An Informed Optimist
The Best Way To Predict The Future Is To Build It Yourself
About Teodor
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• Columbia University, Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, Master of Science in Real Estate Development (2020, United States)
• Rotterdam School of Management at Erasmus University, Bachelor of Science in International Business Administration (2017, The Netherlands)
• University of Bucharest School of Law, Master of Laws in Urban Development Law (2023, Romania)
• Colegiul Economic Virgil Madgearu in Bucharest, Economics Baccalaureate graded 9.69/10 (2014, Romania)
• Colegiul Național Gheorghe Lazăr in Bucharest, Middle School (2010, Romania)
• Școala Generală No. 311 in Ghencea, Bucharest, Primary School (2006, Romania)
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• Millennium Fellow (2023): selected in the Atlantic Council Millennium Leadership Program. (Link)
• Polaris Fellow (2022): selected in the inaugural class of UATX’s flagship leadership program in Austin, Texas (United States). (Link)
• Distinguished Alumni Award (2021): recipient of the 2021 RSM Distinguished Alumni Award (DAA) for ‘improving the lives of others’. The DAA is the highest distinction the school awards to alumni in recognition of excellent contributions to society, nominees are chosen from RSM’s 40,000+ alumni network. (Link)
• FD Best Entrepreneurs Under 35: FD is the business magazine with the largest readership in the Netherlands. Selected as one of the top 50 best talents under 35 years old in 2017, the only foreigner on the list. (Link)
• Forbes Romania 30 Under 30: selected as one of Romania’s 30 entrepreneurs under 30 years old on the 2017 list by Forbes Magazine. (Link)
• Commencement Spotlight Speaker, Erasmus University: invited by the University President to give an address to the community at the 2017 Academic Year Opening in front of over 1000 faculty, business, and community leaders. (Link)
• Public Speaking: occasionally I get invited to speak at conferences or private events. Examples include TEDx, Google’s Android for Inclusion (Spain), Arch Summit (Luxembourg), Urban Transformation Conference (Netherlands), House of Europe (The Hague), invited by the US Department of State at the Global Entrepreneurship Summit (India).
• Academia: Hummingbird Fund Council, Fundraising and MOOC Ambassador, Honours Class, Class President
• Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Athlete: Romanian National Champion (2014), medals at Rome and Dutch Opens, competed at the BJJ World Championship in California, former instructor and founder of Erasmus BJJ (now Checkmat Rotterdam)
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As Founder:
• Investor, OVO Europa (ovo.eu) 2021-Present, Bucharest
• President, Restart Network (restart.network) 2016-2019, Rotterdam
• Program Director, Turing Society (tsociety.io) 2015-2017, Rotterdam
Other Roles (part-time):
• Host, Dialog Liber Podcast (Link)
• Opinion Columnist, Adevarul.ro (Link)
• Hummingbird Fund Decision Council, RSM, 2019-Present, Rotterdam (Link)
• Brazilian Jiu Jitsu instructor, Erasmus BJJ (now Checkmat Rotterdam) 2015-2017, Netherlands
Teodor N. Cataniciu is a European entrepreneur, writer, and podcast host from Bucharest, Romania.
He is a 2023 Millennium Fellow at the Atlantic Council, a Polaris Fellow at the University of Austin, and an active opinion columnist on current affairs, building better cities, and advancing European unity. Teodor hosts the weekly Dialog Liber podcast with a mission to promote long-term thinking, intellectual curiosity through great books, and nuanced public debates. He was named one of the Best Entrepreneurs Under 35 by the Dutch Financial Times, was featured on platforms such as TEDx, Outlook Magazine, Wall Street, and has been selected as one of Romania’s 30 Under 30 by Forbes.
He is the founder of OVO Europa, a real estate development company on a mission to build places where people thrive and communities grow. Previously, while studying in Rotterdam, he rallied the support of local government, 100+ volunteers, and 40+ technology companies, to build a nonprofit venture where people from refugee, minority, and low-income backgrounds work to transform their lives through a career as software developers. The organization helped raise over half a million euros which ultimately led to restarting the lives of over 100 people from nearly 40 countries.
Teodor is a Distinguished Alumnus of the Rotterdam School of Management at Erasmus University where he received a Bachelor of Science in International Business Administration, graduated with a Master of Laws from the University of Bucharest School of Law, and holds a finance-focused Master of Science in Real Estate Development, where he served as President of the Class of 2020, from the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation at Columbia University in the City of New York.
Media Kit
Speaking
A selection of keynotes by Teodor can be found below. If you’d like to get in touch about an event or podcast please reach out to teodor at cataniciu dot com or through a Twitter DM.