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At Eleven, we believe entrepreneurship begins long before a startup is founded. It starts with mindset. With people who notice a problem and feel compelled to act. Who treat uncertainty not as a barrier, but as a challenge worth taking on. That’s why we’re drawn to initiatives like ABLE Activator – programs that shape individuals on a personal level, help them take their first steps as entrepreneurs, and quietly strengthen the ecosystem around us. Because when more people are equipped to build meaningful ventures, lead with purpose, and support each other’s growth, it creates a ripple effect far beyond the startup world. And that’s the kind of future we want to invest in, not just with capital, but with care.
How It All Started
Back in 2011, a group of students had just returned from an inspiring entrepreneurship program in the States. They were energized and eager to build something meaningful at home.
So, they founded ABLE – Association of Bulgarian Leaders and Entrepreneurs.
And in true startup spirit, they worked from Eleven’s office on evenings and weekends to get it going.
“The community element was what made the difference from the very beginning. Fourteen years later, it’s still one of ABLE’s most unique features."
Belizar Marinov
Investment Principal, Eleven Ventures and Founding Member, ABLE
From those early days, ABLE has grown into a national force with over 300 active members across fields like business, tech, law, and education. Belizar calls it “an accelerator for individuals,” helping people develop leadership, entrepreneurial, and people skills that will serve them anywhere.
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Build the Person, Not Just the Business
ABLE Activator was launched as a way to bring ABLE’s community-driven approach to a new generation of students and young professionals – through experience, not theory.
Over a period of six weeks, participants lead teams, test ideas in the real world, and pitch in front of an audience of mentors and peers. It’s uncomfortable by design. But it’s also where real growth happens.
The focus isn’t on launching a company at all costs. It’s on helping people get better at navigating ambiguity, communicating clearly, and solving meaningful problems. Whether someone becomes a founder, joins a startup, or leads change in another field, those are the skills that stick.
Over the past nine years, more than 50 companies have emerged from the program, but that’s not the only metric that matters. “Our long-term goal is that most of the people that go through the program stay around and contribute to the entrepreneurial community in one way or another,” Belizar says.
The Eleven x ABLE Story
This isn’t just another program we admire from a distance. It’s one we’ve grown alongside.
- Belizar helped start ABLE back in 2011 and recently rejoined its advisory board. It’s more than just a side project for him. It’s part of the reason he stayed in Bulgaria and eventually joined Eleven.
- Rene, our Head of Platform, leads the Activator’s value proposition workshop every year since day 1, just like she does for another initiative we strongly support – the Elevate Accelerator.
- Roberta, our Marketing Manager, and Elena, our Platform Associate, were once participants in ABLE Activator themselves. Today, they mentor, organize, and give back to the program that gave them their start.
- Our partner Svetozar Georgiev was most recently jury during the last ABLE Activator Demo Day, where he helped select the winning teams of the season.
You see, for some of us at Eleven, ABLE was the starting point, not just for entering the startup world, but for finding community, building lasting relationships, and creating impact that goes beyond a single program. For others, it came later in the journey, and now they’re helping shape that same launchpad for the next generation of builders just getting started. This mission resonates not just with our team, but with our founders as well. A few of our portfolio companies, like Boleron, Ayo by Novaology, and Escreo, are part of the ABLE community, now actively supporting the people who are just starting out, like they once were.
It Takes a Whole Ecosystem to Grow a Unicorn
“It takes a whole ecosystem to grow a unicorn. At Eleven, we have always supported initiatives that foster the entrepreneurial community. As experience shows us, every person who goes through such a program is a future founder, early employee, or ambassador of the startup movement. And as people have come to know us, we are in for the long game.”
Belizar Marinov
Investment Principal, Eleven Ventures and Founding Member, ABLE
That’s what makes programs like this essential. Not everyone needs to raise capital or launch a company right away. But everyone needs to think critically, solve problems, and lead with intention. And the earlier that starts, the stronger our ecosystem becomes.
Want to Get Involved?
Whether you’re a young professional, an experienced founder looking to give back, or someone who connects with ABLE’s mission, there are plenty of ways to get involved :
👉 Learn more about ABLE Activator and ABLE Weekend Activator. The next one is happening in Plovdiv in October. Don’t miss it.
We’ll be there – as teammates, mentors, juries, and friends. Because it’s never too early to give someone their first yes.
