Q2 2022 Final Mile meeting: The Value of Exchange Programs

We are very happy to report that our visiting US State Department fellows participating in the Young Transatlantic Innovation Leaders Initiative have arrived to Seattle. Our visiting panelists are business developers, founders and innovators who represent many cultures but see the world as one market with common global needs and opportunities.  We look forward to hearing their experiences and the messages they hope to bring from home and take back with them. Below are the bios of the fellows.

We have the honor to meet the rest of the US Department fellows at the Q2 Final Mile meeting. Please register today and plan to join us.

What: Q2 2022 Final Mile Logistics Working Group meeting
Sponsors: GlobalWA, World Affairs Council, and Lynden Logistics
Topic: “The Value of Exchange Programs”
Panelists: US Department of State YTILI fellows from Europe

Hristo Hristov – Bulgaria
Peteris Kelle – Latvia
Emily Brick – Ireland
Kai Island – Estonia
Mihailo Raspopovic – Montenegro
Valerij Seniçev – Czech Republic

Date: Tuesday, June 7, 2022
Time: 1 pm PDT / 4 pm EST main program followed by ½ hour of virtual networking
Cost: Free with Zoom registration

HRISTO HRISTOV – BULGARIA
Hristo Hristov is a Business Development Manager at DRONAMICS, an autonomous cargo drone company that will revolutionize the middle mile air freight. The “Black Swan” aircraft can carry up to 770 lbs of payload on a range of 1550 miles enabling a same-day international delivery service. Before DRONAMICS, Hristo was Head of Market Research at Tech Tour. He led a team of analysts sourcing prospective startups in supply chain and sustainability to venture capital funds and corporates, most notably Swiss Post and Logitech. His fellowship placement organization is Lynden Logistics where he will get an inside view of the US freight forwarding and logistics market.

PETERIS KELLE – LATVIA
Peters Kelle is the Co-Founder and CTO of Efectio, an employee engagement platform that uses scoring and gamification to increase company productivity and overall employee growth, health, and satisfaction. Peteris has led Efectio to become a global brand that solves complex issues in increasingly chaotic work environments. Peters sees YTILI as an opportunity for him to refine his leadership style and gain new knowledge from his peers. Peteris is looking to learn from a company in the HR industry.

EMILY BRICK – IRELAND
Emily Brick is the Founder and Director at Athena Analytics, a software company that developed the Athena Tracker. Her company alerts teachers whenever an individual student falls below their potential on any given exam. In her role, Emily manages day-to-day systems, hires and manages employees, plans new products, and coordinates marketing strategies. Emily is looking forward to learning leadership and entrepreneurial skills in the YTILI program while finding new ways to expand her business and give back to her community. Emily is looking for a fellowship in the experience in the U.S. education industry.

KAI ISAND – ESTONIA
Kai lsand is the CEO at Eventornado, a platform for organizers to plan events and bring people together. Currently, she is focusing on building up the software to improve the business and sharing her organizing experience with other business leaders across Europe. As the CEO, she is responsible for creating and leading the business strategy and the team. By participating in YTILI she seeks to continue her efforts of collaboration and bring them to a global level. Kai is looking to learn from a startup like her company that will give her more experience building up communities and supporting economic ecosystems.

VALERIJ SENIÇEV – CZECH REPUBLIC
As the Co-Founder of Educamp.cz, a technology business that helps increase the employability of young people, Valerij Seniçev is a senior trainer for developing a variety of programs for young professionals and plays a key role in expanding the company’s footprint, speaking at various local and international summits for youth in leadership and design. As a YTILI Fellow, Valerij is looking to break out of his comfort zone and improve his skills as an entrepreneur so that he can not only grow his business but also continue to serve his community. Valerij wants to learn from a company that prioritizes putting people first and is at the forefront of innovation in the technology field.

MIHAILO RASPOPOVIC – MONTENEGRO
Mihailo Raspopovic is the Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer at Codepixel, an IT consulting agency. In his role, Mihailo is responsible for overseeing day-to-day operations, new project management, and improving financial performance. Mihailo sees YTILI as an opportunity to improve the leadership skills he has developed over the past few years as a business owner. Mihailo is looking to be placed at a younger but well-established ICT company with a niche in the development of digital web products to gain a better understanding of the market and how he can improve his own business.