Social entrepreneurship has been a topic of high importance in the last few years. As we tackle pressing problems of our time, such as climate change, economic inequality, and access to education, and we turn to the advancements in technology that grace us with a progressive outlook, new and innovative ideas are constantly bubbling up.
Social entrepreneurship is about giving back with an open heart. It’s about coming up with creative solutions that solve specific problems and pave a clearer path for us to live together more harmoniously as a society.
Because AUBG is committed to fostering educated, proactive, and ethical leaders, and because collaboration is key to our mission, we’ve partnered for the second year in a row with NOVA to offer the NOVA EMBA Scholarship.
Executive education that focuses on people
“What’s crucial for our executive education is that it’s not merely the ideas we discuss, but the people we meet and the relationships we forge”, said Provost J.D. Mininger as he introduced the scholarship during the award event at Vivacom Art Hall Oborishte 5 in Sofia on October 17.
He then passed the word to Marta Evtimova, Chief Producer of News and Current Affairs at Nova Broadcasting Group, who reiterated the benefit of the partnership and the cause as driving force for social improvement:
“This year’s winner, I’m sure, will turn their dream into a successful business plan. I’m confident they will put their best efforts into their education in the EMBA program. I’d like to thank the American University in Bulgaria for the excellent cooperation we’ve established.”
The winner Jane Dimitrova tackles food waste
And now, onto the winner, Jane Dimitrova, who introduced the innovative marketplace platform Foodobox, that addresses the global crisis of food waste. 33% of all edible food is thrown away globally each day. Foodobox connects restaurants, cafes, grocery stores, retailers, and bakeries with customers who can purchase surplus food at discounted prices, starting from 40% off. This not only prevents perfectly good food from ending up in the trash but also provides high-quality meals at affordable prices while reducing CO2 emissions.
To take her business to the next level, Jane Dimitrova will receive a full academic tuition scholarship for The American University of Bulgaria’s Executive MBA program, provided by NOVA Broadcasting Group and AUBG.
In accepting the award, Jane Dimitrova said:
“Even though I’ve been running this business for the last few years, I believe this program has a lot to teach me. I’ve received very positive feedback from everyone who has gone through it, and I’m really looking forward to expanding these professional and personal experiences in my life. Thank you to NOVA and to AUBG.”
You can watch an interview with Jane Dimitrova about her project and the award at NOVA.
Nikoleta Popkostadiniva (‘06): a “runner-up” social entrepreneur
But that’s not all. After Jane received the award, J.D. Mininger made a second announcement:
“This was a particularly unusual and wonderfully competitive jury discussion that we had to determine the winner.” Due to the many outstanding projects they received, the jury decided to grant a sort of “a runner-up prize” to Nikoleta Popkostadinova (‘06) and her LoveGuide initiative, which provides effective sexual health education to teenagers, both online and offline. She has actively been recognized by the AUBG community as a social entrepreneur, having been named one of the 30 game-changers as part of AUBG’s 30th anniversary.
Nikoleta Popkostadinova will receive a full scholarship for the American University in Bulgaria Social Entrepreneurship Certificate program. This four-course program is provided in partnership with NOVA Broadcasting Group and AUBG. In addition, Nikoleta will have access to a one-credit elective from our EMBA program of her choice.
“We would like to award this one-credit elective course in the name and honor of Svetoslav Georgirev (EMBA ‘05), an AUBG Board of Trustees member and Vice President International Operations of C3i Solutions, who has been a great supporter of the EMBA program,” said J.D. Mininger.
Upon receiving the award, Nikoleta Popkostadinova shared that Bulgaria leads in all the negative statistics related to young people’s sexual health. This motivated her to take the initiative in her own hands rather than waiting for the Ministries of Health and Education to address these issues.
“We decided to provide teenagers with the right kind of information in the right way, so that they would listen to us and can make well-informed decisions about their sexual life,” Nikoleta explained.
LoveGuide offers YouTube educational videos, online resources, and sexual educations classes in schools all around the country.
Supporting social entrepreneurship
As Sveloslav Georgiev remarked, “Many years ago, social entrepreneurship was more in the domain of NGOs. Just in the last decades, business have started paying attention to this important matter, focusing resources and investments on goals and objectives that go beyond profitability and top line.
With the NOVA EMBA Scholarship Program and the liberal arts education we provide at AUBG, we aim to build leaders who incorporate social entrepreneurship into their businesses, making a real and lasting impact. Learn more about the AUBG Executive MBA program and start your leadership journey.
Inspired to join the NOVA EMBA Scholarships Competition?
