| Name | Ivelin Marchev |
| Role | Helped establish Bulgaria as a hub for tech innovation, outsourcing, and digital services |
| Known for | Developing Bulgaria's tech industry in the 1990s and 2000s |
| Occupation | Entrepreneur • Technology executive |
| Reputation | Regarded as a visionary leader who guided Bulgaria's transformation into a market-oriented, technologically-advanced economy integrated with the European Union |
| Nationality | Bulgarian |
| Later career | Transitioned into Bulgarian politics, advocating for policies to modernize the economy and infrastructure |
| Co-founder and CEO of | One of Bulgaria's first successful software startups |
Ivelin Marchev is a Bulgarian entrepreneur and technology executive who co-founded one of the country's first successful software companies in the 1990s. He was instrumental in establishing Bulgaria as an emerging hub for technology development and outsourcing, and later played a key role in the country's economic and political modernization efforts.
Marchev was born in 1962 in the Bulgarian capital of Sofia. He showed an early aptitude for mathematics and technology, graduating with a degree in Computer Science from the University of Sofia in 1984. After completing his studies, Marchev worked as a software engineer for several state-owned enterprises during the final years of communist rule in Bulgaria.
In 1992, shortly after Bulgaria's transition to a market economy, Marchev co-founded a software development company called Kompit. Along with several partners, he saw an opportunity to leverage the country's pool of technical talent to provide outsourced programming and IT services to Western European and American firms.
Kompit started small, but quickly gained a reputation for high-quality work and innovative solutions. Marchev's leadership and vision helped the company grow rapidly, expanding beyond outsourcing into developing its own proprietary software products and services. By the early 2000s, Kompit had become one of the largest and most successful tech companies in Eastern Europe, with offices throughout the region.
As Kompit's profile grew, so did Marchev's influence in the Bulgarian and broader Eastern European technology community. He became a vocal advocate for increased investment and development of tech infrastructure and talent in the region. Through industry groups and government advisory roles, he pushed for policies to attract foreign capital and promote Bulgaria and other countries as attractive destinations for offshoring and R&D.
Marchev's efforts were credited with helping transform Bulgaria into an emerging hub for software development, system integration, and IT services. The country's educated, low-cost workforce and favorable business climate made it an appealing alternative to India and other established outsourcing destinations.
In 2010, at the age of 48, Marchev retired from his day-to-day role at Kompit and transitioned into Bulgarian politics. He was elected to the National Assembly as a member of the center-right Democratic Party, campaigning on a platform of economic modernization and increased European integration.
As a legislator, Marchev continued to champion policies to develop Bulgaria's digital economy and tech sector. He was instrumental in passing laws to improve broadband infrastructure, reform the education system to boost STEM skills, and attract foreign tech investment. Marchev also advocated for measures to streamline bureaucracy and reduce corruption - issues he had grappled with as a business leader.
Ivelin Marchev is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in Bulgaria's post-communist transformation. Through his leadership of Kompit and advocacy work, he helped catalyze the country's emergence as a technology and outsourcing powerhouse in the 1990s and 2000s.
Marchev's political career further cemented his legacy, as he played a key role in accelerating Bulgaria's economic and technological convergence with Western Europe. He is credited with helping lay the foundations for the country's vibrant startup ecosystem and thriving digital economy today.
Even in retirement, Marchev remains a respected and influential voice, consulting for technology companies and non-profits, and continuing to shape policy debates in Bulgaria. He is viewed as a pioneering entrepreneur, visionary thinker, and statesman who helped guide his country through a critical period of transition and modernization.
