About me.
I earned my first money with…
working at a project for EU-NATO integration of the Ministry of Defence during my second year at the Faculty of Law.
If I wouldn’t be an investor I would be…
astronaut or constructor of space vehicles.
I get annoyed when…
I see that someone is in this industry only for the financial benefit and is missing the opportunity to select projects that have potential to create impact in the society and transform the lives of young people, which will actually bring even greater value on long run.
You might not believe it, but…
Macedonian young people have great talent and potential for creating innovative new companies that with proper support and guidance will transform the country’s economy in the future ten years.
My favourite movie is…
Ghostbusters.
About passion and profession.
Irena and her team; Photo credit: NewMan’s Business Accelerator
My investment fund is focused on startups in…
Macedonia and the region that are interested to engage mainly local teams even when they will become big.
I wouldn’t like to work anywhere else because…
I want challenges and I want to inspire and support the creation of new and amazing things in areas and places where many before said it is not possible.
The investment plan for the next years is…
selecting 6 to 12 projects per year that we are going to support with knowledge, logistics, networking and access to finance.
Our business relationship with startups is characterised by…
engagement, creating relationships, trust, joint goals, motivating and supporting them to reach their maximum potential.
Besides money I offer…
structured annual programmes for entrepreneurship, testing of the commercial potential of the idea, business plan development, coaching, know-how, access to market leaders, boot camps in the region and USA.
About working with startups.
In a startup I am looking for…
a vision, knowledge, co-creation, team members with different backgrounds, hard work and passion.
Characteristics a founder team should have are…
a clear vision, dedication, responsibility and patience joined with a sense for urgency.
I was most impressed by…
the readiness of experienced entrepreneurs and professionals from the country and abroad to invest their knowledge and time in adding value to our programme and our activities.
I was least impressed by…
parents trying to direct the life of their grown up children and preventing them to enter the entrepreneurship world.
You get most out of relationship with me when…
you are honest about what you would like to achieve and if you are ready to invest a bit of yourself in the process. And also if we can build a relationship based on trust and reciprocity.
