5-Minutes With: Ekaterina Hadjipetkova

5-Minutes With is an interview series where business leaders from Endeavor Bulgaria’s network share their personal experiences, advice, and lessons learned.

Meet Ekaterina Hadjipetkova, an accomplished leader in consumer and tech industries with over a decade of experience spanning four continents. Having worked with global powerhouses such as Tinder, Rocket Internet, and LVMH, Katya specializes in building brands and creating market strategies for emerging businesses. She currently serves as an advisor and board member at Appolica, supporting startups in software development and design innovation. With her deep understanding of markets and people, Katya is an inspiration for blending strategic expertise with a personal commitment to mentoring entrepreneurs.

I joined Endeavor Bulgaria about six years ago. I was introduced to the network by one of Endeavor’s entrepreneurs. Their product and marketing had gotten my attention, and I proactively started sharing some feedback/tips with them. I found the experience to be not only fun but also enriching. Meeting founders, discovering new businesses,  learning about their challenges and being able to contribute to their journeys are things I truly enjoy. Exposure to diverse industries and businesses has helped me become a more effective problem-solver; usually, I have already seen something similar that is transferable to the situation in which I am right now. Being curious and attentive to others’ problems helps me out on my personal journey. 

As a mentor, what’s one piece of advice you find yourself giving repeatedly? 

Focus is key. When building a startup, there are countless directions to explore. Being able to prioritize and focus increases velocity, improves execution quality and, ultimately, delivers better results. The startup FOMO is a dangerous disease and negatively impacts not only long-term performance but also team morale. 

What’s one surprising skill or hobby you’ve picked up outside of your work career? 

Over the past 3-4 years, sports have become an integral part of my daily routine, sometimes even twice per day. After spending 5 years at Tinder often working 12 to 14 hours per day, I had the pressing need to move my body. It is obvious that I don’t have the sports gene and am not obsessing over my performance but am doing it for pleasure and all the mind/body benefits. I picked up tennis, a sport I played in my early school years, got really into wakeboarding and am swimming regularly.  I, occasionally, do some free diving, deep-water soloing and other sports that I like the idea of but tragically fail at. I would say that the most important piece of my routine, though, is stretching. I regret not prioritizing myself more when I was younger and believed that ‘pushing through’ was the way to go. Eventually, we all hit our mid 30s and things start looking different. One needs to be healthy, fit and content to be able to perform under high pressure over a long time. 

What’s one book, podcast, or resource you’re currently reading or listening to that you’d recommend to others?

I am more of a people person when it comes to learning about business. I am a natural at networking and I don’t shy away from reaching out to people when I like what they do and want to learn more about it. I am genuinely curious and admire people who do solid work or have the guts to try something new.  

Otherwise, I do often listen to Huberman Lab because of its scientific approach and diverse range of guests. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized how important health, fitness, sleep, and social connections are to my overall well-being and success. I appreciate the variety of topics Andrew Huberman covers, from physical health to mental well-being. Recently, he’s been adding more content specifically tailored to women’s health and episodes exploring the depths of the human psyche with guests like Dr. Martha Beck and Dr. James Hollis; a real treat for the mind! 

What’s one piece of advice you’d give to aspiring entrepreneurs?

Entrepreneurship isn’t for everyone. There is almost a societal pressure to be one as if you would miss out on your life if you do otherwise. There are many ways that one can feel professionally fulfilled and it is usually about becoming good at something. I believe that it is not so much about what you do but how you do it.  

Entrepreneurs are a special breed of people and am convinced it’s more about character than skill. I have noticed that all the great entrepreneurs I know share 3 main characteristics: grit, ‘can do’ attitude that often transcends optimism and great sales skills. Being ambitious and successful costs a lot. Not everyone can or is ready to pay that price. And that’s perfectly fine.