“Only the educated are free.” ― Epictetus
They say that people should strive to learn something new every day. So, at The Recursive, we are taking a look at the schools that have shaped the minds of some of the SEE leaders, from the Technical University of Sofia, and Sofia University to the Politehnica University of Bucharest and The Entrepreneurship Academy today.
“This academic year, in spite of the pandemic, our students, through the businesses they have, had an annual income of €1M. This year, we have the first generation of graduates, which started in 2016, so we have a four-year cycle. During this time, a total of 100 students passed,” Ilinca Paun, founding member, coach and mentor at the EA, says in an interview from 2020 for Ziarul Financiar in Romania.
It takes learning and adapting to become innovative, and the EA seems to be a common denominator for the new generation of passionate entrepreneurs. The private college was launched in 2015 in Bucharest, Romania and it is managed by a Board of Directors and Alexandru Ghita as CEO.
The school was created in partnership with the Team Academy from The Netherlands as a BBA program in business management and entrepreneurship, with a focus on personal development. Courses focus on team performance, creation and commercialization, integrated skills, and leadership.
Paun shared in an interview that the students’ selection is essential. From the first interview they know if a person wants to work in a team and if not, they will not be accepted into the EA. She states that her goal is to develop a college which should be the main option for young people wanting a modern, international, and efficient business education. She is looking for entrepreneurs that will bring a positive impact on society.
During the four years it takes for young entrepreneurs to finish their studies, they get the chance to participate in different workshops, like business administration, marketing, management, and sales with the end goal of building their own company as the final graduation project. Every year, students travel abroad to gain international experience as well.
The private school offers students the possibility of learning from different business mentors that have built companies, like Irina Alionte, founder of Bodyshape Transformation Centre; Ciprian Stancu, founder of Republica BIO; Alin Copindeanu, co-founder of Tudor Personal Tailor; Vlad Ungureanu, founder of StartCasa; and Sergiu Negut, co-founder of FintechOS.
At the end of the four-year program, students receive a BA diploma of Business Administration in Entrepreneurship issued by Stichting Schoolvision in the Netherlands.
Discover below our list of 5 entrepreneurs, students of The Entrepreneurship Academy.
The Entrepreneurship Academy in Bucharest Alumni
Name: Ciprian Dudulea
Company: TheOutfit
Position: Co-founder and CEO
Market specialty: FashionTech
The story in a nutshell: Dudulea graduated from the EA in 2020, the year he co-founded the FashionTech startup, TheOutfit. The project delivers a personalized selection of apparel based on the users’ data, like fit and style. He shared with The Recursive in a previous interview that he joined the EA because it was the only viable option in the country. He believes that public business schools have an outdated curriculum and that at the Academy he found the necessary support to start and grow a company. He co-founded the company with another EA student, Horia Stupu.
Name: George Moroianu
Company: Flip
Position: Co-founder
Market specialty: Sustainability
The story in a nutshell: Moroianu graduated from the EA in 2020 and he co-founded the circular economy, refurbished phones startup, Flip, in his last year, 2019. The project aims to change how people buy and sell second-hand smartphones. He shared that the EA experience has been an amazing learning opportunity, that he felt encouraged to start something, no matter how small. He co-founded the startup with Alex Burghelia, who graduated this year.
Name: Eduard Burghelia
Company: Confidas
Position: Co-founder
Market specialty: FinTech
The story in a nutshell: Burgelia graduated from the EA in 2020 and he co-founded Confidas, a FinTech startup, in the first year he joined the college, 2016. The project aims to help Romanian companies collect invoices on time. The platform also offers the possibility of checking a company’s history to see if there is any risk in future collaborations.
Name: Alin Obaciu
Company: IMMERSIVIBES
Position: Co-founder
Market specialty: AR/3D Scanning
The story in a nutshell: Obaciu graduated from the EA this year. He co-founded the IMMERSIVIBES start-up in 2018. This is an agency that designs and develops AR concepts using 3D scanning for the retail niche. Since the launch, they have developed AR experiences for the banking and pharma industries, and have started scanning home and decor pieces for a SEE company.
Name: Raluca Elena Enache
Company: Glow2Go
Position: Co-founder
Market specialty: BeautyTech
The story in a nutshell: Raluca joined the EA in 2018 and co-founded the company Glow2Go in 2020. The beauty on-demand marketplace aims to connect users to market professionals. The team wants to connect hairstylists, make-up artists, and nail technicians, with clients that want services where they are, be it at home, at the office, or maybe at the hotel. She co-founded the company with another EA student, Daniela Padurariu.
