Hey everyone, Pavlo here.
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As you might know, I am originally from Ukraine, and yesterday marked the third anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion.
Many of my friends are now in Kyiv—some are fighting, while others, like Mate academy’s co-founder, Roman, are building companies and creating jobs.
Last week, we sat down with him to talk about swapping big tech for startup life, moving from New York to Kyiv, scaling a company, and the importance of resilience.
Before you jump straight into the podcast, please consider supporting KOLO, a charity I co-founded. We provide Ukrainian defenders with high-tech equipment to help them win. To date, we have raised (and spent) more than $20 million.
What did I learn from Roman?
The Evolution of Mate academy
Mate academy started as an ISA (Income Share Agreement)-based company in Ukraine, where students paid a percentage of their salary only after securing a job.
It has since expanded to Poland, Brazil, and recently launched in the U.S.
“We started as an ISA company only. We were helping people to get jobs in tech in Ukraine… Over time, so far, we've placed 4,500 people in Ukraine, Poland, and Brazil.”
2. From Google to Startup Life
The transition from Google to Mate academy was driven by the desire for impact and speed.
“After six months, it was 2014, six months into my job at Google, I was depressed. I looked back at what I've done in six months, and I'm like, I've done nothing.”
“I was about to get promoted to L6, but then there was an opportunity to join Mate… At big companies, things are moving like very, very slowly.”
3. Scaling Challenges and Market Expansion
Mate academy attempted an English-speaking market strategy but pivoted after realizing the difficulty of teaching complex programming in a non-native language.
“We had two cohorts of students from different countries. Our first cohort actually started one week before full-scale Russian invasion.”
“Teaching programming in a non-native language for them… I have no idea how you do it.”
4. Differentiation from Competitors
Mate academy focuses more on employment outcomes compared to competitors in the bootcamp space.
“Most bootcamps, they are hesitant to actually focus that much on employment. And actually making sure people get jobs is what helps us to compete.”
5. Performance Review Inspired by Google
The company adopted a continuous performance review model, instead of Google’s twice-a-year system.
“What we changed at Mate, people can apply anytime for the performance review.”
6. Fundraising and VC Challenges
The biggest investor concern in EdTech is whether startups can scale quickly with capital.
“Is this truly a venture-backed business that can grow really big with a big amount of money?”
“We had an interview with Sam Altman… and we have an email from Sam that says, ‘We are sorry that we're not going to invest in Mate because we think Lambda will take over the world.’”
7. Resilience During the War
Running a company from Kyiv during the full-scale Russian invasion presents unique challenges.
“I want to decide where I live. And I don’t want Russia or Putin to decide where I’m going to be living.”
“If you keep all of the security protocols and you adhere to them, then you should be OK.”
8. The Power of Community Over Books
Networking and exchanging knowledge with colleagues in the industry are now more valuable than books.
“Books helped me a lot, like The Hard Thing About Hard Things, but now, networking, talking to people, exchanging ideas—that's what works best for me.”
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