Milena Stoycheva is a global technology and innovation pioneer. The former Bulgarian Minister of Innovation and Growth, Milena has over twenty years’ experience in entrepreneurship and education. The renowned CEO of Junior Achievement Bulgaria for over fifteen years, Melina has dedicated her career to inspiring students and entrepreneurs. Now a sought-after and experienced speaker, Melina has made it her mission to help societies evolve through future-focused education and technology-driven growth
Milena’s career began in education and she spent three years as the Dean of Student Affairs at the American University of Bulgaria before becoming an Educational Advisory at Fullbright Commission Sofia. In 1998, she became the CEO at Junior Achievement Bulgaria, the world’s oldest and largest non-profit economic education organisation, which, under Milena’s leadership, has grown to have over 33,000 students throughout Bulgaria and 24 educational courses and business programmes. In 2008, Melina became the Chair of JA Worldwide, an NGO delivering immersive education to young people in entrepreneurship and financial health. Melina’s dedication to education is further exemplified when she co-founded The Edge in 2018. Then in 2023, Milena became the Minister of Innovation and Growth at the Bulgarian Ministry of Innovation, where she shaped policy and built ecosystems to support technology, youth empowerment and business.
In recent years, Melina has dedicated her career to sharing her expertise and experience. Currently a Visiting Professor at EIT Digital, Milena serves as a Partnership and Ecosystem Advisory at Kelvin Health and as a Board Member at European Female Founders, where she works to actively advance the role of women entrepreneurs in creating diverse and sustainable innovation ecosystems. A Board member at the Bulgarian Ministry of Innovation and Growth, Melina is also the Interim Action Programme Director INNOVATION at EIT Culture and Creativity, a partnership dedicated to transformation in the cultural and creative industries. Winner of the Women’s Leadership Award of the US Embassy in Bulgaria, Milena also received the highest individual award for global leadership of JA Worldwide, the Soraya Salti award, in 2021.
Host of HER FUND podcast, Melina is an experienced and highly sought-after speaker who has spoken at international conferences such as Web Summit, SLUSH, EIT EdTech Conferences, Space summit and COP28. Dedicated to empowering female founders, Milena has unique insights into deep tech ventures and strategic ecosystems. If you’re looking for a speaker to drive future-focused education and technology-driven growth, get in touch today to book Milena for your next event.
Milena Stoycheva's official speaking topics are listed below:
Building Strategic Technological Independence:
How Europe and emerging economies can reduce dependency and build resilient innovation and technology practices.
Growth Through Disruptive Technology:
Leveraging AI, deep tech, and frontier technologies to drive meaningful change and competitive advantage.
The Future of Innovation: Deep Tech, Education & Impact:
What comes after digital transformation? Creating sustainable innovation cultures.
Entrepreneurship as a Core Skill for the Next Generation:
Why entrepreneurship isn’t just for startups - it’s a survival skill for the 21st century.
Women in Tech and the Rise of Inclusive Innovation Ecosystems:
Practical strategies for empowering underrepresented voices in leadership and funding.
From Classroom to Boardroom: Building the Innovation Pipeline:
Aligning education and business to shape innovation-ready talent.
Europe’s Role in the Global Startup Landscape:
What Europe can learn from Silicon Valley - and what the world can learn from Europe.
- 2025 – Board Member at the Bulgarian Ministry of Innovation & Growth
- 2024 – Chair of the Board of Innovation at the Ministry of Innovation & Growth
- 2024 – Podcast Host at HER FUND Project
- 2024 – Venture Network Builder at JA Europe
- 2023 – Bulgarian Minister of Innovation & Growth
- 2022 – Interim Action Programme Director INNOVATION at EIT Culture & Creativity
- 2022 – Board Member at European Female Founders
- 2021 – Received JA Worldwide “Soraya Salti” Award
- 2020 – Partnership & Ecosystem Advisor at Kelvin Health
- 2018 – Co-Founder of The Edge
- 2017 – Chairperson at Digital Health & Innovation Cluster Bulgaria
- 2013 – Visiting Professor at EIT Digital
- 2008 – Chair & Member Nation Council at JA Worldwide
- 2000 – Project Manager & CEO at JobTiger
- 1998 – CEO at Junior Achievement Bulgaria
- 1997 – Anchor at AP Television
- 1996 – Consular Section at British Embassy Sofia
- 1994 – Educational Advisor at Fullbright Commission Sofia
- 1991 – Dean of Student Affairs at American University in Bulgaria
How to hire Milena Stoycheva
Contact the Champions Speakers Agency to provisionally enquire about hiring Milena Stoycheva for your next event, today. To get in touch, simply call an official booking agent on 0207 1010 553 or email us at [email protected] for more information.
** We do NOT accept requests for autographs, signed merchandise, fan mail, birthday messages or any other non-commercial contact with the speakers or acts. Each speaker on the website may not have necessarily worked with Champions in the past but are known to perform such engagements within the industry.
