AmCham Bulgaria Officially Launches Hackathon 3.0 Tech-for-Good: Local Impact

The initiative continues to foster collaboration between academia and business, providing students with practical skills and industry knowledge
Participants from four universities will work on real business cases over the next four weeks
AmCham Bulgaria Hackathon 3.0 features IBM Bulgaria, MOTO-PFOHE, Sensata Technologies, A1, Parker Curtis, HPE, Syscom Engineering, RingCentral, Enery, and StorPool

On March 20th, 2026, the American Chamber of Commerce in Bulgaria (AmCham Bulgaria), in partnership with the Technical University of Sofia, the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration at Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”, the Faculty of Physics and Technology at Plovdiv University “Paisiy Hilendarski” and the University of Chemical Technology and Metallurgy – Sofia, officially launched the AmCham Bulgaria Hackathon 3.0 – Tech-for-Good: Local Impact at Technical University Sofia’s “TechArena”. featuring students, mentors from companies and universities, as well as representatives from higher education institutions and AmCham member companies.

Ten companies are participating in AmCham Bulgaria Hackathon 3.0: IBM, Moto Pfohe, Sensata Technologies, A1, Parker Curtis, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Syscom Engineering, RingCentral, Enery, and StorPool.

Attendees were greeted by Prof. Dr. Eng. Georgi Todorov, Chair of the General Assembly of TU Sofia; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Todor Yalamov, Associate Dean for Research and Innovation, Faculty of Economics, Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”; Prof. Dancho Danalev, Vice Rector, UCTM; Senior Assistant Prof. Dr. Megy Dakova, Secretary of the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics at Paisiy Hilendarski University of Plovdiv; and Ivan Mihaylov, CEO of AmCham Bulgaria. All shared messages about the importance of participating in such initiatives for students, for their personal and professional development, career guidance, and early engagement with the business community, which will help them in their future.

Assoc. Prof. Agata Manolova, Ph.D., Dean of the Faculty of Telecommunications and Head of the Department of International Relations at TU-Sofia, who, together with Daniel Kiryakov, Communications & Public Affairs Manager AmCham, hosted the event, emphasized the importance of ongoing collaboration between the business sector and the academic community.

“This is a journey in which you – the students – have the unique opportunity to create something of your own that will be part of your biography and development,” she shared.

Ivan Mihaylov, CEO of AmCham, welcomed the guests to the ceremony with great enthusiasm and congratulated all students and mentors for their participation. He also shared that, as an alumnus of TU Sofia, he is delighted that the university plays a leading role in the initiative. Mihaylov reaffirmed the Chamber’s commitment to building bridges between academic programs and the needs of business, particularly in the area of talent development.

“The growing participation of leading universities and industry experts in the hackathon year after year continues to prove that initiatives like this shape the future of young people in our country.”

Benefits of AmCham Bulgaria Hackathon 2025 for Students and Companies

The American Chamber of Commerce in Bulgaria Hackathon is a cross-functional educational event that brings together people from different countries and organizations. It is a “slow hackathon” designed to provide the necessary conditions for business-related learning.

Its target audience includes third- and fourth-year undergraduates and master’s students from TU Sofia, Plovdiv University, the Faculty of Economics at Sofia University, and HTMU Sofia.

During the opening ceremony, mentors Nadezhda Yordanova, IBM, Dimitar Tankov, MOTO-PFOHE, Stoil Stoilov, Sensata Technologies, Martin Manchev, A1, Nikolay Yosifov, Parker Curtis, Karl Karlov, HPE, Angela Damyanova, Syscom Engineering, Oksana Zaletkina, RingCentral, and Krasimira Petrova, Enery. The panel discussion, moderated by Daniel Kiryakov, gave the companies an opportunity to outline their specific strengths, explain the case studies presented, and emphasize the need for a strategic perspective on the problems a team will face and the possible team solutions.

About Hackathon in short

4 universities
61 registered students so far (registration is open until March 24, 2026)
9 companies with 29 mentors (+ 1 supporting company – StorPool)
17 case studies
4 knowledge partners
- The Fund of Funds’ “Best Startup in Bulgaria” competition, for which hackathon participants can register until April 24, 2026 Bulgarian Angels’ Club – the winners of the three awards will have the opportunity to present their solutions to its members.
- Tuk-Tam – the association is a partner in the continuation of the relationship between the two organizations under “Kosher” (Hive).
- Step Ahead – participation in the AmCham mentoring program, which originated as a spin-off from Hackathon 2.0 in 2025 and is supported by IBM, MSD Bulgaria, and Kyndryl.
2 media partners – BTA and Economy.bg
What the companies offer:
- A real-world business case combining technical and business components
- Support: 1 mentor per team (+ a mentor from the university).
- Work plan, organization, and mentor availability to the team.
- Coordination with other participant, moderated by the AmCham BG team
- Guidelines for developing the following hard and soft skills: Agile Project Management & AI, data modeling, Design Thinking, Machine Learning, PowerBI / PowerApp, teamwork, strategic thinking, communication, presentation, and leadership skills

The evaluation will take into account: technical skills (Power BI, AI, Machine Learning), data analysis and visualization, strategic thinking, Project Management, teamwork, and presentation skills.

AmCham Bulgaria Hackathon 2025 Timeline

Student registration will be open until March 24, 2026, until 18:00, by completing this registration form. After that, students will be assigned to teams and connected with their mentors.

From March 21 to April 27, 2026, participants will work on their cases, build relationships, and gain knowledge through discussions among themselves, public sources, and collaboration with their mentors from the participating companies. Additionally, students will have the opportunity to consult with mentors from their respective faculties.

Between April 28-29, 2026, the public presentations of the student teams’ solutions will take place before a jury composed of Assoc. Prof. Iya Petkova, Ph.D. (Faculty of Economics, Sofia University), Assoc. Prof. Ivan Bodurov, Ph.D. (Paisii Hilendarski University of Plovdiv), Prof. Dancho Danalev, Vice Rector, UCTM, Senior Assistant Prof. Dr. Eng. Mihail Zagorski, Faculty of Industrial Technologies, TU-Sofia, and Daniel Kiryakov (American Chamber of Commerce in Bulgaria). The presentations will take place at TechArena, TU-Sofia.

The final ceremony and awards presentation will take place on April 30, 2026, once again hosted by the Technical University of Sofia.