HEALTHY AND FULFILLING LIFE
BY DRIVING EVOLUTION IN HEALTHCARE
BY DRIVING EVOLUTION IN HEALTHCARE

HEALTH TECH INNOVATION PROGRAM

SHIFTING THE HEALTHCARE FOCUS FROM TREATING ILLNESS TO SUSTAINING WELLNESS
Sopharma Trading and Eleven teamed up to nourish the development and unlock the potential of healthtech ecosystem’s talent in redefining what healthcare might be.
Innovation and technologies bring change, what we believe, to make life better and to redefine what healthcare might be. By increasing life expectancy and the proportion of elderly population overall, the focal point of our existence nowadays becomes preservation and improvement of the quality of life by enhancing physical and mental health. If you see healthcare as a holistic process resulting in a happier and fulfilling life for all generations and would like to create a whole new dimension leveraging innovation & technology, you’ve come to the right place.
Accessible and affordable healthcare services? Reactive to proactive health treatment? Optimized supply chain for healthcare cost reduction? How does the healthcare of tomorrow look like?
THE TWO STREAMS OF THE PROGRAM
The SOinventure Internal Program and SOinventure Startup program coexist to make possible the osmosis between the corporate and the startup worlds. In addition, to enable Sopharma Trading’s employees to experiment freely and ask the question “What if?”
SOINVENTURE STARTUP PROGRAM
Season 1 in Numbers
€200K
Invested in healthtechs as part of the program
50
Applications from 9 countries
5
Digital, contextual, personalized and data-driven healthtech solutions
3
Pilots and business case proposals
SOINVENTURE INTRAPRENEURIAL PROGRAM
Season 1 in Numbers
25
Intrapreneurs participating in the program
5
Validated prototypes
250+
Hours of hard work
5
Innovation coaches providing strong team support
ENRICHING LIFE
We believe that the attention to our wellbeing and lifelong care in our community should be a huge part of how we live, use products and access medical services.
We encourage tech entrepreneurs to join SOinventure program powered by Eleven to enrich customers lives and receive opportunities to pilot their ambitious solutions to solve today’s health challenges. We strive to create a brand new, unique customer experience in every step of the patient journey.


FAST-TRACK INNOVATION AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
With extensive experience in the health industry, Sopharma Trading is a leader embracing innovation and enabling access to a great network of resources and know-how. As a seasoned partner to technology startups, Eleven adds the mentorship and entrepreneurial expertise in order to make the SOinventure program an engine for business growth.
Join us and take advantage of the opportunity to collaborate and pilot a solution leveraging the outreach and the infrastructure of Sopharma Trading. Join in to challenge and drive the health-tech industry innovation.

OPPORTUNITY
AREAS
Building the future smart pharmacy
How might we turn the pharmacy of today into a one-stop shop for personalized health, well-being and prevention?
Lifelong digital health management
How might we transition from reactive to proactive, preventive, and holistic healthcare?
Safe, healthy and integrated elderly society
How might we improve the quality of life and care for the elderly?
Building the future smart pharmacy
How might we turn the pharmacy of today into a one-stop shop for personalized health, well-being and prevention?
Lifelong digital health management
How might we transition from reactive to proactive, preventive, and holistic healthcare?
Safe, healthy and integrated elderly society
How might we improve the quality of life and care for the elderly?
WHAT’S THE DEAL?
The startups with the best developments within the program will have the opportunity to launch a pilot with Sopharma Trading and access its robotized warehouses, diversified business universe and SOpharmacy retail chain.
It is a door-opener and sales cycle shortened for your company!
THE TIMELINE
-
PRE Program Phase
30 April - 7 June: Application Submissions
-
CORE Program
17 June - 18 August: Design Sprints, Mentorship Sessions, Workshops, Brain Jams
-
POST Program Engagement
Potential pilot and engagement in community activities, bringing many business opportunities and fellow entrepreneurs for mutual support.
The timelines above are indicative and we reserve the right to amend or modify the Program calendar if the circumstances require such changes.
Program Terms apply, see here.
CORE
BENEFITS
Our goal is to help promising business ideas to get into the market, thus within the SOinventure program, we combine the best available, know-how, mentors and resources from the world of tech, business and healthcare. By joining forces we can achieve a better healthcare for everyone.
During the program development cycle, you will be engineering innovative solutions by having access to:
Actionable knowledge exchange, through workshops and peer to peer discussions
Expert-led sessions and design sprints covering the essential scaling fundamentals
Exclusive partner deals with 100+ leading technology providers like DigitalOcean, Amazon and Google, thanks to being part of the Global Accelerator Network
Synergetic innovation ecosystem of domain experts and practitioners
An extensive and specialized network of leading healthcare industry veterans and entrepreneurs
After the program development cycle, you do a final pitch to Sopharma Trading and Eleven and you may be invited to enter next phase corporate engagement to bring innovation at scale:
Opportunity to receive investments from Sopharma Trading or Eleven Founders Fund
Get faster market introduction and client engagement
Tailored pilot support provided by the Eleven team, aiming to act as a roadblock removal along the pilot process
Shorten your products’ enterprise sales cycle
Start local, become international via a market-wide launch within Sopharma Trading’s network
Access to prominent international events and conferences
WHO CAN
APPLY
If your team already has proof of concept targeted at the health-tech industry or completed a market-ready solution, you are the right fit for the SOinventure program.
01.
STAGE
Startups and scale-ups having a market-tested solution
02.
TEAM
An experienced team with an entrepreneurial & inveturous spirit
03.
SOLUTION
A Product addressing one of our ‘opportunity areas’
04.
COMMITMENT
Committed and dedicated founders, ready to lead future pilot-centred projects with healthcare corporates
MENTORS
Our mentors come from various backgrounds in business, technology and healthcare. They are people leading the change in their fields. The collective expertise which they bring will help to orchestrate your international success.
CORE NETWORK
-
Daniel Tomov Managing Partner, Eleven
-
Vassil Terziev Managing Partner, Eleven
-
Ivaylo Simov Managing Partner, Eleven
-
Dimitar Dimitrov CEO, Sopharma Trading Group
-
David Coles Strategic Development Non-executive, Sopharma Trading
-
Ventsislav Marinov Chief Corporate Strategy Execution Officer, Sopharma Trading Group
-
Prolet Philippen Chief Innovation Officer, Sopharma Trading
-
Milos Ristic CEO, Sopharma Trading d.o.o Serbia
-
Dimitar Nikolov CFO, Sopharma Trading
-
Valeria Vidulova Retail Business Unit Head, Sopharma Trading
-
Michaela Karamanolova Medical Equipment Business Unit Head, Sopharma Trading
-
Plamen Kolev Wholesale Business Unit Head, Sopharma Trading
-
Rene Tomova Co-Founder, Creative Shower
-
Svetla Simidchieva CEO, Placement Feed
-
Mladen Tomov Founder, Co-Transition
-
Jordan Petrov Managing Partner, Kickflip
-
Christian Tanev Co-founder and Managing Partner, Develor Bulgaria
AUGMENTED
-
Boyko Iaramov Co-Founder, Telerik Academy, Campus X
-
Svetozar Georgiev Co-Founder, Telerik Academy, Campus X
-
Miroslava Georgieva Commercial Director, Gfk
-
Radostin Deyanov Attorney-at-Law, PwC
-
Georg Shikov Attorney-at-Law, PwC
-
Zoran Arsovski Digital Consultant, Verto Digital
-
Maria Gergova-Bengsston ЕО SEE Chapter President, Entrepreneurs' Organization
-
Mihaela Pierova General Manager Nordic Countries, Sanofi
-
Christina Nesheva Innovation Manager, Glaxo
-
Anna Zlateva Chief Regulations Affairs officer
EXTENDED
PARTNERS
Collaboration between


The Core Program will be designed and co-executed with the leaders of the Eleven Design Lab – Creative Shower.

Our partners are industry leaders, whose involvement will accelerate your growth. You will have access to vertical-specific know-how, latest industry insights and innovative services.


Resources
Our resource partners will help you to speed up your growth.
FAQ
The initiative is a joint effort between Sopharma Trading and Eleven Ventures. It is inspired by Sopharma Trading, who bring their knowledge and expertise, while Eleven is the program manager.
The program’s core development cycle has a duration of up to three months, depending on the maturity of your company’s products and solutions.
No. The program is completely free for the participating companies and there is NO fee or equity being taken.
Pre-program Phase
The Selection Jury comprising experts from Sopharma Trading and Eleven will review your application to get acquainted with your product / solution and team, and will evaluate potential collaborations with Sopharma Trading or its clients. In case initial fit is identified, you will be invited to an interview with Eleven – the main objective is to discuss your interest in participating in SOinventure and examine the potential benefits for the core program phase.
Core Program Phase
During the main course of the Program, you will participate in a careful selection of workshops, mentoring sessions and design sprints, and will work to refine your business model to better fit the market opportunity.
SOinventure’s objective is to provide for the perfect position to explore pilot opportunities with Sopharma Trading and potential integration into their business model.
Post-program Engagement
After the end of the Program, you might negotiate a pilot project with Sopharma Trading or one of its Business Lines As alumni of the program, your company will continue to have access to resources from Eleven and the wider #OneOf11 community, including mentors, events, etc.
No. The program does not require your daily presence on site and no office space is included. However, you can choose to further enhance your collaboration with the technology community and rent workspace for some of your team members at Campus X, benefiting from preferential rates.
During the program’s core development cycle, you will be engineering innovative solutions by having access to:
- Diverse entrepreneurial network with international healthcare industry veterans and investors
- Collaborative innovation ecosystem with domain experts and practitioners
- Think tank, essential tools and industry data
- Masterclasses, workshops and peer to peer gatherings for practical knowledge exchange
If your team already have proof of concept targeted at the healthtech industry or completed a market-ready solution, you are the right fit for the SOinventure program.
To be even more precise:
- Startups and scaleups having a market-tested solution
- An experienced team with an entrepreneurial spirit
- A solution addressing one of our ‘areas to reinvent
- Committed and dedicated founders, ready to lead future pilot-centred project
Most of the program activities take place on the premises of Campus X in Sofia, Bulgaria.
No. We can’t offer accommodation options for the participants. Still, we may recommend some trusted service providers for finding short-or long term accommodation.
Eleven Ventures is one of the leading early – stage VCs in Bulgaria and in the SEE regi on, investing in startups since 2012. With 150 collective investments over 5 years , Eleven’s team has been instrumental in kick – starting the local startup ecosystem. Based on the success with its first fund Eleven is currently supporting companies with a s econd fund, which is entirely private and focusing on b2b technology innovation.
Sopharma Trading is a healthcare provider part of Sopharma Group of companies. The company is the largest by revenue in the Pharma sector in Bulgaria in the last 9 consecutive years in K:100. Sopharma Trading’s success story is built upon its diversified model and the strive to be leader and innovator.
Thus, the company operates in diverse market segments:
- Wholesale of medicines, consumables, exclusive – cosmetic & OTC brands, medical team providing tailored solutions.
- Retail SOpharmacy chain with 50 outlets Bulgaria nationwide
- Medical Equipment Solutions providing turn-key solutions to investors in the hospital segment.
- Since 2015 Sopharma Trading started its regional operations from Serbia targeting to become a strategic investor in the whole region.
Sopharma Trading’s mission is to drive the evolution in healthcare through innovation and the ambition is by our Innovation Program SOinventure to help people live a healthy and fulfilling life.
No. We do not provide any funding to the startups within the program.
No. We take no equity in the participating startups.
After the end of the SOinventure program, according to their performance and results, some companies may receive a venture capital funding offer from Eleven.
As a general rule, we believe the most successful startups will be easily scalable and can target global markets. In the beginning, you may be piloting with national clients, but we are looking for global growth ambition.
We do strongly believe that a capable team is what makes or breaks a successful startup company. Thus, we are looking for teams with a diverse skill set, market expertise and entrepreneurial spirit.
No. In fact, we see true healthtech innovation potential throughout the whole SEE region. Feel free to apply even if you are a company based outside of Bulgaria. Just have in mind that the program’s activities take place in Sofia, Bulgaria, so for the time being, you may need to relocate with your team.
Pre-program Phase
The Selection Jury comprising experts from Sopharma Trading and Eleven will review your application to get acquainted with your product / solution and team, and will evaluate potential collaborations with Sopharma Trading or its clients. In case an initial fit is identified, you will be invited to an interview with Eleven – the main objective is to discuss your interest in participating in SOinventure and examine the potential benefits for the core program phase.
Core Program Phase
During the main course of the Program, you will participate in a careful selection of workshops, mentoring sessions and design sprints, and will work to refine your business model to better fit the market opportunity.
SOinventure’s objective is to provide for the perfect position to explore pilot opportunities with Sopharma Trading and potential integration into their business model.
Post-program Engagement
After the end of the Program, you might negotiate a pilot project with Sopharma Trading or one of its Business Lines As alumni of the program, your company will continue to have access to resources from Eleven and the wider #OneOf11 community, including mentors, events, etc.
Healthy and Fulfilling Life
By Driving Evolution in Healthcare
By Driving Evolution in Healthcare