PhD Leona Aslanova

LinkedIn Profile

Leona is innovation expert in leading corporate innovation programs and innovation projects involved in various events and education initiatives.

As innovation strategist, Leona sees no obvious limits on where innovation can be applied. In her day-to-day work, Leona is planning and facilitating innovation projects for a variety of clients.

She is the founder of Innovation Starter, the first innovation agency in Bulgaria, of the innovations forum Innovation Explorer in partnership with Capital.bg and of Innovation Academy Project – the largest public-private educational partnership in Bulgaria – jointly with the leading Bulgarian universities.

Formerly a Manager Partners Relations for Mobiltel (part of Telecom Austria Group), Leona decided to turn her analytical skills and devotion to a different cause, focusing on innovation.

She holds a doctorate in business administration from Varna Free University “Chernorizets Hrabar”.

She had previously graduated from Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”, gaining her Bachelor’s degree in Bulgarian Philology and Master’s degree in Literary Theory with excellence. She did Business Innovations in Vienna at TAG Business School and the mini MBA program of PWC’s Academy. She is also an alumni of Bulgarian Entrepreneurship Center program University Innovation Fellows d.school, Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford.

Leona is a member of the jury of:

• Central European Annual Entrepreneurship Awards (CESA)
• The Start4big competition
• The competition “Entrepreneurs in Science” of the Carol Knowledge Foundation
• Gabrovo Innovation Camp and others.

Mentor in:

• Female Founders Global Community
• Startup Live