Age: 32

Origin: Kyiv, Ukraine

Based in: San Francisco, USA

Education: Kyiv Polytechnic Institute

Occupation: CEO and Co-Founder, Petcube

Yaroslav Azhnyuk is one of the most prominent Ukrainian entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley. He is the founder of Petcube, a unique startup that addresses an important aspect of people’s lives, which is often overlooked in the business community. Petcube offers a range of products that allow pet owners to connect with their animals remotely, tackling the issues of pet separation anxiety. The smart devices feature cameras, food dispensers and entertainment options, which allow users to interact with their pets while they are away. Combining modern technology with a traditional aspect of human lives, Petcube featured rapid growth since its foundation, earning recognition for Yaroslav Azhnyuk.

Azhnyuk spent his childhood and early years in Kyiv, where his passion for entrepreneurship first surfaced. Having graduated from the Kyiv Polytechnic Institute with a degree in Applied Mathematics in 2011, Azhnyuk did not anticipate the pace and scale with which his career would develop.

The first industry which Azhnyuk pursued was marketing and social media management. While still at university, he founded his first project, SM digital, in 2008. From the beginning, Azhnyuk showcased entrepreneurial acumen and leadership skills, quickly scaling his venture to develop a social media strategy for some of Ukraine’s largest companies. In less than two years, SM digital was acquired by Prodigi, one of Ukraine’s biggest digital marketing agencies. He joined the company as well, leading the SMM department, and worked in Prodigi until 2012.

It was in 2012, after leaving that job, that Azhnyuk’s main entrepreneurial venture began. After he was shown a simple device by his friend, Oleksandr Neskin, Azhnyuk decided that it could become a scalable business idea. The device featured a camera and a laser pointer, allowing Neskin to play with his dog remotely, tackling the issue of neighbours’ complaintsabout a pet’s barking and boredom while its owners are away. This device became a prototype for the main offering of Petcube, a company founded by Azhnyuk, Neskin and designer Andrey Klen in 2012.

After spending months in developing and polishing the main product, Azhnyuk and the team announced a crowdfunding campaign to get their venture off the ground. In 2013, they raised $250,000 on Kickstarter in just over 40 days and were able to launch production and sales of the first Petcube device. In 2014, Azhnyuk left Ukraine for San Francisco to open the company’s first office, while maintaining a team of developers in Kyiv.

In the U.S., Azhnyuk and the team were able to expose the startup to many more investment opportunities. Over the course of the next few years, Petcube raised funds from the most prominent accelerators and funds, including Y Combinator and Almaz Capital, attracting over $14 million in total. This allowed Azhnyuk to make multiple strategic partnerships and acquisitions in order to scale the business and develop new products.

As of today, Azhnyuk’s company is one of the leaders in the niche category of pet digital products, offering four devices as well as subscription-based services for pet owners. Despite its relative success, Azhnyuk has an ambitious vision for the future of his company.

Petcube is operating within the rapidly developing Internet of Things sphere. Azhnyuk’s vision is to make use of technological advancement in order to better connect and understand people’s pets, by “giving them a voice”. Having sold hundreds of thousands of devices, Petcube is able to collect and analyse large amounts of data about pets’ behaviour. Using artificial intelligence, Azhnyuk hopes that in near future, Petcube’s algorithms would be able to distinguish abnormal behaviour and provide recommendations, such as visiting a vet or offering a different product or service developed by Petcube.

Yaroslav Azhnyuk has received numerous awards and successfully run a company of 100 employees. At the same time, he sets an example as a socially responsible entrepreneur. Azhnyuk considers his mission to promote opportunities for Ukrainian entrepreneurs, creating an environment to develop ideas, innovate and collaborate, free of corruption and stereotypes. Since 2008, he has been a managing director of Internet initiatives, an NGO advocating for the development of the Internet and the use of new technologies in business. Azhnyuk is keen to continue his advocacy and educational role and in addition, he does not rule out a return to Ukraine to pursue significant social and political projects.

Quote: “Another feature of Ukraine lies in the fact that the potential for the development of small and medium-sized businesses is in our DNA. If we create normal conditions, or if we just do not interfere and remove barriers, we can get very interesting results.”

Sources: UKRINFORM.NET, BUSINESS.UA, FORBES.COM, LINKEDIN.COM, KYIVPOST.COM, AIN.UA.