Seeds of Bravery’s podcasts – your chance to learn all about deep tech from firsthand experience

As part of the Seeds of Bravery project, together with INNOV8, the first podcast dedicated to supporting deep tech startups in Ukraine was held. The guest of the first episode was Anna Chernysh, co-founder and CEO of AI career platform Lao.

Lao is a platform that uses artificial intelligence to match candidates based on their skills and experience, not just job titles. Anna told the story of Lao’s creation, which arose from the need to combine education with career development in her previous work at the educational company Projector.

The podcast discussed the benefits of using AI in Lao and the overall impact of AI on the labour market. Anna noted that AI helps to automate processes and make them more efficient, but does not completely replace human involvement, especially in the assessment of soft skills.

As a female founder of a tech startup, Anna shared her advice for other female entrepreneurs. Her main advice is to ‘teach girls courage, not perfection’. She encourages women not to be afraid to start, even if they don’t feel fully prepared, and to participate in accelerator programmes and communities for women in STEM.

Anna also emphasised the importance of participating in projects like Seeds of Bravery, which provide not only financial support but also the opportunity to be part of a startup community that helps set and achieve new goals.

This initiative demonstrates the growing potential of Ukrainian tech startups and the importance of international support for their development and entry into the global market.

In the second episode of the Seeds of Bravery podcast, Anastasiia Hliebova, CEO and co-founder of V-art, shared the fascinating story of her startup and her views on the future of technology and intellectual property.

Anastasiia emphasised that V-art has undergone a significant transformation from a digital art platform to a B2B solution for automating IP licensing. “We saw that there is a huge need to optimise licensing processes for large brands and corporations,” the speaker said.

Speaking about the Ukrainian startup ecosystem, Anastasiia reminded about the importance of support and mentoring in the early stages. She expressed her gratitude to the YEO accelerator and investors who helped the company through difficult times and a change in business model.

Anastasiia noted that the IP licensing market is estimated at $275 billion, which opens up huge opportunities for innovation. “Our approach is unique in that we offer customised solutions for corporations that can integrate our technology into their existing systems,” Anastasiia explained.

Speaking about the future, Anastasiia emphasised the growing role of artificial intelligence in their business. “We are developing AI components that will help brands manage their intellectual property more effectively,” she said.

Anastasiia reminded us of the importance of sustainability for Ukrainian entrepreneurs. ‘We face unique challenges, but this also makes us more innovative and adaptive,’ – she said.

In conclusion, Anastasiia emphasised the importance of transparency and honesty in communicating with investors and partners. “Being open about our challenges helps build stronger and more trusting relationships,” she said.

In the third episode of the Seeds of Bravery podcast, host Anna Kohn talks to Mykola Maksymenko, co-founder and CTO of Hau, a quantum computing startup.

The speaker introduced Hau as one of the four winners of this year’s Seeds of Bravery grant. She emphasised that the company is developing a breakthrough technology for future quantum applications.

Mykola told about the history of Hau. He noted that he met his co-founder Richard Given during a virtual bootcamp at the Creative Destruction Lab accelerator. After successful collaboration on a project, they decided to found a startup.

The guest explained that Hau focuses on improving the performance of quantum computers with its own software. He emphasised that their technology can achieve a 100-fold improvement in efficiency in some applications compared to alternatives.

The speaker outlined the stages of the startup’s development – from the initial idea and prototype to patenting the technology and attracting investment. He noted that the team has grown to 18-20 people, mostly engineers and scientists.

The speaker asked how the project was financed. The guest explained that the startup was initially funded by the founders, and then attracted $4 million in investment.

Mykola spoke about cooperation with well-known companies, including BMW and Airbus. He gave examples of how their technology is used in the automotive, aerospace, and even textile industries.

The guest also shared his vision of the development of the quantum community in Ukraine. He emphasised the country’s great potential in this field, noting strong scientific schools and talented specialists.

In conclusion, Mykola advised startups to be open to new ideas and not to focus on just one technology. 

The fourth podcast focuses on Montis Analytics, a Ukrainian startup founded in March 2022 that develops an innovative platform for situational awareness and threat intelligence using artificial intelligence technologies. The company helps organisations manage both physical and information risks.

Founder and CEO Maksym Tereshchenko spoke about the history of the startup, which originally emerged as a volunteer initiative to help the Ukrainian government counter disinformation at the beginning of the full-scale invasion. Later, the team decided to transform the project into a commercial startup.

Montis Analytics offers two main product lines:

• Automation of reports and briefings for companies that need regular risk monitoring.
• A situational awareness and threat intelligence platform for the corporate sector that helps identify and respond to potential business threats.

The company has successfully attracted early-stage investments, including participation in the Alchemist Accelerator programme in the US. Montis Analytics is currently preparing to enter the US market this autumn.

Maksym emphasised the importance of global thinking for Ukrainian start-ups and the need to create success stories that can support Ukraine’s economy after the war. He also highlighted the value of the Seeds of Bravery programme, which provides support to Ukrainian tech start-ups.

The startup is a prime example of how Ukrainian companies can use their experience and expertise to create globally competitive products in the field of countering disinformation and risk management. 

In the fifth episode of the Seeds of Bravery podcast, host Oksana Krykun, Head of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Innovate, talks to Dan Matsui, co-founder of Ukrainian startup CareTech Human. This deep tech company develops AI-based solutions for remote monitoring of patients at home. Developing hardware in the healthcare sector has proven to be a challenge for CareTech Human. Dan highlighted the growing need for technologies that can reduce healthcare costs, especially given the ageing population and rising life expectancy. He highlighted the importance of artificial intelligence in optimising healthcare processes and reducing costs. In conclusion, Dan gave advice to future startup founders: if you can’t help but start a startup, then go for it. He emphasised that the path of a founder is full of challenges, and only those who really cannot do anything else should choose this path.