On Monday, Bulgarian DEA Accelerate, an accelerator program dedicated to supporting and developing female entrepreneurs in the early stages of business growth, hosted its Demo Day.
Fourteen startups were presented to the jury by their female founders. It was the culmination of their three-month journey. They were evaluated based on the strength of the business idea, growth potential, market demand, and the entrepreneur’s commitment and vision.
The winners of Demo Day are:
- Special Award from BESCO – Artime, Yoanna Marinova
- Special Award from the Council of Women in Business in Bulgaria – CakeAway, Hristina Dimitrova
- The Growth Ninja Award – KittFit, Velina Savova
- The Impact Hero Award – Momfident, Zhenya Dimitrova
- The Innovator Award – Total Responses, Kristina Borisova
- Special Award from the Bulgarian Angels Club – WitKid, Valentina Kutseva
Empowering women entrepreneurs
Startups founded and co-founded by women accounted for 9.6% of all venture capital raised in Europe in 2023. Nevertheless, in the last 10 years, the share of VC investment being raised by women has doubled in Europe.
This was the first edition of DEA Accelerate, organized by Space Tree Ventures, scaling innovative startups by combining expertise, resources, and hands-on support, and Future Females Sofia, a global movement for female entrepreneurs. The program focuses on every stage of business creation, from finding the ideal customer and creating a prototype to sales, finance, and pitching to investors, through mentoring sessions with guest speakers and successful entrepreneurs.
During the accelerator, each team had an individual mentor who guided and supported them throughout the entire process. Some of the mentors in the program included Irina Obushtarova, CEO and co-founder at The Recursive, Daniela Ivanova, Growth Director at Rakuten Viber, Iva Gumnishka, founder at Humans in the loop, Gergana Stoichkova, Investment associate at Eleven Ventures.
In future, the organizers plan to deepen their efforts in fostering women’s entrepreneurship by including businesses from across the entire region.
Check out the startups that took part in the first edition of DEA Accelerate, selected among 99 candidates!
ACTIVE KIDS
Vertical: Edtech
Active Kids is a digital one-stop shop where parents can effortlessly discover, book, and manage extracurricular activities and camps while connecting with like-minded families, while facilitating service providers with additional digital tools to grow their businesses.
HINT
Vertical: E-commerce
About: HINT is a digital platform that uses emotionally intelligent AI to provide personalized gift recommendations in under 30 seconds, revolutionizing gift-giving with a fast and tailored approach.
ARTIME
Vertical: HR tech
About: Artime secured €65K in funding, won the Pitch2Pitch competition, partnered with 20 art venues and the Actors Guild, distributed 100 cards to FFF, and gained interest from two companies, including crypto.com.
KITT FIT
Vertical: Vet tech
About: KittFit, a multifunctional pet collar, secured pre-seed investment at a valuation near €1M and developed a working prototype, backed by a team with expertise in satellite technology, electric vehicles, IoT, entrepreneurship, and finance.
CAPSULEND
Vertical: E-commerce
About: Established as the region’s pioneering kids’ clothing rental service, within months secured a customer base of 30 recurring clients, averaged two daily inquiries, and partnerships with 20 ethical brands. They were recognized by the Pitch2Pitch competition and Start Up Bulgaria! finalist distinctions.
MOM GOT A JOB
Vertical: HR tech
About: A marketplace for women with children to find flexible jobs and self-development opportunities, with 1.7k users, partnerships with 2 companies, and 5 more interested, securing €15k in funding from Base Sofia, Women Runners Challenge, and Let’s Go.
CHILDREN OF THE WORLD
Vertical: Edtech
About: Children of the World is an AI-powered platform that personalizes study abroad planning for underserved students, providing tailored recommendations, support networks, and practical guides making study-abroad planning seamless for families and students alike.
MOMFIDENT
Vertical: Health tech
About: Momfident, an AI-powered maternal psychological care assistant, awarded “Spinoff of the Year,” secured €15K in EuroCC High Performance Computing Grant and AI lab support, completed a pilot with Zdraveto hospital, while being a Startup Bulgaria finalist and Pitch2Pitch winner.
DOSE & DIAGNOSE
Vertical: Health tech
A digital platform that combines both doctors’ and pharmacists’ expertise with AI-driven patient data analysis to improve diagnosis accuracy, optimize dosages, and reduce medication overuse in telehealth consultations.
ROBO ACADEMY
Vertical: Edtech
About: Robo Academy, the first academy in Bulgaria to combine robotics and math in a single course, provides high-quality extracurricular programs for children in small towns, addressing the lack of innovative educational options.
HEALTH NAVIGATOR
Vertical: Health tech
About: An online tool helping cancer patients find the best doctors, get accurate diagnoses using AI, and receive personalized support throughout their treatment. 300+ patients, 20 specialists, two hospital partnerships, with key collaborations in Bulgaria’s cancer care network.
CAKE AWAY
Vertical: Food tech
About: Cakeaway offers high-quality, portable cakes in a can, with a 12-day shelf life, and has secured two B2B customers, generating strong interest from 10 others, while aiming to expand its market with additional investments for production and marketing.
WITKID
Vertical: Edtech
About: Witkid is a platform helping parents nurture their child’s early development with expert-curated play ideas, skill-developing toys, and personalized tracking. Parents can shop for individual toys or subscribe to age-appropriate bundles.
TOTAL RESPONSES
Vertical: AI
About: Total Responses is a customer feedback-driven platform that helps businesses boost revenue and satisfaction through language models and automation, inspired by the founder’s previous startup experience.
