Startup Mentor, Silicon Valley

Raising is the hard part. I’ve done it three times.

Three exits. Over $5M raised from angels, VCs, and the crowd. I built the e-bike that holds a Guinness World Record. Everything on this page is a real link.

Book a free strategy session

30 minutes. No pitch, no obligations.

Portrait pending

Proof, not promises

As seen in

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Where founders get stuck

What we can fix together

Fundraising and pitch

Your pitch is not landing. Investors go quiet after the first meeting.

We rebuild the narrative, the deck, and the room, then drill the Q&A until it is boring.

Raised $5M+ across angels, VCs, accelerators, and crowdfunding. 500 Global batch 33. Pitched at YC. Judge at Unicorn Battle Silicon Valley.

US market entry

You built something real outside the US and now need to make it work here.

We map the path from outside-US traction to a story Silicon Valley investors recognize.

Made the move myself: Kazakhstan, then Ukraine, then Silicon Valley. Built and sold VisaNow.AI, an immigration platform, for $11.4M.

Crowdfunding

Crowdfunding looks like free money until you try to actually run a campaign.

We plan the pre-launch list, the page, the press push, and the fulfillment math before you take a single dollar.

Raised $3.4M in a single campaign on Fundable plus $165,800 on Kickstarter. Coverage: AIN.

Hardware scaling

You have a working prototype. Manufacturing, logistics, and distribution are a different problem entirely.

We work through sourcing, unit economics, and the first market launches with someone who has shipped it.

Took Delfast from $0 to $8M in sales across 40+ countries in 5 years. Built the e-bike that holds a Guinness World Record for distance on a single charge: 228 miles. Forbes Fastest Electric Bike, 2021 and 2022.

Sell or pivot

You do not know if you should keep pushing, pivot, or sell.

We pressure-test the option you are avoiding and decide with numbers, not fear.

Sold 3 companies: best.ua, Delfast Delivery, VisaNow.AI. Three different exits, three different reasons.

Book a free strategy session

60 seconds on how I got here

From gas stations in Kazakhstan to Silicon Valley

I started as a geophysicist in Kazakhstan, then moved into building out a fuel station network for KazMunayGas that grew from 9 to 500 stations before it was sold.

Kyiv came next. I built and sold best.ua, hosted a radio show called "Startup for a Million" on Europa Plus for 19 episodes, and spent a season doing theater on the side, because building companies alone gets lonely.

Then Delfast: an electric bike company that went from $0 to $8M in sales across 40+ countries in 5 years. I built the e-bike that holds a Guinness World Record for distance on a single charge: 228 miles (367 km). The bike also set a speed record at Bonneville. I sold the company in 2020.

I moved to the US during the war in Ukraine. Built VisaNow.AI, an AI platform for immigration cases, and sold it to JustiGuide in 2026 for $11.4M.

Now building CoreElement.AI. Mentoring founders is the constant across all of it: I started in 2013 and never stopped.

$5M+ total raised (angels, VC, accelerators, crowd)
20,000+ founders and students mentored
3 US patents
2.5B media impressions
500 Global batch 33
NVIDIA Inception member

iForum stage

Record-setting bike

Silicon Valley

What mentees say

Testimonials

How it works

Three steps, no fluff

1

Free strategy session, 30 minutes

We go through your business and find the one thing actually blocking you.
2

Ongoing mentorship

If it is a fit, we set up monthly sessions, network access, and async support between calls.
3

Focused sprints

Pitch deck, investor Q&A training, crowdfunding campaign prep. Scoped and time-boxed.

Who this is for

Early-stage founders who want to do the work, not just hear about it
Hardware and deep-tech founders
Founders planning a crowdfunding campaign
International founders entering the US market

Who this is not for

Founders looking for a magic fix
Founders looking for an investor "through a connection"
Anyone who wants a deck without doing the thinking behind it

Track record

Mentoring since 2013. 20,000+ founders and students taught.

Alchemist Accelerator
Signal, Founding Mentor ↗
Startupbootcamp
Intelligent People
MinT

Jury: Unicorn Battle Silicon Valley, Startup Weekend, BarCamp.

Full record

Track record, in full

The tiles above are the short version. This is the full ledger. Where a public link exists, it is live.

Companies and exits

best.ua Founded, sold in 2014 (exit 1 of 3). AIN, web archive ↗

Best UA + The Best Magazine M&A deal, 2011. AIN, web archive ↗

Delfast Delivery First 1-hour delivery from online stores; franchised into 3 countries; sold after 6 years (2020, exit 2 of 3). SMK Group ↗, CFTS ↗, InVenture ↗, AutoGeek ↗

Delfast Bikes Sales from $0 to $8M in 5 years, 40+ countries. Riders and clients: Mexico City police, Ukraine’s armed forces, Uber Eats, DoorDash, US police, US Air Force. coverage in Press below

In Charge One Founded, raised investment from 500 Global in the Valley, pilots in SF and LA. youtu.be ↗

VisaNow.AI Founded (Nov 2024), sold to JustiGuide for $11.4M (Jan 2026, exit 3 of 3). no public announcement yet

Adlog TV Co-founded, 2013. AIN, web archive ↗

X-Rift AR game, CEO 2013-2014, European App Award. AIN, web archive ↗

CoreElement.AI Founded (Oct 2025), NVIDIA Inception member, active. separate brand, not linked from this site

Before startups

KazMunayGas, 2002-2009, Astana Head of Product & Infrastructure Scale. Grew the gas station network from 9 to 500+ across the country, later sold.

Real estate Deals across 30 land parcels and properties worth $800M+. Development projects in Kazakhstan, Russia, Singapore, and Thailand: built and sold.

Baisal residential complex, Almaty Authored the concept. Sold out 100% at 2.2x market price.

mp.kz, 2013 Head of Product & Operations. Grew annual revenue from $30M to $40M.

Records and awards

Guinness World Record 228 miles (367 km) on a single charge, on the electric bike Daniel’s company built. The record belongs to the bike. guinnessworldrecords.com ↗

Bonneville speed record Set by the same bike, at the Bonneville Salt Flats. YouTube ↗, LinkedIn ↗

Forbes Fastest Electric Bike 2021 and 2022, Delfast Top 3.0. Forbes 2020 ↗, Forbes 2021 ↗

Sustainability Hero of the Year 2022. LinkedIn ↗

EarthX EcoWarrior 2022. Facebook ↗

EBRD + Greencubator Climate Innovation Vouchers.

Best Mobile App, EECA 2013 X-Rift, Yerevan. AIN, web archive ↗

KZ Start Winner, Almaty.

mLab ECA Winner, Yerevan.

Unicorn Battle final Winner, Startup.Network, Kyiv.

Patents 3 US patents plus 3 Ukraine patents. US 1 ↗, US 2 ↗, US 3 ↗

Fundraising

Total raised $5M+ across angels, VCs, accelerators, and crowdfunding.

Crowdfunding $3.4M in one campaign, 300 investors. Fundable ↗, AIN ↗

Kickstarter $165,800. Kickstarter ↗

500 Global $200K, batch 33. LinkedIn ↗, youtu.be ↗

Angels ZAS Ventures and other known business angels.

Mentoring & jury duty

Mentoring founders since 2013. 20,000+ students, hundreds of startups.

Mentoring programs

Alchemist AcceleratorStartup Mentor, 2025 to present.

SignalFounding Mentor.joinsignal.ai ↗

StartupbootcampMentor.

Intelligent PeopleProduct Mentor.

Mentors in Tech (MinT)Mentor.

Jury duty

Unicorn BattleSilicon Valley, 2026.

Yerevan BarCamp2018.news.am ↗

Radio, school & speaking

Radio and school

Europa Plus, 107.0 FM, Kyiv Author and host, “Startup for a Million,” 19 episodes. Guests: Yaroslav Azhnyuk ↗, Vladimir Kalashnik ↗, Nikolai Palienko ↗. Archive, SoundCloud ↗

“Startup for a Million” workshop Author and lead trainer. Session 1 ↗, Session 2 ↗

Speaking, 100+ talks since 2012 (this list is 30 to 40% of the full record)

2025 MOST Business Incubator, Almaty.

2023 EarthX Dallas, moderator; SelectUSA; Green Summit, San Diego.

2022 EarthX Dallas, moderator. NADallas ↗, LinkedIn ↗.

2021 iForum, stadium, Kyiv ↗.

2019 5th European Congress of Local Authorities, Krakow, panel moderator, City Transportation.

2025 Consulate General of Kazakhstan in San Francisco.

2021 Reinvention Academy ↗.

2020 Kyiv Smart City Forum ↗; Startup Grind Global.

2019 Shevchenko National Technical University, Kyiv.

2018 PrivatBank Business Incubator KUB, Kharkiv, keynote and mentor; Marketing Jazz, Odessa; Yerevan BarCamp; Startup Ukraine Startup Camp, Verholy; Startup Ukraine “Start Your Business,” jury; Startup Battle Almaty, jury.

2017 PrivatBank Forum “Ukraine, the Country of Businessmen,” Kyiv; StartupKitchen, investor and expert; conference invitation video.

2016 iForum ↗; Codefest, Ohrid, Macedonia, speaker and jury; Franch Biz “Birth of a Legend,” Kyiv; Lviv Business School MSc in Technology Management, keynote; Central Asia FLEX-Ability StartQube, Bishkek; Startup School Incubator, Kyiv, founder and trainer; UNIT.City ↗.

2015-2016 Technation, Almaty, speaker, mentor, jury; E-commerce Congress, Kyiv, moderator; Business Camp “Made in Ukraine,” 2015-2019, annually; Zavtra.ua, 2016-2017.

2015 Eurasia Mobile Challenge, Almaty, keynote; Greencubator Climate LaunchPad; M-City Challenge, Almaty; IT Cluster Dnipropetrovsk ↗.

2014 Eastlabs and Eastlabs Gaming, expert and mentor; Microsoft YouthSpark, keynote; Global Startup Battle, Startup Weekend Odessa, Startup Weekend Ladies Kiev, Hack4Good, hackathons, mentor and jury; LifeHackDay, keynote ↗; MOST Business Incubator, Almaty; Greencubator TeslaCamp; European Cycle Logistics Federation Conference, Bilbao; Golden Bytes, 2014-2016, jury; I Coworking Hub, 2014-2015; Bitrix24 growth conferences, 2014-2019, multi-city tour.

2013-2016 Mobievent, Almaty, annually, speaker and moderator.

2013 Google Developers Group, Almaty.

2012 Bionic University, Kyiv, lecturer and jury ↗; Happy Farm, expert and mentor.

Also KPI (Kyiv Polytechnic Institute); Kyiv-Mohyla Business School; STEP IT Academy; BIONIC University; Chasopys ↗.

Press & writing

2.5B media impressions, 50+ outlets.

Tier 1

BloombergUkraine engineers create new electric bike model during war.bloomberg.com ↗

Bloomberg BNNThe electric bikes facing off against Putin’s war machine.bnnbloomberg.ca ↗

The Washington PostUkraine, Russia, war, electric bikes, weapons.washingtonpost.com ↗

The VergeUkraine tech workers and the Russian war.theverge.com ↗

TechCrunchCo-founders of Ukrainian startup Delfast discuss navigating through a crisis; smarter, powerful electric scooters and bikes at CES 2022. TC 1 ↗, TC 2 ↗

NY PostConsumer Electronics Show returns to Las Vegas.nypost.com ↗

DWUkrainian e-bike makers running a business amid the war.dw.com ↗

RFE/RLUkraine electric bikes, war, Russia, technology.rferl.org ↗

Forbes

Riding the ragged legal edge, 2020 ↗, Delfast reinvents the Dnepr, 2021 ↗, Ukrainian tech dodging bullets, 2022 ↗, Holiday gift guide, 2021 ↗, The California bike, 2022 ↗, Forbes KZ ↗

Writing

3 key lessons I’ve learned as a (mostly) unsuccessful businessman

AltexSoftHow to find product-market fit.altexsoft.com ↗

Rademade5 mentor’s tips for launching a startup.rademade.com ↗

Podcasts and interviews

Bloomberg TV2022.

Care More Be BetterHow Delfast e-bikes are making a positive environmental footprint and supporting Ukraine.caremorebebetter.com ↗

Enterprise Podcast NetworkUS-Ukrainian startup leverages e-bike innovation.epodcastnetwork.com ↗

Into TomorrowAt CES 2022.

GSD Venture StudiosInterview.

Education, certificates & accelerators

Education

Product Management, 2025 to 2026

Said Business School, AI Foundations, 2026

AI Product Management, 2026

Generative AI Software Engineering, 2026

Narxoz UniversityInternational Economic Relations, 1995 to 1999.

MGIMOInternational Law, 1999 to 2002.

DeepLearning.AIDeep Learning and Machine Learning Specializations, 2026.

Certificates

Stanford Building AI Products (Dr. Marily Nika); IBM RAG and Agentic AI; IBM Building AI Agents; IBM GenAI for Executives; Microsoft AI and ML Engineering; Microsoft Generative AI Engineering; Google AI Professional; NVIDIA AI Infrastructure and Operations.

Accelerators

Batch 33, 2023

Inception member

Grand FoundersMember.LinkedIn ↗

GSD Venture StudioMember.

Startup GrindAccelerator.

Beyond business

ULAW Ukrainian Leaders Against the War. Co-founder: entrepreneurs, diplomats, scientists engaging with Congress. Helped finalize $40B in Lend-Lease. LinkedIn ↗

YouTube 1.2M views on the main channel, plus 430K on a second channel.

FilmArtPlanet.ai Producer, AI film project.

Acting school Certified, Mikhail Kostrov studio. Certified, “Black Square” improv. Etude 1 ↗, Etude 2 ↗, Etude 3 ↗

“Black Square” Theater 2016 to 2019. Taught, performed, and judged candidates.

Questions

FAQ

What happens on the free session?: We spend 30 minutes on your business. By the end you will have a clear read on the one thing most worth fixing next.
Is it really free?: Yes. The first session costs nothing and comes with no obligation to continue.
What stage do you work with?: Pre-seed and seed. If you are earlier or later than that, tell me on the call and I will point you somewhere better.
Do you invest?: Not through this page. Sometimes I make an introduction to investors I know, but this site is about mentorship, not checks.
Do you work in Russian or Ukrainian?: Yes, both, alongside English.
How does ongoing mentorship work?: Monthly sessions, access to my network, and async support between calls. We set the cadence together after the first session.
Can you build my pitch deck?: Yes, as a scoped sprint alongside the mentorship, not as a one-off freelance job.
Do you speak at events?: Yes. See "Invite me to speak" in the footer.