Ivaylo Simov has been investing in Bulgaria since 1999 and co-founded Eleven Ventures in 2012, and he often talks about how startup ecosystems grow through founders helping each other, alumni reinvesting, and strong employee ownership creating the next wave of angels and repeat founders. He's known for spotting e-commerce opportunities early, from SMSBump to Outfindo, describes empathy as his main strength as an investor, believes listening should flow both ways between founders, VCs, and their own investors, and brings a more literary, reflective side to venture work, even having used acting classes to help founders pitch better in Eleven's early days.