# Nikolay Vitanov

> Nikolay Vitanov is the Bulgarian co-founder and co-CEO of London-based BeatpulseLabs, which prepares and licenses multimedia AI training datasets. A Cardiff University banking and finance graduate and former Citi investment banking director, he co-founded the company with Jason Rieff after they met in Cape Town in 2024. BeatpulseLabs announced $1.8 million in pre-seed financing in June 2026.

- **Role:** Co-founder and co-CEO at BeatpulseLabs
- **Organizations:** BeatpulseLabs, Citi, Deutsche Börse
- **Nationality:** Bulgarian
- **Education:** Bachelor of Science in Banking and Finance, Cardiff University
- **Known for:** Received Cardiff Business School’s Best Performance in the Banking and Finance Degree Scheme award., Rose to director in investment banking at Citi., Co-founded BeatpulseLabs, which secured a first customer within 90 days of its founders’ meeting, according to Techstars.

## Career timeline

- **2007–2010** — Studied banking and finance at Cardiff University.
- **Before 2024** — Worked in investment banking at Citi, including analyst, associate, senior associate, vice president and director roles; also previously interned at Deutsche Börse.
- **2024** — Met Jason Rieff in Cape Town and co-founded BeatpulseLabs; Techstars says their first customer followed within 90 days.
- **2024-08** — Began his co-founder and co-CEO role at BeatpulseLabs.
- **2025-02** — Citi tenure ended.
- **2026-06** — BeatpulseLabs announced $1.8 million in pre-seed funding.

## Achievements

- Received Cardiff Business School’s Best Performance in the Banking and Finance Degree Scheme award.
- Rose to director in investment banking at Citi.
- Co-founded BeatpulseLabs, which secured a first customer within 90 days of its founders’ meeting, according to Techstars.
- BeatpulseLabs announced $1.8 million in pre-seed financing co-led by Arāya Ventures and Lighthouse Ventures in June 2026.
- Listed as a BeatpulseLabs speaker by Amsterdam Dance Event.

## Latest updates

- **2026-06** — BeatpulseLabs announced a $1.8 million pre-seed round co-led by Arāya Ventures and Lighthouse Ventures, with Alumni Ventures and Avalancha Ventures participating; the company reported tenfold revenue growth in the first half of 2026.

## Links

- Website: https://www.beatpulselabs.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikolay-vitanov-48992661/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/nikolay-vitanov
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-23