5-Minutes With: Zornitsa Chugreeva
5-Minutes With is an interview series where business leaders from Endeavor Bulgaria’s network share their personal experiences, advice, and lessons learned.
Meet Zornitsa Chugreeva, one of the first Bulgarian women entrepreneurs to join the global Endeavor network. She co-founded HelloHungry, the fully integrated food delivery platform behind BGMenu and Oliviera, which operated across Bulgaria and Romania and was acquired by Takeaway.com in 2018. Today, Zornitsa leads Global Innovation at Just Eat Takeaway, where she’s helping one of the world’s largest food delivery platforms pilot next-generation services — from drone deliveries to Michelin-star chef collaborations.
In this interview, Zori opens up about the transition from founder to mentor, what she believes entrepreneurs get wrong about success, and how staying grounded in your “why” can carry you through even the toughest moments. Her message to early-stage founders? Forget quick wins — stay in the game, keep learning, and find the people who’ll walk beside you.
You joined Endeavor back in 2014 with HelloHungry which was later acquired in 2018. Since then you’ve been an active part of the Endeavor network. Tell us about the transition from founder to mentor.
As a founder, you’re constantly making decisions — often based on a flood of advice. You need to filter quickly, trust your instincts, and own the outcomes. Transitioning to a mentor role is very different. It’s less about giving answers and more about offering support and acting as a sounding board. The goal is to share experience, ask the right questions, and help founders gain clarity — without being intrusive or controlling. Ultimately, It’s about empowering them to find their own path.
Entrepreneurship can be a rollercoaster—what’s your go-to method for staying grounded during tough times?
The ups and downs never stop. What keeps me steady is going back to why I am doing this. When things get tough, reconnecting with that purpose gives me the strength to keep going. Just as important is having the right people around you — whether it’s a business partner or a close support network. Sharing the weight, talking things through, and knowing you’re not alone makes even the hardest moments manageable. And I always remind myself — after the dark days, the bright ones always come.
What’s one myth about entrepreneurship that needs to be debunked?
That success happens fast or follows a clear path.
In reality, it’s often slow, messy, and unpredictable. Companies go through ups and downs, pivots, and long stretches of uncertainty. What looks like an overnight success is usually the result of years of hard work, tough decisions, and resilience. Entrepreneurship is not about instant wins — it’s about staying in the game long enough, learning constantly, and pushing through when it’s hardest.
What’s one book, podcast, or resource you’re currently reading or listening to that you’d recommend to others?
I like to read and listen across different areas — from psychology and business history to sports biographies and founder stories. Some books that have stayed with me are works by Nikos Kazantzakis, Andre Agassi’s biography, Think Big, Working Backwards by Colin Bryar and Bill Carr (about Amazon’s approach), and Fall in Love with the Problem, Not the Solution by the founder of Waze.
I believe in constant learning — spotting what went wrong and adjusting fast, and just as importantly, recognizing what works and scaling it immediately. Any book or podcast that helps you identify and overcome your weak spots is always worth the time. In the end, success comes less from not one big breakthrough, but from daily progress and consistently repeating what delivers results.
What’s one piece of advice you’d give to aspiring entrepreneurs?
Stay curious, ready to learn, and always ask why — to ask yourself, your team, and your support group. Don’t take answers as the ultimate truth. Stay critical but open-minded. Use all the support and resources available, be ready to pivot, and keep pushing outside your comfort zone. Resilience and continuous learning will take you further than any single idea.