- November 1, 2022
- Posted by: Borce Manev
- Category: Founder's Corner
We are pleased to announce that our founder, Aleksandar Ubavkov, has been selected as the upcoming Young Transatlantic Innovation Leaders Initiative (YTILI) fellow.
Chosen from a competitive applicant pool, Aleksandar will represent North Macedonia as one of the 60 business and social entrepreneurs from 37 European countries who work in various industries, including information technology, health care, education, clean energy, food and beverage, manufacturing, and many others.
The selected fellows will combine their entrepreneurship skills and experiences to boost economic empowerment, enrich their business and leadership skills, promote mutual understanding, and build long-lasting partnerships between entrepreneurs from Europe and the United States.
Aleksandar will be part of the YTILI program, based on a series of program activities that will take place from December 2022 to July 2023. The program’s primary activities will be completing the customized YTILI entrepreneurial curriculum, working with a U.S. host organization, and collaborating with U.S. mentors to address arising business challenges.
As an emerging entrepreneur, Aleksandar says that this initiative will give a voice to every participant to share their unique perspectives, journey, and experiences on the growth path. Additionally, fellows will gain insights into how business is conducted in the U.S. and how innovative initiatives are born and executed to maximize value delivery.
It makes me incredibly excited that each of us, YTILI fellows, will be placed in the innovation hub and meet the initiatives that will shape the world of tomorrow. International Growth Agency’s vision is to join forces with innovative companies and be a valuable asset on their path to growth, building the next generation of digital solutions. Therefore, I am thrilled to experience innovation in action and, with this, adapt both my mindset and my company to take the next step towards growth. While leading I.T. companies and building this company, I’ve learned that growth always comes easy through successful partnerships, so I would once again use our company mantra: Cheers to growth through partnerships!
Driven by the mission to bring innovation to North Macedonia and the region where IGA operates, this will be a perfect opportunity for Aleksandar to demonstrate in action his proven and recognized success traction, helping ICT companies unleash their true growth potential, both in the region and internationally.
Throughout my entire career, and especially after joining forces with my partners Borce Manev and Manfred Köhl, my mission in life was to bring innovation to our country and the region where IGA operates. The beauty of running an I.T. consultancy company is that you help build innovative digital solutions born internationally but simultaneously created in our country and the region. The professionals significantly recognize this as they can see how their work shapes the world to be a better place while operating from their home country. Working on innovative initiatives helps professionals grow their technical skills, shift their mindset to think outside the box, and be more open toward change and adaptation.
After the YTILI Fellowship Program is over, Aleksandar plans to share the gained knowledge back to Macedonia’s entrepreneurial community and expand the understanding of the digital innovations path because he is a firm believer in the concept: Together, we are stronger!
This initiative will give a spark of ideas on how brand-new initiatives can be adapted to drive innovation both locally and in the region. IGA is known to foster an entrepreneurial culture where every one of our employees is encouraged to bring ideas to the table where we can validate, plan and bring them to life together as a team.
Since its launch in 2016, approximately 300 alumni across Europe have been a part of the YTILI Fellowship Program, boosting their business skills and developing valuable transatlantic partnerships. YTILI aims to show that entrepreneurship as a tool for economic empowerment can drastically enhance business and leadership skills, promote mutual understanding and build long-lasting partnerships between business leaders from Europe and the United States.
For over 7 years, YTILI Fellows Program has remained one of the most potent and unique two-way exchange programs for entrepreneurs, successfully achieving its main objectives – to create sustainable partnerships between entrepreneurs and innovators from Europe and U.S., amplify the transatlantic relationship and encourage the development of resilient innovation ecosystems.
The YTILI Fellowship Program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, funded by the U.S. Government, and implemented by WorldChicago.