Camplight

I’m part of the Partner Success team and my whole focus is getting our partners from 0 to 1.

But apart from that I’m co-creating a software cooperative that wants to evolve human collaboration while growing with 36% CAGR since 2012 🫶 

Partners vary from small startups to enterprise scale-ups. 

By collaborating on different camplight initiatives, I've gained expertise in the leadership of participatory, innovative, business-critical, and digital transformations, focusing on Fintech, Edutech, and Healthtech, among other industries.

I got the benefit of experiencing XXX k€/year budget responsibilities and multi-stakeholder collaborations.

I've participated in co-scaling camplight from 5 people to 21 and in most critical initiatives as a bootstrapped self-managing organization and community operating with X m€/year

Co-Owner & Venture Builder

VMware

R&D for new company product using VMware SDK 5.5, ReactJS (with flux), ImmutableJS, GulpJS, LESS  and BabelJS

Software Developer

Creating value with startup consulting, leadership, growth hacking, sales and helping to build open, transparent, decentralized, distributed lifestyle software company :)

Camplighter

Game Craft

Crafting game experiences :)

Entrepreneurship (interaction design, zero marketing, lead dev, sales dev, project management, team leader & everything in between and what's necessary O_o). 

Running my first democratic startup & pioneering with gamification consulting in the Balkan region :)

Craftsman

Melon, Inc.

Development of flash applications both on web and desktop platforms. Learning how to write my first production-grade code

Flash/Flex developer

XS Software

Main activities and responsibilities	

Balance, improve and optimize game tables for quality experience.
Write Game design documentation for future projects.
Interaction design of game mechanics.
Review existing games of rival companies.
Communicating with other team members on daily basis.
Design and integrate new features and mechanics.
Research new technologies available on the market.

Game Designer

>> I'm a fanatic about high-performing teams, not individuals.

What can I help you  with (through my Camplight & my fractional‑CTO practice)

> AI‑Powered Digital Transformation – From rapid GenAI prototypes to enterprise‑grade roll‑outs that move $1B bottom lines.

> Venture‑Building as a Service – Cross‑functional “camplight” squads that design, ship, and scale new products—fast.

> Fractional CTO Leadership – Strategic tech stewardship for startups and scale‑ups without the full‑time overhead.

> Mindful Team Coaching – Burnout‑proof operating systems and decision‑making models for boss‑less, high‑trust cultures.

How I Got Here (the short version)

I bootstrapped my first studio, building gamified products, then drove it into the ground through sheer hustle and zero alignment. The resulting burnout forced a hard reset: work had to become a path to enlightenment, not a treadmill.

That quest led me to cooperative ownership at Camplight, where we build tech the same way we live—collaboratively, transparently, and with skin in the game. I’ve since:

> Led multiple 7‑figure digital‑transformation programs in FinTech, EduTech & HealthTech.

> Embedded AI/ML solutions that quietly power nine‑digit revenues.

> Mentored dozens of product squads, turning chaotic sprints into enlightened shipping rituals.

Today I call myself a fractional CTO & digital shaman (IG: @the.digital.shaman)—equal parts architect, facilitator, and catalyst for change. 

If you’re ready to fuse technology with a more human way of working, let’s talk.

Vitaliy Filipov 🧘‍♂️

Nikola Yanev

I teach early-stage founders how to fundraise faster and easier.

Work With Me

Sigma Squared Society

Sigma Squared is empowering the world's most ambitious founders under 26.

Alumnus

Eleven Ventures

I’ve been spearheading the Marketing & Comm efforts of Eleven for the past 7 years.
• Securing 150+ media collaborations for our portfolio companies (including Forbes, TechCrunch, Tech.eu and Eu-Startups).
• Maintaining a consistent LinkedIn engagement rate of 475% above the median for the industry.
• Supporting a 4x increase in investment dealflow.
• Conceptualising and leading Eleven Alpha’s program, bringing 500+ CEE startup applications for one month, resulting in 4 new investments.
• Maintaining a consistent 40+% share of online voice among 15+ VC’s within our focus geography.
• Structuring and leading the Elevate university accelerator on behalf of Eleven for the past 4 years.

Other team accomplishments that I’ve been a part of:

• The fundraising of our Fund II (€6m) and Fund III (€60m).
• Taking Fund I - Eleven Capital (11C) public on the Bulgarian Stock Exchange (BSE).
• First investor in Payhawk (first Bulgarian unicorn) back in 2018 and supporting their growth to unicorn status.
• The conceptualisation, launch and marketing of the Visa Innovation Program (https://visainnovationprogram.com/).
• The investment process of 40+ closed deals (I’ve been responsible for due diligence, leading them or operational and marketing support).

Eleven Ventures is one of the leading early-stage VC's in the CEE region, investing in startups since 2012.

Marketing Director

Elevate AUBG Accelerator 

Led the initial accelerator structuring and program building back in 2019. For the past four years, on behalf of Eleven Ventures, I’ve been overseeing and supporting the work of the accelerator’s managing directors. This includes the startup selection process and curriculum evolution; streamlining processes and creating a university accelerator playbook; recruitment and onboarding of 8 new rotational managing directors throughout the years.

The Elevate Accelerator is the first university accelerator program in Bulgaria, based in the American University of Bulgaria.

Chief of Party

Start It Smart

Advisory Board Member

I led the organization in the span of two years. For the time being we managed to:
• Accelerate 30+ early-stage founders.
• Successfully introduce a new business model for our Pre-Accelerator program, increasing the  yearly revenue it brings by 60+%.
• Attract more than 1000 visitors to our offline events.
• Increase the team from 3 to 15 people.
• Sign new client contracts with Microsoft and METRO.

Start It Smart is a Bulgarian entrepreneurship organization founded in 2009. We inspire, educate and connect the new wave of Bulgarian entrepreneurs.

President

Kairos Society

Kairos Society is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization based in the United States. We work to find and empower the young pioneers who will push the world forward through entrepreneurship and innovation - we do so with the support of the top universities, mentors, and corporations across the globe. At the Kairos Society, we view today’s global problems as opportunities for entrepreneurs to focus on the meaningful businesses and innovations that will radically change the world for the better. Not only for our generation, but for the generations to come.

My responsibilities as a Regional Director:
• Kickstarting and establishing the Kairos brand in Bulgaria;
• Scouting the most prominent Bulgarian young entrepreneurs;
• Creating and executing an onboarding plan for each new Kairos fellow (member);
• Building a bridge between Bulgaria, Western Europe and the USA.

Regional Director | Bulgaria

Entrepreneur.bg

The company was acquired by a Bulgarian media group in October 2019.
Entrepreneur.bg is a media website for entrepreneurs, which provides news, startup advice, tips and tricks, interviews and how to's to people starting a business in Bulgaria.

Founder (Acquired)

Consultant

I have worked as a consultant on the communication and marketing strategies, content and outreach planning of several companies, including:
•  IBM
•  SUBWAY
•  Sofia Tech Park
•  Obecto

Marketing Strategy Consultant

I spend the last 7 years working in Venture Capital immersed in:

1) Learning how early-stage fundraising works (from the investor POV)
2) Building 3 accelerators with 250+ graduated startups - Eleven Alpha, Elevate, Pre-Accelerator
3) Building one of the top VC brands in Central and Eastern Europe - Eleven Ventures

Today I work with founders 1:1 to help them fundraise faster and easier.
I bring the perspective, playbooks and approach used by investors.

Drop me a DM or learn more on https://nikyanev.com/

We finished 2 Fundraising Bootcamps in the last 2 weeks with 6 startups (and one of them just closed a round).

First Bootcamp was our 6-week format.
And the second one was our 4-day format.

I’m not gonna lie, it was physically exhausting for both Gergana and I. But man, the founders are so happy!

→ We dove into every possible crevice of fundraising
→ Assessed the fundability of each company
→ Worked on their pitching materials and investor lists
→ Build the foundation of their financial models 
→ Prepared them to lead investors talks 

And now they're ready for what's ahead.

A huge thank you to every founder who joined our bootcamp and trusted us!
Angel Angelov, Ivan Nakov, Velizar Kacharov, Simeon Kuninski, Tsvetan Karakanov, Dimitar Yordanov, Joachim Vanheuverzwijn, Mira Georgieva, Dimitar Bogoev, Georgi Nenov, Petar Denev.

P.S. A 10/10 NPS score so far. 🔥

I help founders find, pitch and close investors | Spent 7 years in VC | Daily posts to simplify your fundraising.

If you plan to fundraise in Q1 2026, December is a perfect month for preparation. 
Here are my top 10 preparation tips. 👇

1️⃣ Aim to raise for 18 to 24 months of runway based on specific milestones you want to reach.

2️⃣ Address all red flags in your understanding of your market, competitors, traction, team, severity of the problem/opportunity, cap table. Be ready to answer all questions.

3️⃣ Craft a good story - start it with your team, traction, vision or a huge problem you’re addressing. Why are you the right team and why the time is now? How big could this get?

4️⃣ Always prepare your materials in advance - deck and data room. The last thing you want is building a Financial Plan on the fly while it’s being requested.

5️⃣ Never sell more than 25% of your company in the pre-seed or seed stages (average dilution is 10-20%). And no more than 30% at Series A (30% is the upper limit).

6️⃣ Avoid going to investors with a specific valuation set in stone. Keep it open for discussion and follow industry’s numbers. Let the market help you.

7️⃣ Have at least 100 target investors in your outreach list. And do make sure you’re a fit for their thesis - geography, stage, industry, investment size.

8️⃣ The best way to reach an investor is through a warm intro by a reputable founder. Map your network for well-connected founders. Become good friends with them.

9️⃣ Be strategic with opening your fundraise - pick a window of several weeks uninterrupted by holidays. Aim to pack those weeks with meetings and create calendar density.

🔟 Maintain good traction. I know this is easier said than done. But when investor conversations start your numbers should be in an uptrend, this will greatly increase round momentum.

Much more could be said about the process.
But there's no need to overcomplicate it.

Good preparation will save you so much time!

P.S. Which of the 10 you're struggling with the most?

Your pitch deck has to hit hard!

Here's how you can do that.

There are the 4 basic types of decks you can use.
It all depends on what story you want to tell.

And your story makes or breaks your deck.

Pick and choose whichever fits your case.

𝟭. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺-𝗦𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗸
↳ If you have a unique solution to a common problem

Slides order: 1. Problem → 2. Solution → 3. Product…

𝟮. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗩𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻-𝗢𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗸
↳ If you are entering an untapped market

Slides order: 1. Vision → 2. Opportunity → 3. Product…

𝟯. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗸
↳ If your team consists of notable professionals

Slides order: 1. Team → 2. Vision → 3. Opportunity…
OR 1. Team → 2. Problem → 3. Solution…

𝟰. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗸
↳ If you have already made significant progress

Slides order: 1. Traction → 2. Vision → 3. Opportunity…
OR 1. Traction → 2. Problem → 3. Solution…

Tell the story which fits your startup.

This will make the deck exciting.
And it will give you an edge.

P.S. Which one do you prefer using and why?

The 4 Types of Decks Depending on Your Story

Investors seem posh and entitled.

And for some this is genuinely true.

Others are buried in work.

Saying “No” to a meeting, or not answering an email is a defence mechanism.
It’s their way of avoiding overwhelm and burn out.

Whichever of the two types you meet.
Have in mind - it’s definitely not personal.

The genuinely posh and entitled ones.
It’s who they are. Just avoid them.

The overworked ones.
Empathize with them.

Running a VC fund could be frustrating.
Similar to running a startup…

…you have clients
…you have investors
…there’s a lot of uncertainty
…there’s a plenty of competition
…you try to hone in your value prop
…you want to make clients & investors happy

We all have our own struggles going on behind the scenes.

P.S. VCs often ghost other VCs as well.
Back at Eleven, it'd often happen to get a DM back from a VC with several months of delay. 😀

What turns some VCs into a***oles?

A burning question.

A lot has to do with the nature of their work.
That's not to say that there are no real default jerks.

But most really start off with good intentions.

Here's why it happens:
(based on an article I really like)

𝗜𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝘀𝗮𝘆 "𝗻𝗼" 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 "𝘆𝗲𝘀".
Repeated rejection can create a jaded mindset. Despite believing in innovation, the pressure of finding the next big thing can wear investors down, leading to pretty negative interactions with founders. 

𝗕𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗽𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗱𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴.
Investing emotionally in numerous startups and facing repeated disappointments is tough. Good VCs deal fast with downs and remain committed to supporting their founders fully, but that’s hard to do at a constant and at scale.

𝗦𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸.
A reality distortion field is a thing. Once they have power and popularity, they might become blind to their behavior. They might not even realize they’re being jerks.

𝗕𝘂𝘀𝘆 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.
Operating constantly on defense due to packed schedules and constant communication makes VCs distracted and dismissive. 

𝗔𝗹𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗮 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗶𝗹𝗲.
The volume of deals which VCs get weekly is insane. This creates a recency bias and a feeling of always getting excited about the shiny new thing. If you’re on top of the pile, communication is fast and easy, but with time the process slows down.

The points above shouldn't serve as an excuse.
But more as an insight into the VC world.

Founders and investors are on a journey together.

And as the author of the article concludes: 
"We owe it to one another to uphold the highest behavioral standards during the journey."

This post is based on a great piece by Omri Amirav-Drory, General Partner at NFX. Find a link below.

P.S. Does Omri miss something? Do you think there are other reasons why VCs turn into jerks?

9 Market questions which investors love to ask.

(+ my favorite one at the end)

Your market might not be huge.
You might not have experience in it.

But your understanding of it matters to investors.

Prepare for these 9 frequently asked questions.
You’ll hear them all the time when fundraising.

𝟭. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰 𝘂𝗻𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆? 
↳ what makes it lucrative?

𝟮. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝘁𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿?
↳ the more specific the better

𝟯. 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗯𝗶𝗴 𝗶𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁 (𝗯𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗼𝗺-𝘂𝗽 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗰𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻)?
↳ based on your business model

𝟰. 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗿 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗿𝘂𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝘅𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗻𝗲?
↳ what's your core thesis here?

𝟱. 𝗔𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗬𝗼𝗬?
↳ is it shrinking or expanding? How fast?

𝟲. 𝗪𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗸𝗲𝘆 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀? 
↳ what’s their offering, how do you differ?

𝟳. 𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰 𝗱𝘆𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗹𝘂𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵?
↳ new tech, expectations, supply & demand, etc.?

𝟴. 𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗹 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁?
↳ e.g. relying heavy on resellers or DTC, etc.

And my favorite one:

𝟵. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁?
↳ what do you see, which others don’t?

Your market is the aspect you have no control over.
Unlike your product, team, business model, marketing.

Study it inside out.
Don't do it for the investors.
Do it for a solid foundation of your company.

P.S. Am I missing something?
What are other common Market aspects which founders need to be prepared to address? ⬇️

This is the MVP of Dropbox which got them 70,000 sign ups overnight. 🤯

And their product wasn’t even ready.

For the record - they had no marketing experience.
The whole team was made up of engineers.

The founders just wanted feedback from customers. 

Their hypothesis was that file synchronization was a problem people didn't realize they had, but would find essential once they experienced the solution.

This video explainer was enough to get users hooked.

I think it's is an awesome experiment to learn from.

P.S. What did your MVP look like at first?

Your deck will 100% end up in your competitor's inbox.

There's no way around that.

One of the companies I'm working with just received a pitch deck of a competitor. A veeery detailed deck.

It was send to them by their existing investors.
Apparently the competitor pitched this investor...

Should you be worried about your pitch decks?

I don't think so.

In my view when creating your deck, by default you should expect that competitors will see it. It's just the nature of decks - they get passed around.

Remember: it's up to you what you include in them.

P.S. But honestly, I really think you shouldn't care if your deck reaches a competitor. Be prepared for that. You'll sleep better at night. 😉

Jeff Bezos struggles with Product-Market fit too.

You’ll be surprised…

Not only early-stage startups fail at finding PMF.

You can fail at PMF:
- after raising $1.3 billion
- after becoming #1 on Kickstarter 
- as a corporate launching a new product
- as an established company in a dynamic market
(check the PDF)

It doesn’t matter…

…who you are.
…where you are.
…what you are building.

Your company is not immune.

Today I’ve compiled 10 epic PMF failures.
It’s short and sweet.

I hope it’s helpful and gives you some perspective.

P.S. What other failed PMF attempts do you know?
Share them with me in the comments. ⬇️
Let’s learn together.

taplio

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Vitaliy Filipov 🧘‍♂️

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The Battle

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