Sonia Oprean is the Co-founder & Managing Partner of Synerb Venture Catalyzer and the Director of the Visionary program.

She has extensive experience in management consulting and financial services throughout 3 geographies: The Philippines, Romania and India. She started her journey in the social entrepreneurship sector working for Villgro Innovations Foundation, India, and continued as the Senior Portfolio Manager of NESsT Romania. She is an experienced trainer and an active mentor, providing strategic planning support on Finance, Business Performance Management, Human Resources & Governance, Fundraising and Impact Measurement to a significant number of social enterprises and visionary NGOs. For almost 10 years, Sonia is a Board Member of Mai Bine, one of the pioneer organizations working for sustainable development in Romania.  

Zoltan is the co-founder and the president of Synerb, an organization committed to catalyze the potential of purpose-driven entrepreneurs and visionary NGOs. 

Zoltan works for more than 10 year in the social entrepreneurship field and for over 20 years in the NGO sector. He was a Board Member and the Romanian Country Director of the international organization NESsT, then, for seven years,  the Regional Portfolio Director for Romania and the Balkans. He contributed to the growth and development of over 200 social enterprises and nonprofit organizations through strategic advisory services, training and tailored consulting.  

Before joining NESsT, he developed a series of economic development and international cooperation programs with the Euroregional Center for Democracy, specifically in the Balkans and Central Europe. He is a member of numerous local organisations and an Aspen Fellow. He is an active jury member and advisor in several social entrepreneurship and nonprofit capacity building programs and impact competitions (CSR Awards, Social Impact Award, West University of Timișoara) and he is involved in a number of projects developing the social entrepreneurship and nonprofit sectors in the region.

Alexandra Popa will provide support in the areas of strategic development, institutional fundraising and proposals writing.

Alexandra is the President and Executive Director of the Romanian Centre for European Policies (CRPE), one of the most important think tanks in Romania. She has over 14 years of experience in the NGO sector. Since 2012, Alexandra has been coordinating CRPE’s research and advocacy projects on public policies in the fields of agriculture, rural development, inclusion of vulnerable groups and vocational and technical education.

Ciprian Stănescu will support young NGOs to increase their knowledge and effectiveness in accessing corporate sponsorships.

Ciprian Stănescu is the President of Social Innovation Solutions, an organization offering consultancy and support for NGOs and corporations on sustainability, foresight and innovation. Ciprian worked for 12 years for global organizations such as Ashoka and the Aspen Institute, he is a Global Shaper Alumni of the World Economic Forum, co-founder of Global Shapers Bucharest Hub & and Board Member of Rethink Romania. He teaches at The Entrepreneurship Academy in Bucharest and holds an MA in Political Science from the Central European University in Budapest.

Cătălina will provide direct support to NGOs from the cohort interested in crafting and deploying a crowdfunding campaign.

Cătălina is the Co-Founder and Campaign Manager of consolid8, a crowdfunding expert and an aspiring social entrepreneur. She has mentored and trained an impressive number of people – over 650 – in designing and implementing their crowdfunding campaigns. Cătălina defines herself as a “Solutions creator”, because she manages to contribute with clear and tailored solutions to her clients’ needs. A certified marketing and communications expert, she tailors strategies suitable for the non-profit and start-up environment.

Florin va ghida ONG-urile tinere în procesul de generare a oportunităților de finanțare.

Florin are 20 ani de experiență ca trainer pentru circa 10.000 de participanți, iar domeniile de expertiză includ: facilitare de procese de învățare, orientarea spre soluție, antreprenoriat social, business model, train the trainers & facilitators, design thinking, managementul echipelor, management de proiect, recrutare şi selecţie, comunicare, teambuilding. Florin este educator de emoție și gând pozitiv și Fondator al platformei de informație și educație pozitivă RomaniaPozitiva.ro.

Iulia will support the NGOs from our cohort in improving communications. 

During the past 10 years at Graffiti PR, she has worked for clients in various industries such as technology, banking, energy, retail or automotive, driving their communications and CSR programs in order to generate community impact.

She is currently coordinating a team developing CSR-sustainability strategies, programs and communication plans in fields such education, health, environment, community development or entrepreneurship. 

She believes in co-built impact: matching society needs with brand involvement and stakeholder engagement. During the past years, Iulia has worked with NGOs from different areas, both in building their communication and fundraising capabilities and in developing partnerships with the private sector.