Sometimes people call Hristo Tenchev “The Bulgarian Zuckerberg” because of the similar age and because of Tenchev’s successes in the sphere of software and entertainment industry. The name of the Bulgarian engineer and entrepreneur has appeared among the names of the 30 managers under the age of 30 with the most influential ideas. The ranking was created by the Forbes magazine and aims to promote the most successful and reputable entrepreneurs in the world.

When he was just 18-years-old, Tenchev established a video game company, which has annual revenues of more than 5 million euro. So far XS Software has 12 products, translated into more than 35 languages. People from over 80 countries play the games. The financial success of the Bulgarian seems too modest in comparison to that of Zuckerberg, but the activities of Hristo Tenchev spread outside the field of computer games and have a positive impact on the career choice of a number of Bulgarians.

The 29-year-old IT professional has co-founded the first Software University in Bulgaria, which has trained over 33 thousand students in the sphere of software, technologies, and entrepreneurship to this date. Indicative of the success of the educational center is the fact that 97 percent of its graduates find a job immediately.

"What united us was the desire to improve the work of the Software University for the benefit of all of us,” Hristo Tenchev says and adds:

"We have been trying to turn it into a place with the maximum free access possible. People with different skills can join the training courses and most of them are completely free of charge. The idea for establishing the Software University emerged 2 years ago and we have already trained over 1,000 specialists in software programming. One becomes a good programmer after years of active work. We are open to changing our methods in order to achieve maximum positive results. People come to the University to acquire practical skills and we help them find jobs not just in Bulgaria. We have been working together with several companies from Germany and we have also sent students to Qatar. We are not the only ones who have been training software professionals, as there are several other academies. After the university started work some 50-60 other academies opened, but many of them offer low-quality training over a very short period of time,” Hristo Tenchev says.

He speaks with excitement about the fact his name was included in the list of Forbes.

"I went to a meeting in London, where all the people part of the ranking gathered, as well as people who could not become part of the top 30. It was very interesting and exciting to be among leaders who have been creating innovations in the sphere of electric vehicles and smart technologies. There were people from all over Europe. Talking and meeting with people was very exciting. I had an interesting conversation with a boy from Estonia who was creating electronic chips for hybrid cars that connect the vehicle to the user’s smartphone. The conversations with this group of innovators who have been developing the ideas of the future have charged me with much optimism. Their achievements will make people's lives easier and would change the entertainment industry. I am happy that I have received this recognition from the team of Forbes, as it motivates me to continue my work. Bulgaria is a great place where I keep discovering great opportunities. If there was a better place where I could progress and work with motivated people, then I would go, but currently I feel comfortable here.”

It would be even better if we could attract highly-qualified people in Bulgaria because here there are good conditions for relaxed working. However, there are administrative barriers stemming from political strife. We cannot avoid this but if these obstacles failed to drive us away, Bulgaria would become a better place for living, Hristo Tenchev says in conclusion.

English: Alexander Markov