Born in Ruse, Bulgaria, in 1980[7] to a Romani family, Ignatova emigrated to Germany with her family when she was ten years old, and spent part of her childhood in Schramberg in the state of Baden-Württemberg.[8][3] In 2005, she earned a PhD in private international law from the University of Constance with the dissertation Art. 5 Nr. 1 EuGVO – Chancen und Perspektiven der Reform des Gerichtsstands am Erfüllungsort, which discusses lex causae in conflict of laws.[9] She reportedly has also worked for McKinsey & Company.[10]