We are launching the Growth Program 2026: mentoring and up to €100,000 investment for growing businesses

Contents · 7 sections

1. You have a working business. What’s next?
2. How we will work over the two months
3. Who will work with the participants
4. Who can apply
5. How we will select
6. After the program: up to €100,000 investment
7. How to apply

Since 2009, together with my team, I have worked with more than 400 companies. Most of the business owners I meet don’t need another motivational talk. They have a product, customers and a team that works. What they lack is clarity about the next right decision, and someone who can look at their business from the outside without trying to sell them something.

That is exactly the idea behind the Growth Program 2026, which we are launching at RED Group Capital. As a member of the board of directors, I will be one of the people working directly with the selected companies. Applications are open until 15 November 2026.

You have a working business. What’s next?

The hardest stage is often not the start, but the moment after it. The business is no longer an idea, but growth slows down. Marketing brings results, just not enough. Processes that worked with five customers start getting in the way at fifty. Questions about new markets, pricing, the team and funding appear, and the answers are rarely obvious from the inside.

The Growth Program is built for companies at exactly this point: with a real product or service, past the early stage and ready to work purposefully on their next step.

How we will work over the two months

The program runs for two months and will not follow a one-size-fits-all curriculum. I don’t believe in identical solutions for different businesses. Our work with each participant will start from where the company is today and from the challenges that are actually holding it back.

We will combine three formats:

• Hands-on workshops on specific business tasks;
• One-to-one mentoring with people who have built and run companies themselves;
• Expert consultations on topics where the team needs extra support.

Depending on each company’s needs, we will work on:

• marketing and customer acquisition;
• sales and business development;
• finance and key metrics;
• business model and planning;
• PR and communications;
• technology, AI and automation;
• HR and team building;
• optimizing internal processes.

The goal is that by the end of the program every company knows clearly what its priorities are, where the biggest opportunities for improvement lie and which concrete steps to take. That is valuable even if the business does not receive an investment.

Who will work with the participants

The companies will work with the members of the RED Group Capital board of directors. Each of us brings different experience, and it is exactly this mix that makes the program useful for businesses from very different fields:

• Lyubomir Atanasov: an entrepreneur with experience in growing businesses in digital marketing, media, communications and event management;
• Petar Dyaksov (me): more than 15 years of experience in e-commerce and digital marketing;
• Preslav Bobev: more than 20 years of international experience in sales and partnership development;
• Veronika Nikolova: an expert in corporate and strategic communications with more than 10 years of experience in large corporations.

Tihomir Ignatov also joins the mentoring team and will support the companies on technology and artificial intelligence. Automation and the practical use of AI are no longer a topic only for tech companies. Any business that wants to work more efficiently and grow without costs growing at the same pace has something to gain from them.

The program is also backed by RED Group Capital’s own methodology, the RED Growth Framework Accelerator, which we use to work with companies on strategic planning, processes, sales, positioning and finding new growth opportunities.

Who can apply

There is no industry restriction. We are looking for companies that:

• are registered and have at least 12 months of real activity;
• have a real product, service, MVP or working prototype;
• have at least one founder working full-time on the business;
• have a team ready to take an active part throughout the two months.

Revenue and existing customers are an advantage, but not a requirement. We will look at every application as a whole.

How we will select

In the selection, we will assess:

• the team and the founders’ commitment;
• the potential of the product or service;
• the market and the customers;
• the results achieved so far;
• the opportunities for future growth.

From experience, I know that the people behind a business often matter more than the idea itself. A good team finds a way to correct course when the market changes. That is why we will pay special attention to the founders and their readiness to work actively.

After the program: up to €100,000 investment

When the Growth Program ends, we will assess each company’s progress, its results and the potential for a long-term partnership. Up to three companies may receive an investment of up to €100,000 in exchange for equity.

I want to be clear: taking part in the program does not guarantee an investment. The decision will depend on the potential of the business, the team, the business model, the results and the prospects for sustainable growth, and the terms will be agreed individually with each company.

How to apply

If your business already works and you feel it is time for the next step, apply by 15 November 2026 on the program page: redgroup.capital/growth-program-2026.

I look forward to seeing your application. And if you know an entrepreneur for whom this program comes at exactly the right time, send them this article.