THE TOP ENTREPRENEUR LARRY BIEHL MET STUDENTS AND BUSINESSES

18 May 2019

The world-renowned financial advisor and investment manager Larry Biehl was a guest at today’s graduation ceremony of bachelors and masters of the Faculty of International Economics and Administration at Varna Free University. During the ceremony, he handed the diplomas to the five straight A-students.

Later that day, Larry Biehl met with leading companies from Varna and the region on the topic of "Mentoring – Small Investment, Big Return".

"We share the understanding that it is important to create and develop an environment to make young people stay and feel well in Bulgaria - to work, to earn money and to develop. The role of education and business is to support them and to believe in their success," said the President of VFU "Chernorizets Hrabar" Assoc. Prof. Krasimir Nedyalkov, PhD at the opening of the meeting. He presented Larry Biehl with the honorary diploma and a plaque of the university for his contribution to the development of the new educational model and the creation of a supportive entrepreneurial environment for young people.

The event was honoured by the Deputy Mayor of the Municipality of Varna Peycho Peychev. Over 20 companies of the IT sector, road and building construction, chemical industry, services, banks and others listened with great interest to Larry Biehl's story about the creation and development of an entrepreneurial environment in Silicon Valley. He paid great attention to the model of mentoring of talented students and startups. The financial advisor also spoke about the progress of the students in the master's degree programme in Entrepreneurship, assessing highly the work of the Bulgarian Entrepreneurship Center and of VFU "Chernorizets Hrabar" under the project.

The subsequent discussion was on topics such as university-business partnership, the possibility to create scientific developments, as well as on the confidence and the local business environment.

Assoc. Prof. Eleonora Tankova, PhD, Dean of the Faculty of International Economics and Administration at VFU, presented the Alliance 4.0 project, which includes the top university programmes in Entrepreneurship, Circular Economy, Cybersecurity and Data Science. On Monday – 20 May, from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm, the defence of the projects of the students from the first in the country Master's degree programme in Entrepreneurship will take place. The projects are for the creation of business enterprises that will be presented to real investors. A member of the jury will be Larry Biehl.

Larry Biehl has worked for more than 50 years as a financial advisor and investment manager. Stanford University graduate, Larry developed his own business in Silicon Valley, and today he helps young entrepreneurs around the world to do the same. He was also a consultant to the Apple's founder, Steve Jobs. He is the founder of the Foundation for Intercultural and Investment Management and also of the Bulgarian Entrepreneurship Center.
Larry Biehl brought the experience of the best Silicon Valley entrepreneurs who became mentors and provided scholarships to the first 31 students of the master's degree programme in Entrepreneurship at VFU.

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