Lyubomir Vanyov, one of the 29 participants in the first cohort of the Advocacy Academy program in Bulgaria, led by AUBG in close partnership with BESCO and supported by CIPE, has already put into practice some of the key skills and knowledge he has acquired during the Advocacy Academy academic classes which took place from April to June 2024.
Vanyov is the co-founder of Shkolo.bg and has achieved over 75% market share among all schools in Bulgaria, reaching to date over one million education personnel, students and their parents. Shkolo.bg has irreversibly transformed the Bulgarian educational system with its innovative approach, high-quality product and deep motivation to make a real impact for good through providing a user-friendly software for digital notebooks and attendance sheets.
His motivation to apply for the Advocacy Academy came from his entrepreneurship spirit and desire for positive change through, among others, possibly establishing his own NGO.
Even though the platform Vanyov co-created has been acquired by Juniper Education, a London based company, delivering high-quality expertise in education technology serving schools around the world, he continues to be actively involved and devoted to the improvement of the Bulgarian education system and education management at school level from his present position as Juniper’s CTO, overseeing research and development in both Bulgaria and abroad.
At the end of August 2024, when there was a proposal to fundamentally change how the market in education works, Vanyov put in practice key skills which he has acquired during the Advocacy Academy academic modules, including ways to develop and implement successful advocacy strategies, starting from detailed stakeholder mapping and coalition building based on thorough research and consultations with trusted partners.
His advocacy work contributed to resolving the issue and helped to defend the overall free market in Bulgaria, preventing unfair and preferential treatment of business companies and entrepreneurs. Advocacy strategies that are well-targeted and thoughtfully structured are essential for defending and promoting the idea of a free market in education. These strategies help shape public opinion, influence policymakers, and create an environment where educational freedom can thrive.
By leveraging what he learned at the Advocacy Academy, Vanyov not only protected his platform’s interests but also became a vocal proponent of the free market, showing how young leaders can make a difference by defending business principles in the modern economy.
