We are delighted to share with you our progress over the last three months since the establishment of the Bulgarian Expansion Bridge in September 2023. With the tremendous support from our partners in both Bulgaria and the UK, we successfully launched our first programme, centered around Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Further BEX has been highlighted as a vehicle for strengthening business ties between the two nations, as part of the strategic partnership agreement singed between the Bulgarian and British governments in October 2023.

Our First Programme: AI Bootcamp

Six Bulgarian companies joined the hybrid programme focused on AI with three of the startups attending the in-person sessions:

EILLA - AI-powered platform designed to assist with financial research, analysis and document creation (https://eilla.ai/).

RELEVA - AI-first growth platform to optimise customer experiences through deeper understanding of their needs (https://releva.ai/).

SAGA - AI-powered collaborative workspace managing knowledge across notes, docs, and tasks in one place (https://saga.so/).

With CHILDISH.AI, METASIM and PREDICTO participating online.

The Bulgarian contingent, the largest among representatives from Germany, Italy, Israel, Croatia, Poland, and Romania, met with a large number of corporates, investors, AI experts and government agencies from the UK ecosystem:

Several potential collaborations are already emerging, particularly in the partnership area with corporates in Financial Services and Big Tech.

Speaking after the event Filip Stanev, Founder & CEO of Saga, shared his thoughts on London's AI ecosystem, emphasising: “London is really dynamic, and right now, it's one of the best spots in the world for anything AI. It's a great place to start and grow AI businesses, with lots of talented people, a large customer base, and plenty of capital to go around”.

After the success of the AI Bootcamp, we're collaborating with our partners at Global Tech Connect to roll out another program in a different industry in the first half of 2023. Stay tuned for details, which will be revealed in January!

BEX Included in the UK-Bulgaria Strategic Partnership Declaration

In a historic milestone for international collaboration, British Foreign Secretary Jame Cleverly hosted Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mariya Gabriel in London to sign a Joint Declaration on a new UK-Bulgaria Strategic Partnership.

The official statement after signing highlights reads: "Joint Declaration on the UK-Bulgaria Strategic Partnership, reflecting a shared ambition to further enhance close cooperation, including an increase in academic mobility, R&D, and digital trade, as well as boosting links between businesses through the Bulgarian Expansion Bridge, which supports companies to set up in the UK”.

The two governments represented by the respective Embassies have been instrumental for the incorporation of BEX. Krassimir Kiriakov, Head of Commercial and Economic Section, Embassy of Bulgaria in London shared "Mentioning BEX in the official agreement for strategic cooperation between Bulgaria and England is a serious declaration of institutional support from both sides".