There are three key factors that really helped us grow: focus, culture and mindset - Luka Zivkovic, Co-founder & General Manager Romania, Bonapp

Luka Zivkovic is the co-founder and General Manager Romania at Bonapp, a mobile app that connects consumers with traders whose food is approaching its expiry date. The goal is to contribute to reducing food waste and the startup has successfully achieved important milestones in their journey - they have expanded beyond Romania, and have 500.000 users, 2300 partner merchants in Romania, and have reduced 650 tons of food waste. Launched in 2021, Bonapp is now part of Munch, the top food-saving app in CEE.

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What led to the founding of this startup together with his co-founders, Diego Roy de Lachaise, and Grégoire Vigroux, was their ambition to create a project that helped the environment and had a social impact, while still being scalable.

“All of us founders were committed to this mission, and since we were based in Romania - a market with no direct competition -  it felt natural to start here.”, Luka says.

“Before launching, we studied hundreds of startups in Western Europe that addressed social and environmental issues. 

From these, we narrowed it down to five models we believed could thrive in Romania. Given our backgrounds in hospitality and retail, food waste quickly stood out as the most pressing challenge. 

After in-depth research and interviews with retailers and hospitality businesses, it became clear that Bonapp could provide real value by addressing this issue.”

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Sincer the startup’s early days, the team understood how important it was to set their priorities right. 

“Rather than trying to pitch everyone upfront, we focused on identifying and approaching “trend-setters” - those most likely to embrace sustainability, digital solutions, and innovation. Once they joined, others followed naturally, as both consumers and businesses tend to trust and imitate early adopters.”

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In terms of what motivated people to join the app, Luka thinks there isn’t something specific to the “Romanian consumer”.

“Consumer motivations are always diverse. Some people joined Bonapp because of our mission, others because of the discounts. 

However, we didn’t foresee the fact that many users are also using Bonapp to discover new places, and we also understood later on the importance of food-traffic for food businesses.“

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Bonapp has grown exponentially since its launched and there are three main reasons that Luka identifies as key to their evolution:

“Focus: We constantly evaluate the impact of our efforts and avoid projects that don’t contribute to growth.

Culture and transparency: Our team is the foundation of Bonapp’s success. While attracting mission-driven talent is relatively easy, keeping them motivated requires open communication and clear goals.

Mindset: We look for problem-solvers with ambition, not ego. Building a strong team culture around collaboration and resilience has been crucial.”

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In 2025, Bonapp merged with Munch, a Hungarian app that, similarly to Bonapp, offers a platform for restaurants, bakeries, hotels, supermarkets and other stores to sell their surplus food.

“Despite surface differences, Central and Eastern European countries share many cultural and economic similarities. Most challenges we faced were operational details rather than fundamental barriers.

Here again, a transparent communication and a great mindset within team members from different countries will help tackle any potential challenge effectively.

The biggest lesson about the merger was the merger process itself. It was one of the most demanding yet rewarding professional experiences we’ve faced. No matter how prepared you feel, unexpected challenges will inevitably arise - and often all at once. 

What makes the difference is having a strong, adaptable team that can respond quickly and effectively to such challenges.”

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As the new General Manager for Romania, Luka focuses on strengthening their presence in the retail industry, as it is the largest source of food waste. 

“Delivering measurable results for major players is essential. Beyond that, we are focused on launching Bonapp Club, our new service that will expand our network of locations, offer greater convenience, and extend the time frame in which users can enjoy our products.”

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Last but not least, we asked him to share some tips to other founders trying to scale an impact-driven startup in CEE:

“Don’t overthink- start. Too many startups fail before even launching. Keep costs low, bootstrap where possible, and measure the impact of every action.

Once you see traction, raise funds strategically, but always remain cautious with cash as soon as you receive it.

Stay grounded in market reality, not ego. Seek feedback from customers and fellow entrepreneurs.

Communicate consistently with your team.

Most importantly, don’t give up. The early road is often tough, but persistence makes the difference.”

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Thank you, Luka Zivkovic!

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