Meet the 2024 Dare2Scale Cohort: Teenovator

19 founders from 9 companies are joining the 6th edition of Dare2Scale.

For a third year in a row Dare2Scale filled our NGO quota with a wonderful company making waves in the ecosystem.

Meet Teenovator, an 8-month program designed for 10th and 11th-grade students, focused on developing soft skills and guiding them through the process of creating their first startup. The program leverages the power of mentorship, pairing two mentors with each team of 10 students, and follows a specially curated curriculum validated by the American University in Bulgaria (AUBG).

What has been your company’s biggest achievement or milestone to date, and what impact has it had on your business?

Our biggest achievement is that we managed to scale the program to 700 students and 100 mentors per year, with nearly 70 startups at the Final Competition. A significant milestone is that we were approved for funding from America for Bulgaria for the next three years, which covers the salaries of a three-person team and some administrative costs of the program. Another milestone is that we secured financial support for the creation of the Teenovator Mentors Academy, set to launch in early 2025.

What’s an unexpected or fun fact about your company or team that most people wouldn’t know?

It’s noteworthy that for six years, Teenovator was run by a team of just two people.

What’s a piece of advice you wish you had received when you were just starting out? How do you pass this wisdom on?

I wish someone had told me to go ahead with more confidence and trust in the process. Now, I pass this wisdom on by encouraging others to embrace uncertainty, take bold steps, and have faith in their journey. Trusting the process and believing in oneself are crucial to overcoming challenges and achieving success.