Maria Vasileva, Diana Radkova, Andrej Ivanovski and Aleksandar Aleksov were part of the initial RORA team.
Traveling is food for the soul for many of us. Whether it is to go someplace new, or simply come back home, it brings us unique pleasure that derives from the change of one’s surroundings. But planning your trip does not always prove easy. And here’s where RORA steps in!
“Our idea was to create a platform for shared travel, which enables people to match with others, based on the direction they’re going and personality traits,” tells us Maria Vasileva, the founder and current managing director of RORA. Initially, the startup did not consider any psychological factor — the platform aimed to simply connect people based on destination. But during the team’s participation in accelerator program Elevate, the idea developed and a more definitive point of difference occurred. Now, drivers and passengers would be able to match based on personal preferences such as music taste, age, etc.
“We’re still working on making it better. We’re still considering different options to make the platform safe for both drivers and passengers,” shares Maria. But despite her excitement, the journey has not been easy for RORA. The startup is yet to present a fully working platform. Most of their funding was invested in developing the software, and the team is currently waiting for the project to see the light of day. “In its heart, RORA is more of a social cause, rather than a full-fledged profit-making machine”.
Elevate is one of the major factors that shaped the future of RORA. Maria, who by now we recognize as the driving force behind the project, shared that Elevate literally teaches people how to ask questions, how to take criticism, how to share their opinion freely, and how to be simultaneously proud and critical of their ideas. When asked if she got used to taking criticism about the team’s work progress, Maria joked that it was a bit of a struggle.
Something Maria points out as crucial for the participants in Season Two is to contact the mentors after each session. “These people, the mentors, they would never deny help when approached by us — and they have so much more to give us.” Her words are something that the Elevate team firmly stands behind.
If you want to approach Maria Vasileva and learn more about RORA’s journey — don’t hesitate to connect with her on LinkedIn, or follow RORA’s social pages at @roarwithrora.
And for more success stories, entrepreneurship journeys, and how Season Two is going — follow us at @elevateaubg.
