In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized (subject to certain rules and regulations).

TEDxSamokov
1, Otets Paisii Sq, Samokov 2000, Bulgaria
Samokov, Sofia, 2000
Bulgaria

Abo

Abo is a world traveller, who has worked as an educator, an editor, a psychotherapist and a kitchen porter, among many others. He has recently returned to Bulgaria to pursue a career in Literature. To date, he has authored one book and translated five, and counting... His interests include music, sports and Samokov.

Adriana Angelova

Adriana is a celebrated businesswoman in Bulgaria. She began her journey in hospitality in 2001 and 10 years later she found herself in the position of a Director. She is one of comparatively few successful women in this business in the country and speaks about the hurdles that she and others like her have had to overcome to make it in the industry.

Dimitar Iliev

Dimitar teaches at the National Sports Academy of Bulgaria. He is a veteran racer, multiple-time champion and at present runs the first Safe Driving School in the country. He is passionate about motor sports but also about the safety of people on the road.

Dimitar Yonchev

Dimitar was born and raised in Samokov. After his graduation from the First German High School in Sofia, he moved to Germany. There, he studied Pharmacy at the University of Freiburg and graduated with honors in 2015. During his undergraduate studies he received a scholarship from the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, worked as undergraduate research assistant at the University of Freiburg and interned with research laboratories at the China Pharmaceutical University Nanjing, University Hospital Gießen, Germany as well as the University College London. Dimitar completed his Diploma thesis in Freiburg in the field of Pharmaceutical Bioinformatics. After a stay as community pharmacy intern in Berlin and research assistant at the University of Vienna, he began his PhD studies in Cheminformatics at the University of Bonn with a research fellowship from the Jürgen Manchot Foundation. Dimitar is a licensed pharmacist, (co-)author of 14 publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals, and works as chemistry tutor, volunteer for patient organizations in Europe as well as an independent consultant for the European Medicines Agency. Right now, Dimitar is preparing for his impending PhD defence.

Gabriela Partovska

Gabi has been followed by music all her life. She is an excellent singer with a selection of education degrees on the subject. At present, she is teaching young children to sing and she performs herself.

Ivelina Atanasova

Ivelina is a business consultant with specific focus on growth marketing. She is one of the leading innovative educators for STEM in the country and works with many governments, notably the Finnish one. She advocates for women in technology and has been voted Woman of the Year in Bulgaria.

Ivo Andreev

Ivo is a young entrepreneur. As a child, he gets drawn into the world of drugs and lives in a variety of facilities. He then takes charge of his life in 2007 and has since inspired countless people to be responsible and happy.

Klaus Tiefenbrunner

I started this journey in what could loosely be described as the Lederhosen wearing Bronx of lower Austria, but grew up with an innate affinity towards athletics, endurance sports and hard work. In my early 20’s I travelled to the middle east and met the love of my life. After 8 months I was forced to leave the region and my fiancé, so I immediately landed a job with the U.N. in communications, so I could return to Israel and be with her. We spent eight years as a member of a spiritual desert community amidst one of the world’s most notorious war zones, where I learned the immeasurable value of silence and meditation. Now, 21 years later, we live in the foothills of the Alps in Austria with our two children. During the fall of 2018, while on the search for a little-known instrument called a Dulcimer, I wandered into the Gandharva Loka music shop in the nearby city of Salzburg. I had walked past this store thousands of times but had never been inside. The store was full of eclectic instruments from all over the world and shortly after entering, I met the owner, Ushika. I immediately recognized him as a fellow ‘distance’ runner due to his lean physique and well- worn Hoka running shoes. Our conversation quickly turned to running where I attempted a little posturing with tales of my interval and hill training, and 10KM personal bests. Ushika gave genuine praise and then I prodded him about his running accomplishments. After a few moments he then humbly mentioned he had just finished the “SRI CHINMOY SELF- TRANSCENDENCE-3100 MILE RACE”, which I now know is world renowned, for Ultra- Athletes anyway, as “the world’s toughest endurance lap race.” While he explained the details of the race, I was struck by the sheer impossibility of how to even begin such an endeavor. I was compelled to tell his story in order to explore the nexus between different forms of meditation, serenity, high-ultra-endurance performance, and how we can all benefit from these learnings. It took a year of false starts to get a disjointed plan together and then, after 23 years in Queen’s, NY, for the first time ever, the race was cancelled by the organizers due to COVID-19…but the racers weren’t having it and rallied together to find a solution. Shortly after it was announced the race was rescheduled and would be held in Salzburg. From then on there was no stopping us.

Mila Robert

Mila is 24 years old and has passion for all types of art. She is mostly known for her music, some of which constitutes jazz covers of popular pop-folk songs. She is charismatic and cheerful and loves to promote happiness and light-heartedness from the stage.

Radi Petrov

Radi draws inspiration from his childhood and the habits of his parents and grandparents. After spending years working as an engineer, he quit his job to kickstart an initiative by the name of "Personal example" whereby he leads a near-zero-waste lifestyle. Since then he has helped many reduce their impact on the environment and even reverse it in some small communities.