Developed by SCION, an initiative created by four prominent Bulgarian investors and innovation leaders, and backed by Rezolv Energy, the SCION Accelerator will help startups, NGOs, and academic spinouts bring nature-positive solutions from prototype to market.

Applications are open until September 7th 2025.

The accelerator will focus on four high-impact verticals where both countries have competitive potential: regenerative agriculture, carbon and biodiversity monitoring, water and land restoration, and climate resilience and adaptation.

These sectors align with global environmental priorities and reflect pressing local needs—from degraded ecosystems and drought-prone farmlands to underutilized carbon assets.

Examples of technologies expected in the program range from precision farming systems and agri-carbon marketplaces to AI-powered MRV tools, satellite imaging platforms, drone-based biodiversity scans, smart irrigation networks, and nature-based flood control solutions. SCION accelerators is especially interested in ventures that combine ecological science with scalable, data-driven technology.

What is the accelerator offering

Throughout the 10-week program, selected teams will benefit from expert mentorship, hands-on guidance, and deep-dive workshops on product development, capital raising, and team building. Participants will join a growing cross-regional network across Central and Eastern Europe and receive continued support from both SCION and Rezolv Energy Shift after the program ends.

The founding team behind SCION combines experience across venture capital, public finance, startup growth, and environmental policy:

  • Sasha Bezuhanova is the founder of MOVE.BG, Chair of WWF CEE, and a strategic advisor to the Green Tech Alliance. She spent 20 years in global executive leadership at HP and was an early angel investor in companies such as Plan A, LAM’ON, and Cupffee, which have collectively raised over €40 million.
  • Kamen Slavov is a financial architect for sustainable systems. As Managing Director of Bulgaria’s €1.3B Fund of Funds, he designed instruments supporting VC, municipal infrastructure, and SME lending. His background includes work in KPMG Corporate Finance across both public and private capital structures.
  • Mirella Yordanova brings direct venture-building experience from her time at Seedcamp, LAUNCHub Ventures, and Google for Startups. She has supported the growth of startups across Europe, the UK, and Asia—including several unicorns.
  • Konstantina Voynova brings deep investment policy and risk experience from her role at the Fund of Funds, where she led equity instruments designed to align innovation with long-term financing. Her background in asset management supports SCION’s capital discipline.

SCION is delivered in partnership with Rezolv Energy Shift, the innovation and impact platform of Rezolv Energy, a clean energy producer with over 2.3GW of wind and solar capacity under development in Southeast Europe. Rezolv’s involvement brings real-world infrastructure experience and commitment to building a just and inclusive energy transition in the region.

Rezolv Energy, SCION’s strategic partner, brings deep sectoral experience and operational infrastructure to the program. Its Rezolv Energy Shift platform was created to back people and ideas driving a just, inclusive energy transition in Southeast Europe. With major wind and solar parks under construction in Bulgaria and Romania, Rezolv offers real-world insight into what scaling nature-positive technologies takes.

Startups, NGOs, and academic teams interested in applying can find more information at: scion.earth