed the lives of millions of people. Lost relatives and friends, lost homes, lost belief in the peaceful order in Europe. But the wave of support towards the Ukrainian refugees after the invasion shows the unlost humanity and the unlost solidarity. It also shows the need for leadership in all societal spheres.

On March 23, one month after the invasion, we talk about the consequences of the war and the challenges that women are facing as mothers, professionals with careers, and refugees. Our guest is Tetyana Puchkova, Director of the International Programs of the Kyiv-based independent think tank Maidan of Foreign Affairs. Tatyana will also share with us the positive perspective: what are the strengths of the female leadership, how the good example can inspire and make changes, including during a war.

Moderator of the discussion: Sasha Bezuhanova, founder of BCWT.

The guest:

Tetyana graduated from MSPU (Moscow, Russia) with a Master’s Degree in Geography and English in 1991. Then, In 1997, she graduated from Western Michigan University (Michigan, US) with a Master’s Degree in History, specializing in Soviet-American Relations. Our guest also studied History and Cultural Geography courses at Kirtland Community College (Michigan, US).

Tetyana served as the Director of Michigan Global Education Consortium (MGAC), President of the Michigan Community Colleges for Global Education (MCCGE), and Director of International Education at Alma College, (Michigan, US). Since 2014, she is the Director of International Programs of the Maidan of Foreign Affairs.

Let’s begin the New Year with one positive news for the innovative ecosystem from the last days of 2021. The Sofia-based startup LAM’ON achieved a very important success: it got funding from the European Innovation Council and now will scale up its development and expand its operation in Bulgaria and abroad.

LAM’ON is only the second startup from Bulgaria which so far has been selected by the EIC, a body of the European Commission which supports breakthrough, high-risk innovations with a significant societal impact. Therefore, the first edition of SHEleader in a SHEll for 2022 will meet you with the two ladies that co-founded the project Gergana Stancheva and Angela Ivanova.

We will learn important tips about the application process of the EIC: why it is important to apply, how to present our project, and how to tackle the stress before pitching in front of an international jury of experts.

We will also deep more into the process of creation of a high-impactful business innovation tackling an important societal challenge: how Gergana and Angela have decided to launch LAM’ON and to fight plastic pollution with the creation of a biodegradable laminating film, what have been the stages of LAM’ON development so far and what challenges they have met and overcome.

Last but not least, Gergana and Angela will tell us more about their personal choice to be female entrepreneurs in the still male-dominated sphere of business innovation. According to the latest data, only 15% of the startups in Europe are founded or co-founded by ladies and barely 2% of the venture capital goes to all-female teams of founders and CEOs while 5% goes to mixed teams and more than 90% to male-only startups.

Digital technologies transform nearly all aspects of our life, including art and culture. Moreover, a wave of artists is taking international attention by creating an innovative type of culture part of the post digital era.

AI should be embraced by humans and has the ability to drive us to an unprecedented level of creativity, productivity and social advancement. COVID-19 accelerates this to a greater extent with now more and more jobs involving interface with applications that use AI. A McKinsey report on AI and gender bias states that the number of occupational transitions women will have to make might grow by 25% or more simply because the pandemic has been so disruptive. Is this something we can ignore? How can women use this AI proficiency and the artistic personality to advance gender equity instead of dwelling on gender bias?

On December 9, we hosted the 15th Edition of SHEleader in a SHEll with Albena Baeva who works at the intersection of art, technology and social science. She is a visual artist, curator and producer. In her interactive installations for urban spaces and galleries, she uses ML and AI, physical computing, creative coding, and DIY practices. Her work was showcased in museums for contemporary art, galleries and festivals for video and performance globally.

Moderator of the discussion: Sasha Bezuhanova, Founder and Chair of BCWT.

In the new episode of SHEleader in a SHELL is here. Our special guest is Bilyana Freye on-screen, Co-Founder and CEO of the B2B networking platform Orbiit.  The project implements AI to help community managers create exponential value for their members through curated 1:1 connections. Orbiit works with leading startups, VC, and professional communities looking to scale peer-to-peer knowledge-sharing through recurrent and guided 1:1 conversations.  

“Tailored 1:1 connections allow members to discuss difficult topics, be vulnerable, and share learnings with one another. Those 1:1 connections are the hardest to execute, but when you start investing in them, with the help of Orbiit, you see engagement feeding into all other initiatives and a vibrant, active community that truly delivers on the promise to its members' ' says Bilyana Freye.  

We talk with Bilyana about building communities, the challenges community managers face, and the role of women entrepreneurship in connecting the world.   Moderator of the discussion: Sasha Bezuhanova, Founder and Chair of BCWT.

Our New Season is HERE!   

Do you know what impact tech business is? What is the significance of impact tech startups?

There is one entrepreneurial territory where business strategies meet the desire of entrepreneurs to support societal development.

The bridge between them is #ICT - artificial intelligence, big data analytics, blockchain, and all other tech tools that give us new approaches to societal problems such as climate change, biodiversity loss, air pollution, famine, social exclusion, gender equality challenges.  

For a long period of time, impact tech projects have been perceived as only not-for-profit activities. However, the boom of startup projects with societal causes in recent years has proven that developing impact projects can also be a business, and pursuing business strategies is not in contradiction with supporting the positive development of our communities.  The pandemic has shown us the significance of these projects and how important it is to support their development and scaling. 

The new season of SHEleader in a SHEll starts with Sasha Lipman, co-founder of the global startup network tech2impact, which helps impact tech business projects with mentorship and various initiatives for scaling and internalization.  

“There’s a misconception in the tech ecosystem about “impact”. So let’s clear up outdated prejudices about what it means to be an impact tech startup from the get-go. Startups and businesses can (and should) do both: address societal issues and generate profit and scale,” says Sasha Lipman.

SHEleader in a SHEll "Tech Career for Non-Engineers - Mission Possible" gives you answers to those and many more important questions. The career road to tech companies requires specific skills that are not mandatory tech ones. In the past couple of years, corporations have opened various new divisions and positions and non-engineers have become an important part of teams. However, the stereotypes are still alive in the digital industry, especially in high-level positions. This is a serious obstacle in creating conditions where men and women can open their full potential and contribute to the success of the teams and businesses. The need to change the paradigm has become much more obvious and sharp during the pandemic.

  Some of the outstanding non-engineers with leading positions in tech companies in Bulgaria are women who have proven themselves as successful managers in times of a crisis. SHEleader in a SHEll meets you with one of those leaders - Alexandrina Gindeva and her story of a non-engineer with a leading position in a big tech company. Alexandrina was Selected for the first female-focused Accelerated Development program in Experian in 2017-2018. In April 2019, she was appointed Head of Global Delivery Hub of Experian Decision Analytics and is responsible for the delivery of the company's decision analytics solutions across all Experian regions globally with a focus on Cloud solutions. She serves on Experian Bulgaria management board, which is focused on defining, developing, and evolving our presence and business in Bulgaria.

MOVE.BG is a communication partner of SHEleader@digital 2020.