Val Babajov is an entrepreneur and angel investor with three decades of software development and business management experience.
Val is currently Founder and Managing Director of Voivoda Ventures, an early stage investment fund focused on B2B software technology startups. Voivoda has provided initial and follow-on funding for 14 companies since 2010. The Voivoda team takes a hands-on approach to early stage investing that involves working closely with companies from investment to exit, often as a member of the board. The fund’s geographical focus includes companies based outside of the United States. Voivoda leverages the growing network of international technology accelerators to identify top companies from around the world and assist them with moving to California for fundraising. This unique approach has led to successful funding of companies from New Zealand, Turkey and Bulgaria. Voivoda helps these companies through the process of establishing a legal and physical presence in the US and serves as their lead investor to assist with successfully completing their first round of funding. After funding, Voivoda and its team of mentors help portfolio companies accelerate their business and achieve successful outcomes.
Prior to founding Voivoda ventures, Val spent 33 years in the software development industry. During this time Val navigated four successful exits. He founded his first company, WebMessenger in 1993 in his garage. During the dot com boom, Webmessenger with engineering offices in six countries developed IP in medical software, digital media, mobile software and communications for a wide range of clients including large corporations and startups.
After the bubble burst, Val pivoted the business to enterprise level unified mobile instant messaging, which resulted in a 2007 acquisition byApptix (OSE: APP). After several months, it became evident that Apptix did not have the right vision for the Webmessenger product line. In 2008, Val orchestrated a buyout of the technology from Apptix and subsequently sold it to CallWave (Nasdaq: CALL) which continues to develop and promote the platform, and has ported it to the iPhone and Google Android operating systems.
After this second exit Babajov established engineering development team in Partners 1993, Inc. Partners 1993 developed a variety of technologies ranging from mobile applications for startups to core mobile technology for large corporations such as Juniper Networks and Verizon wireless. In early 2012, the Partners1993 engineering team was acquired by a Nasdaq listed east coast based Technology Company. Since then Val has focused his full attention on investing and Voivoda Ventures.
Val enjoys working with entrepreneurs who have a strong value system and personal drive. Val believes in the importance of people’s word, and still conducts business based on a handshake. Having immigrated to the United States from communist Bulgaria before of the collapse of the system in February 1989 with only $100 in his pocket, Val knows first-hand the struggles that early entrepreneurs face in trying to build their business. His goal with Voivoda Ventures is to help entrepreneurs avoid many of the common mistakes and accelerate the growth of their businesses. Val believes that entrepreneurs can accomplish anything when they put their mind to it, and enjoys watching young companies overcome impossible obstacles on their way to success.
