The Bulgarian DONA became the second best university startup in Europe
The Bulgarian startup DONA won second place at the Gen-E 2026 European finals of Junior Achievement Europe, the continent's largest festival for youth entrepreneurship. The company is developing a platform that replaces traditional resume-based screening with short training modules and practical tasks that showcase candidates' real skills and motivation.
KEY FACTS
DONA ranked behind the Dutch startup Verdiaux, which is developing a biodegradable product for the funeral industry. Third place went to the British company Riff Snacks, which turns fruits and food waste into snack bars.The Bulgarian platform is targeted at representatives of Generations Z and Alpha. Instead of evaluating candidates solely on resumes and cover letters, companies can use interactive training sessions and tasks through which young people demonstrate their knowledge and interest in a specific position.According to the team, the solution has been tested with over 100 young users and more than 10 companies from the banking and technology sectors. The platform already has over 4,000 registered users and is in talks for new corporate partnerships.DONA was founded by Dendo Daskalov, who serves as CEO, technical director Erik Adam, and marketing director Konstantin Botov.
BIG NUMBER
400,000. That is how many young people participated in Junior Achievement's entrepreneurship programs in Europe during the 2025/2026 academic year. The best national teams reached the finals in Riga, which gathered over 1,000 entrepreneurs, educators, business leaders, and institutional representatives from more than 40 countries.
TANGENT
DONA reached the European finals after winning the seventh season of the Bulgarian entrepreneurship program Beyond. The accelerator grants winners access to Gen-E and works with young teams on product development, business modeling, and pitching to investors.
KEY STORY
The first meeting between young people and employers still usually begins with a document that details what the candidate studied and where they worked. This puts beginners at a disadvantage: they must prove their potential before having the opportunity to gain experience.
DONA attempts to move the evaluation one step earlier. The candidate first goes through content and solves a practical task, while the employer sees not just a stated interest, but concrete behavior, knowledge, and engagement. For companies, this can transform recruitment into a new channel for training and talent acquisition. For young people, the platform offers a way to reach their first professional opportunity without the lack of a long resume automatically leaving them out of the race.
Original Article: https://forbesbulgaria.com/2026/07/14/balgarskiyat-dona-stana-vtoriyat-naj-dobar-universitetski-startap-v-evropa