Milena Stoycheva

Milena Stoycheva is a venture network builder at JA Europe and a business consultant on innovation, entrepreneurship, technology and sustainable growth. Milena Stoycheva is a long-time CEO of Junior Achievement Bulgaria (JA Bulgaria), part of the global network of Junior Achievement Worldwide (JA Worldwide) and a co-founder of its spin-off company The Edge: R&BD. Throughout her career, Milena has worked systematically for digitalization, modernization and development of a high educational and startup culture in Bulgaria. Milena Stoycheva is the Minister of Innovation and Growth of Bulgaria for 2023/2024. She taught innovation and entrepreneurship at the European Institute of Innovation and Technology and was the Director for innovation and transformation at EIT Culture & Creativity. Milena is the recipient of JA Worldwide's highest global leadership award “Soraya Salti” for 2021, presented in recognition of making a social impact through economic empowerment. She is a co-founder of the Bulgarian cluster for digital solutions and innovations in healthcare and is its first chairperson. Milena participated in several expert groups at the EC, OECD, HEinnovate, etc. Milena Stoycheva has more than 20 years of experience in leadership positions in international organizations and companies, having also served as the Chair of the Global Member Council of JA Worldwide and Senior Adviser on Higher Education for Europe. She is the first Dean of Student Affairs at the American University in Bulgaria. Stoycheva is a member of the board of the European Female Founders and works actively for affirming women in business, science and entrepreneurship. She has degrees and specializations from Bulgarian and international universities such as Sofia University “Kliment Ohridski”, Penn State University, UC Berkeley and MIT.