Ivaylo Ivanov, co-founder of BGO Software, shares his journey — from seeing news on New York subway screens and creating Bulgaria’s “Top Gear” equivalent, to becoming a successful entrepreneur in digital health.
BGO Software is a Bulgarian software developer working with some of the world’s largest companies in the pharmaceutical industry. Roche, Fortrea, Labcorp, and Britannia Pharma are just a few of the names in its portfolio. The company is also a partner of Europe’s largest health tech investment fund, NLC Tech, investing in startups across the continent.
But this isn’t another typical success story focused on fame or relentless pursuit of a final goal. Quite the opposite — it started in the late 1980s with a childhood passion that grew into an entrepreneur’s most valuable tool: the ability to adapt.
Video Games as a Springboard to a Career
Born in Vratsa, Ivaylo discovered computers in first grade at the local foundry where his mother worked. After school, he would play his favorite video games on brand-new Pravetz computers that no one else used. When his game disks eventually wore out, he passed the time learning BASIC, waiting for his mother to finish work.
“I knew then I wanted to do this for real,” Ivaylo recalls.
By sixth grade, his new school was next to one of the few computer clubs in Bulgaria. He helped out by running games for other kids and filling in for the owner when needed. With friends, he even tried creating his own games — an effort that deepened his love for programming and technology.
Ivaylo went on to graduate from the German High School in Vratsa and the Technical University of Sofia. His career started with small IT jobs — laying cables, setting up connections — before moving to a web development firm, where he was the third employee. Six years later, the company had grown to 80 people and many clients, most of whom Ivaylo interviewed personally.
“I gained a lot of experience in those years. I learned how to hire, manage teams, handle finances, and run operations,” he says.
Entrepreneurship as a Way of Life
Growing up in a family of early private entrepreneurs in Bulgaria, Ivaylo saw many businesses built from nothing — and sometimes fail.
“At our dinner table, business was always the topic: what we’d build next, who we’d sell it to. It wasn’t about money, it was about creating something,” he shares.
One of their early ventures — manufacturing plastic packaging — led Ivaylo to his first entrepreneurial project: Machinesbox.com, a portal for used industrial equipment. They built it into an agency linking buyers and sellers across Europe.
Later, his team took on a client managing news screens in the New York subway. The time zone difference meant Ivaylo’s group could update content overnight for U.S. audiences. This expanded into creating automotive news portals, some of which ranked among the world’s top three by traffic at the time.
Over time, services overtook products in Ivaylo’s business focus. Many clients came from healthcare and clinical research. That focus sharpened when he worked at a UK health software firm, gaining deeper market knowledge.
The Birth of BGO Software
“We quickly realised that digital health was our thing. We saw it as the right field for long-term growth — there will always be a need for it, and for digital services to support it. And above all, we’re doing something positive for society, which has always been important to us,” Ivaylo says.
BGO Software now works with leading pharmaceutical companies, building custom solutions and developing its own platforms — like its Clinical Trial Management System (CTMS) and tools for digitalising healthcare forms and quality control processes.
Today, BGO focuses on global markets, but its mission remains rooted in Bulgaria. Ivaylo’s dream: “When people think of health tech, no matter where they are, I want them to think of our country.”
For him, it was never a question whether to work in tech and entrepreneurship: “Whether I’m building portals or healthcare products doesn’t matter. What matters is that it’s ethical, useful, and presents a real tech challenge. When you reach a crossroads, you can walk away and take a job — or pivot and build something new. I always choose the second.”
This is an English translation of a feature originally published by Profit.bg. Author: Ivan Gaydarov.
BGO Software is a renowned IT company specializing in healthcare technology solutions. With over 15 years of industry experience, we offer comprehensive technology consulting, software development, and IT infrastructure services. Our focus on healthcare technology enables businesses to mitigate technological risks and accelerate growth, ultimately delivering enhanced value to patients.
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