A team of students from AUBG achieved remarkable success at the recent “Lead the Change” competition and showcase, an initiative organized by the OSUN (Open Society University Network) Leading Sustainable Change Spring 2024 program, taught by prof. Eva Van Mensel. Their innovative startup, Education+, secured a well-deserved second-place finish among a highly competitive field of 70 participants.
The “Lead the Change” competition provides a valuable platform for OSUN program participants to refine their projects with expert coaching and showcase their achievements. It fosters a spirit of friendly competition, encouraging participants to push boundaries and deliver their best work.
The winning team is part of the Global Leading Change course at AUBG, organized within the OSUN organization. For the purpose of the course, the AUBG senior Natalia Vasileva looked at her startup idea – Education+, through the lens of the academic experience and, together with classmates from the course, developed the idea on a local level.
Education+ is a unique platform designed to empower young people by centralizing a wealth of opportunities for their career development and personal growth. Users can explore a comprehensive range of programs, including youth exchanges, training sessions, scholarships, internships, and upcoming events. The platform also caters to companies and NGOs seeking to identify and engage with talented young individuals.
After being one of the winners of the AUBG Elevate accelerator program, the Education+ team startup team – Natalia Vasileva, Mariya Nikolova, and Nikolay Pashov, has continued to develop the idea, pivoted, validated more, and organized initiatives. A proof of the importance of the idea is Natalia’s acceptance for the Founders Institute, the largest pre-seed accelerator program in Europe, where she is currently developing the idea even further with her team.
The Education+ team is driven by a powerful mission: to cultivate a generation of socially engaged, motivated young leaders. They recognize the significant role young people play in shaping the future, emphasizing that while they may comprise only 20% of the current population, they represent 100% of what lies ahead.
