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Irina Obushtarova is the executive director and co-founder of an English-language platform for stories and news about innovation and business from Southeast Europe – The Recursive. In “The Returned” with Petya Kertikova Bulgaria On Air Obustarova told about her path to success.
Before founding the company, Irina lived and studied in Vienna for 11 years.
“In 2006, right after I graduated from the language high school in Plovdiv, I boarded a bus with 20 kg of luggage and a 3,000 euro loan from my mother, and left for Vienna,” she began her story.
It took her that long to complete Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Vienna because she found a job while still studying. Focusing on strategic communication, her first job was in a migrant magazine. Part of her tasks include communication with the team of former Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz.
After that, she is invited to a large PR agency, she also tries her hand at being an entrepreneur. After a decade away, he decides to return home. In Sofia, he is laying the foundations of an innovation platform where entrepreneurs and positive business news are in focus.
“We are talking about successful and innovative entrepreneurs who deal with technologies that break into the world market from Bulgaria, Romania, Greece and the region”, explained Irina Obushtarova.
The project started in February 2021. An interesting detail is that Irina won the “Entrepreneur of the Year” award for her work, but not in Bulgaria, but in Romania. The very next year, the media raised external funding of 450,000 euros, thanks to six investors from Bulgaria, Greece and Romania. It is such people who bring Irina back to Bulgaria.
“I was brought back by the people who create startups from Bulgaria; who create businesses here; who believe that we can be a place of innovation. This example influenced me. I wanted to be part of this movement, this change, for me it was a signal of change,” shared Irina.
