Thought Leader and Influencer Interview with Raluca Cibu-Buzac, Founder and CEO of Luminspino and SunChild

At a Glance

Raluca Cibu-Buzac, Founder and CEO of Luminspino and SunChild Focus Areas: Change Management, Finance, Sustainability, Venture Capital Thinkers360 In-Depth Profile & Portfolio: Raluca Cibu-Buzac Social Media: LinkedIn | X Highlighted Content: Bridging Innovation Management and Consciousness Research, 1. Alternative States of Consciousness for Tapping into the Potential of Evolution. Thinkers360 Awards & Recognition : Thinkers360 Top Voice 2025; ranked in International Relations, Finance, and Manufacturing.

 

Thought Leader and Influencer Interview

Thinkers360 thought leader interviews profile prominent members of the Thinkers360 community who embody the power of ideas in their work. In this edition, we speak with Raluca Cibu-Buzac, Founder and CEO of Luminspino and SunChild, an innovation strategist, consultant, and consciousness researcher whose work bridges advanced innovation management, international collaboration, and nature-driven sustainability.

With over 25 years of experience spanning economic development, policymaking, funding and finance, innovation ecosystems, and internationalisation, Raluca supports researchers, startups, SMEs, and women-led tech enterprises across Europe. She serves as a Senior Expert for multiple European Union initiatives, including Booster, BlueInvest, and the European Innovation Council Women Leadership Programme, helping innovators commercialize research, scale breakthrough technologies, and become investment-ready.

Recognized as a Thinkers360 Top Voice 2025, Raluca is known for her structured yet systemic approach to radical innovation, emphasizing ecosystem thinking, multi-stakeholder collaboration, and long-term value creation. Alongside her consulting work, she is a PhD candidate in Consciousness Studies, integrating consciousness research into innovation practice to address today’s interconnected technological, environmental, and societal challenges.

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Thinkers360: Tell us a bit about your background and areas of expertise.

RCB: I am the Founder and CEO of Luminspino, a company focused on advanced process consulting on innovation management, as well as of SunChild, an enterprise providing consciousness coaching. I have 25 years of experience in economic development, policymaking, innovation ecosystems, funding and finance, business and innovation support services, and internationalisation. At present, I am a Senior Expert for several European Union initiatives, i.e.,  Booster (supporting researchers to exploit and/or commercialise their R&I results), Blueinvest (coaching startups and SMEs in the blue economy to become investment ready), and European Innovation Council (EIC) Women Leadership Programme (mentoring women-led tech enterprises).

With Luminspino, I developed two signature services, i.e., Breakthrough to Scale – advanced process consulting for radical innovations, and Learning Networks for First Movers – facilitated process for multi-stakeholder strategy development and implementation.

Trained with Lead International in sustainability, with Invest Europe in venture capital, with Oxford University in Nature-based Solutions, and certified as innovation expert by Kearney IMP³rove, I am currently working on my PhD in Consciousness studies at the International University of Professional Studies in the United States.

Thinkers360: What are your current responsibilities and what does a typical day look like?

RCB: My day starts at 05:30/06:00am, when I enjoy saying good morning to my horses and my dogs, and watching them enthusiastically savouring their breakfasts. Later, I continue with an online consulting session, or I organize a live meeting with one of the local partners in Timisoara – Romania, i.e., colleagues from universities, companies, public organisations or other professional peers. During some days, I take the airplane to an event in Bruxelles or in another European city, depending on the profile and sectorial focus of the innovation/business conferences that I participate and/or speak at.

The largest part of my day is spent with researchers and innovators throughout Europe, in online consulting sessions and workshops, providing feedback on their deliverables (e.g., innovation strategy, business plan, scaleup strategy, technology readiness level advancement plan, etc.), and generating consultancy reports. Moreover, during many days I collaboratively work with my colleagues from Spain, The Netherlands and Belgium, to deliver my company’s services or to initiate new research and innovation projects.

I treasure the opportunity to spend time in nature every day, go horse riding or jogging, and to meditate. It is amazing how many things we can fit in one day with a bit of willingness and discipline.

Thinkers360: What’s your favorite part of your current role?

RCB : I am first and foremost grateful for being able to run an independent business and to work with an international team of experts who are highly skilled and with whom I share mutually rewarding friendships. Then, I am thrilled by the innovative endeavours of the researchers and managers I engage with, and by their positive feedback on the consulting that I offer to them. In this regard, we feature on the Luminspino’s Community of Practice a series of testimonials, as well as a showcase of mentee companies, including insights about the outcomes and impact that they gained throughout the consulting/coaching process. Finally, yet of a high importance, I feel blessed that I am a PhD candidate in Consciousness Studies, under the mentorship of Dr. Christian de Quincey, American philosopher and author. Many of my articles written until now within the scope of my doctoral work are featured on the link https://sunchild.world/articles/

Thinkers360: How do you utilize Thinkers360?

RCB: I value Thinkers360 for the solid professional approach to highlighting and recognizing content that is produced by us, experts across a wide variety of domains. I appreciate that the platform assesses the contributions based on quality and relevance. I am carefully selecting each piece of new content that I upload on Thinkers360, i.e., articles, videos, podcasts, achievements, roles, etc., to make sure that it makes a decisive contribution and impact to the sector/domain that it belongs to or that it targets.

I am honoured to have earned 12 badges from Thinkers360, and especially to be granted the Top Voice 2025 title. I am well positioned in International Relations, Finance and Manufacturing. These rankings align with my background and expertise, as international collaboration stands at the core of my consultancy work, as I support innovators to join forces with international partners and turn their innovations into global market successes. In terms of Finance, I am well versed in supporting companies to access the right type of funding at the right time. The support ranges from EU grants to business angels or venture capital, thus building up a funding mix that serves the scaling purposes of the enterprises. When it comes to Manufacturing, I am focusing extensively on companies from sectors such as advanced materials, chemicals, space or blue economy, while always targeting nature-driven sustainability. Moreover, my company is part of the Industry 5.0 Community of Practice of the European Commission, and I am an I4MS Ambassador (ICT Innovation for Manufacturing SMEs).

             Editor’s Note: See Raluca Cibu-Buzac’s profile to work with her directly. 

RCB: At present, I am involved in speaking engagements (i.e., keynote events, panels), and advisory roles for internal capabilities of enterprises. Soon, I would like to become part of non-executive boards, and to be engaged in content collaboration (e.g., co-author reports, host webinars).

Thinkers360: What’s your main advice for upcoming thought leaders?

 

Thinkers360: Why do you think that consciousness research is relevant for the future of innovation?

RCB: As shown in my recent article, Bridging Innovation Management and Consciousness Research, I am working at embedding consciousness into innovation work, through concrete training and consulting to be announced soon. Many of today’s crises are also crises of consciousness, and wiser, more aware managers and scientists are part of the solution.

By taking one step back from our convictions of being the supreme beings on the planet, and at the same time the centre of an inanimate world, and by taking one step forward in embracing extra-rational means of knowing (e.g., feeling, intuition, telepathy), we shall uncover innovations driven by our understanding of matter possessing consciousness.

It is time, more than ever, to make room for consciousness in scientific labs, not for the mere purpose of human survival, but for the purpose of recognising and reconnecting with the sentience of everything. Then, from this state of expanded knowledge, we could innovate with nature, not against it, as nature is the master innovator, constantly evolving and renovating.