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The Growth Program
for Bulgaria’s most promising companies


What is Dare to Scale

Dare to Scale is a 4-month non-dilutive accelerator for entrepreneurs who are eager to scale their already profitable businesses with the help of expert mentorships and networking. The program is aimed at nurturing Bulgarian late-stage startups in their quest to become globally competitive, growth-oriented, and resilient businesses.

Every year, the program partners, together with the Endeavor network, interview the shortlisted candidates and select a cohort of 6-12 aspiring companies to join Dare to Scale.

Eligibility criteria for candidate companies:

HEADQUARTERS IS LOCATED IN BULGARIA 

MAX 150 FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES

2022 ANNUAL SALES OF MIN €100 K

GROUP WORKSHOPS

The program features group workshops dedicated on key business topics. The meetings are led by high-profile executives from various fields and industries – IT, VCs, financial institutions, retailers. The sessions provide the founders with useful resources and takeaways to help them further grow their ventures. 

INTRO’S & MENTORSHIPS

Dare to Scale provides the participants with introductions to top level executives, successful founders, and local VCs. Each company is assigned an individual mentor – a senior PwC Bulgaria consultant. On top of that, the founders meet regularly with Endeavor Bulgaria’s mentors. The consultants and mentors work with the entrepreneurs throughout the program and advise them on topics related to their specific business challenges. 

NETWORKING EVENTS

The entrepreneurs are invited to attend all networking events as part of Dare to Scale. During the final Demo Day event, they are given the opportunity to pitch their businesses in front of a significant audience of prominent jury members, VCs, Endeavor mentors and some of the most successful Bulgarian entrepreneurs.   

Latest 2022 Cohort

A software company that develops mobile applications and offers a full range of services to create mobile products and custom solutions for early-stage companies.
A platform for combining digital customer service in the automotive, insurance, and leasing industries. It provides a digital „Car as a Service” ecosystem through Mobile Managed Marketplace.
A non-governmental organization that connects startups, private and institutional investors, government, and other stakeholders in the entrepreneurial ecosystem.
A company that develops and supports sophisticated solutions based on the Salesforce platform, implementing e-commerce projects in collaboration with global brands.
A property management company for short-term leases, with innovative monitoring software, allowing owners to profit more easily from their properties in Bulgaria and Romania.
A company that provides reliable monitoring and automation solutions that help energy and industrial companies better manage their assets and processes.
A manufacturer of protein bars possessing laboratory and fully automated production facilities. The company is export-oriented and its products are sold in more than 39 countries worldwide.
A technology that supports the monitoring of several types of parameters in bees, making it easier for beekeepers to protect their colonies. Pollenity offers a platform that connects Bulgarian honey producers with end-users.
A microbrewery engaged in the production of high-quality original beer and its distribution in Bulgaria and Europe. The brewery’s production is sold in most European countries.
A platform for easy purchase and sale of second-hand mobile phones, that are checked by an authorized service and with an added warranty of 2 years.
An independent media platform for news coverage in Southeast Europe. They focus on sector innovation, entrepreneurship, and trends in regional ecosystems, providing international visibility.

Timeline

  • Applications – Open call
    April 10, 2023
  • Application closes
    April 30, 2023
  • Interviews
    May 2023
  • Notification to selected participants and alternates
    June 2023
  • Program Run
    September – December 2023

Mentors & Workshop Leaders

Our 40+ Mentors are individuals with strong industry, investment and entrepreneurship experience. They dedicate their time and knowledge for the growth of Bulgaria’s high-impact entrepreneurs to help them accelerate over the course of the program and beyond.

What our Alumni are saying

Ruslan Leteyski

Founder, Checkout X

Dare to Scale helped us zoom-out of the day-to-day challenges, think strategically, define our ultimate objectives and start taking long-term bets towards them. The program also had a huge network effect for our company within the Bulgarian scale-up community! And most importantly, even during the COVID times, thanks to Dare to Scale, I managed to make some awesome new friends!

Olya Antonova & Boris Georgiev

Founders, Trastena Wines

Dare to Scale proved to be an excellent opportunity also for non-software scale-ups, which is a rare gem to find in the sea of accelerators and programs. I believe the mentors and presenters at the workshops at Endeavor are the best you can find in our market and we highly value everything we learned. I believe Dare to Scale will change our business tremendously.

Boyan Ivanov

CEO & Co-founder, StorPool Storage

The great strength of Dare to Scale is that it has mentors who are business practitioners. These are entrepreneurs from the local community who have build successful companies and are business operators, not lecturers.

Oggy Popov

Founder, Prospecto

The Dare to Scale program is an excellent opportunity for early stage founders to learn from experienced entrepreneurs who have walked the path before. Besides various workshops that cover many of the aspects of running a company, you also get appointed a personal mentor, who will be supporting you during 1:1 sessions! Above all, it’s really up to you to take most of the program, the access to many successful entrepreneurs and peers.

Svetoslav Dimov

CEO, DEV.bg

Dare to Scale was very useful in a number of ways: 1) We made a number of improvements to our business, based on practical advice from mentors and speakers. 2) I upgraded my knowledge in each of the business areas we covered. This would serve me in the years to come. 3) Dare to Scale gives you access to a vast network of top experts and achievers in all business areas. Everyone was open to invest some of their time, talking to us.

Blagovesta Pugyova

Co-Founder, Childish

“On top of everything learned, the program provides you a friendly 360 degrees view of yourself and your company and this gives a strong kick for your next endeavors and growth.”

Awards & Recognitions

Vestbee's Accelerator of the Month – January 2023

Best Accelerator Program at the CESA Awards 2020

Golden Heart Award 2019 at the Category Sustainable Development of the Bulgarian Business Environment

Best Accelerator Program at the CESA Awards 2019