Hey there,

If you’re reading this, you’re part of an elite group of my very first subscribers, and I’m really happy to have you here!

I mainly write about fundraising and VC, coming from my own experience. From next week on, that’s all you’ll be reading about. But for this issue, I wanted to make it a bit more personal and properly introduce myself.

So, hi, I’m Geri!

I spent six years in Germany and Italy, studying Business Administration and Finance. Nine years ago, I decided to move back home to Bulgaria, a decision I’m still very grateful for.

I didn’t plan it this way, but from that point on, I spent my entire working life surrounded by founders.

At first, I worked as part of a group of startups run by very smart people. I wore many different hats there. CFO for some companies, COO for others, fundraising for most of them. I even became a product manager for two companies, despite not being very technical. That time excited me so much about startups that I wanted to work with even more companies and help them grow.

That led me to my next chapter, joining Eleven Ventures, one of the leading VC funds in Southeast Europe, where I spent 5 years. At Eleven, I experienced VC in its full form. Reviewing thousands of ideas, meeting hundreds of founders, leading deals, and managing my own small portfolio of companies. That experience convinced me of one thing: entrepreneurs are some of the most impressive human beings out there.

So I made it my mission to support them.

Today, I work with founders on fundraising. I help with strategy, I structure the process, I share my experience, and I help turn everything into a compelling story. What I don’t do is cold outreach. That’s the founder’s job, and external people usually do more harm than good there.

On a personal note, I always find it difficult to introduce myself. I often feel like a bit of a Jack of all trades, but let me try:

• I have a beautiful family that I travel a lot with. Often in our campervan, by the sea, in the mountains, and close to nature.
• I love sports, many of them. Skiing, snowboarding, tennis, yoga, hiking, climbing, and recently kitesurfing. You can spot me heading to a mountain peak with skis on my back.
• I love books and read almost everything. I’m especially nerdy about longevity.
• I always need a challenge. As soon as I don’t have enough new things to master, I get bored.
• I love a good party with old friends, and yes, I still do, even at 34 and after having a kid.
• I am annoyingly positive, so no, I don’t write about “my biggest pains”. I’m simply not that type of person.

Someone recently described me as “the brand ambassador of work-life balance”. 😀

A few more random facts that shaped who I am:

• I mentored high school students for two years, still one of my best experiences
• I organised my maternity as a sabbatical and spent almost all of it travelling
• I co-founded the Bulgarian branch of the global student driven consultancy 180 Degrees Consulting
• I was the first Director of the Bulgarian Fintech Association
• I ran the Visa Innovation Program for two years, which is now Visa’s flagship innovation program in Europe

So that's me, in not-so-few-words, it’s very nice to meet you!

Over the past ten months, I’ve also started sharing my experience and best fundraising tips on LinkedIn. Below, you’ll find some of my best posts from last year if you’d like to take a look.

​VCs will only invest in potential fund-returners.​

​It’s super easy to raise venture capital. You just need to:​

​Let’s test your VC knowledge 👀 Which of these terms do you already know, and which ones still confuse you?​

And since I mentioned books, I recently wrote about my top business book recommendations based on what I read last year. You’ll find them below as well. All of them can bring a lot of value to founders.

​I read 35 books last year.
There are 9 that I’d highly recommend to any founder.​

That’s it for now.

Since I’m just starting out with this newsletter, I’d be very grateful for any feedback. What you like, what you don’t, and if there’s a topic you’d like me to cover in particular.

Just hit reply and let me know!

Ciao,

Geri

Gergana Stoichkova | VC Compass Thanks for reading! Let's connect! ​​

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