Iva Tsolova from JAMBA

For episode number 20 – wow! That’s a lot of episodes – I was honored to have Ms. Tsolova as my guest – the CEO and Founder of JAMBA, a company that provides educational and employment opportunities for those with disabilities in Austria, Hungary, and Bulgaria. Starting in high school where she volunteered at an orphanage, Ms Tsolova has always had a passion for meaningful causes. She obtained her education from the University of National and World Economy for her Bachelor’s and TU Wien and the Vienna School of International Studies for her Master’s. It was also during this time that she started her first company, a software development and graphic design studio. Several years later, she met her current co-founder and future partner at a volunteering event and soon afterward they started an advertising agency together. Combining their entrepreneurial and societal passions, they were the only advertising agency with a cause: to help the NGO sector and the CSR functions of the largest companies in Bulgaria. It was with this company that Ms Tsolova saw the untapped potential of those with disabilities, and it was from here that she founded JAMBA. The founding process is never easy, and oftentimes, ironically, the more good you want to do, the more difficult it is to do it. The idea of a social enterprise was entirely new in Bulgaria, and was met with a lot of resistance. But Ms Tsolova’s perseverance garnered her the trust of those she was trying to help, and after a while things started to snowball. JAMBA is now in three different countries, and has helped thousands of people find meaningful employment. Additionally, Ms Tsolova has an interest in international politics and was a Youth delegate for the Council of Europe. The future is always difficult to determine, but I guess that doesn’t matter when the foundation is built on such empowering and compassionate causes as JAMBA and by people like Ms Tsolova – you know the future is bound to be good.