Kristiana Kuneva is the Chief Business Development Officer at The Recursive, where she oversees strategic growth, partnerships, and market expansion.
She plays a central role in connecting startups, investors, and ecosystem players across Central and Eastern Europe, helping breakthrough ideas gain visibility and credibility on the international tech stage.
She also spearheads the #BreakingGrounds initiative, which showcases the success stories of Bulgarian innovators and positions them within the wider European innovation landscape. By bridging local entrepreneurial energy with global opportunities, Kristiana contributes to strengthening CEE’s role as a source of impactful technologies and ventures.
With a bachelor’s degree in political science from King’s College London and a master’s in human rights from LSE, she combines policy expertise with business development.
Her focus lies in building meaningful collaborations, fostering cross-border partnerships, and ensuring that the region’s boldest founders have the networks and support they need to scale globally.
Other featured speakers
Mircea Capatina
Co-founder & Marketing Director @ Smartbill
Mircea Căpățînă has been an entrepreneur his entire professional life. As Co-founder and Marketing Director of SmartBill, alongside Radu and Ioana Hasan, he built the most widely used invoicing and management software in Romania, trusted by thousands of businesses.
Mihaela Paun
Senior Vice President Sales & Marketing, Consumer Solutions Group @ Bitdefender
Mihaela Păun has spent over 20 years shaping Bitdefender’s global growth story, driving sales and marketing strategies across the Consumer Solutions Group.
Guillaume Lussato
Associate Director - M&A Origination @ saas.group
Guillaume Lussato is Associate Director of M&A Origination at saas.group, where he focuses on identifying and building strategic acquisition opportunities in the global SaaS space.
Cătălina Dodu
Partner @ EY Romania
Cătălina Dodu is a seasoned technology executive and cybersecurity leader with over 20 years of experience driving digital transformation, consulting, and cyber resilience across global markets.