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Lessons From The Founders Scaling Their Startup In A War Zone
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When Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24th, the lives of Stacy Pavlyshyna and Roman Sevast changed from startup founders to survival coordinators. Headquartered in Kyiv, the founders of Awesomic (YC S21), share their experience of securing their safety and evacuating their team members from across Ukraine under the dangers of war and missile attacks—all while continuing to build and scale their startup. The following organizations helping Ukraine need your ongoing support: Nova Ukraine (https://novaukraine.org/donate/) Razom for Ukraine (https://www.razomforukraine.org/donate/) Come Back Alive (https://www.comebackalive.in.ua/donate) For more ways to support Ukraine, read our blog post: https://www.ycombinator.com/blog/supporting-ukraine Thank you to Stacy Pavlyshyna and Roman Sevast for sharing their story. If you are in need of design work with fast turnaround, check out Awesomic (https://www.awesomic.io/). #startups #ukraine #ukrainewar Musicbed SyncID: MB01LSVGRU5Q4OU Musicbed SyncID: MB01E6YSQHGXKHW Musicbed SyncID: MB01P2W20SKQLBF Chapters (Powered by https://bit.ly/chapterme-yc) - 00:00 - Introduction 00:45 - Awesomic typical day 01:56 - Russia attacks Ukraine 03:03 - Focus and executing emergency plan 04:03 - Hardest part of the war 05:00 - Getting people to safe place 06:05 - Growing the business 06:57 - Startup mode
Segments Timeline
A Birthday in the Bunker
Stacy and Roman, founders of Awesomic, recount the surreal experience of celebrating a birthday in a bunker during the early days of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. They describe the chaos of missile alarms and the stark contrast between their startup life and the reality of war, highlighting the emotional toll of living under constant threat.
"2 am we have alarm system we screaming like a hell it sounds like this this sound in the middle of the night signified a russian missile had struck close by it was february 28th and russia's invasion ..."
The Start of the Invasion
On February 24th, the day Russia attacked Ukraine, Stacy and Roman share their immediate reactions and the urgency of evacuating their team. They detail the panic and stress of the first days, emphasizing the need for a well-prepared emergency plan to ensure the safety of their team amidst the chaos of war.
"the two founders spent their time building their startup typical day was kind of like uh as a hustle founders mainly it was like spending your work time in the office meeting new people talking to peo..."
Executing the Emergency Plan
Stacy and Roman discuss the importance of having an emergency plan in place as they navigate the panic and stress of the invasion. They describe their robotic focus on executing the plan step by step, which helped them manage the chaos and prioritize the safety of their team during the initial days of the conflict.
"these are among the darkest hour for europe since the end of world war ii i work at 7 00 am from my mom called she said the war started go away to save place i just i called stacy and woke her up and ..."
The Emotional Toll of War
The founders reflect on the emotional impact of witnessing the horrors of war, particularly the images from Bucha. They share their personal struggles with trauma and the difficulty of processing the reality of the situation, emphasizing the deep personal connections they have to the people affected by the conflict.
"escalation once the two founders found safety for themselves their concerns and focus shifted to their sonic team to be to be honest the first days were so much about panic and stress for the people w..."
Evacuating Team Members
Stacy and Roman detail their efforts to evacuate team members from occupied cities, including the use of 'kamikaze drivers' to navigate dangerous areas. They describe the fear and urgency of ensuring the safety of their people, highlighting the challenges faced in coordinating evacuations during the ongoing conflict.
"photos from bucha were listed what i had was a week of uh actually staring at the wolf it was the week where i it was hard for me to focus i was staring most of the time just at the wall thinking my t..."
Startup Mode in a War Zone
Despite the ongoing war, Stacy and Roman discuss their commitment to growing Awesomic and supporting their community. They describe the unique atmosphere of a country in 'startup mode,' where everyone is focused on contributing to the economy and supporting each other during the crisis.
"occupied city already we're so happy that we just have them safety threats are the most important so if there are some any new common safety threats we see in some region where our people or where we ..."
Building a Resilient Future
The founders express their optimism for the future of Ukraine and their plans for rebuilding the country post-war. They emphasize the strength and resilience of the Ukrainian people, highlighting the importance of unity and support in overcoming the challenges posed by the invasion.
"bake them and give them for free so you can do anything but it's it's very special atmosphere i would say startup mode but on a counter scale that countrywide startup mode has produced extraordinary r..."