“Money flows as a function of storytelling.” - DTV

I love a good story. When I was a kid I smuggled books under the blanket and read way past lights out. The habit turned into an addiction when I read my first Paul Graham essay. Most people can relate to that.

How I Got Here

How I Got Here Grew up in Moscow. Moved to London. Then to the States. Worked in Uzbekistan, UAE, Israel, Zimbabwe, UK, USA, Moscow.

I’ve done 14 internships across labs, hospices, consulting, startups, communities, venture, and more. At university, I study everything… literally.

Science Business is my major. I’ve taken organic chemistry, physics, biology, ethics, finance, math, and “startups” (don’t recommend the last one; the best way to learn is to do). That mix taught me to talk to anyone. Work experience helped me connect. A happy accident.

I started eight companies and watched seven Lennies talk about rabbits while the sun went down (Of Mice and Men joke). If you had to Google it, yes, my humor is dark. Moving on.

Warning

I have raised, grown, shut down, fought, left, joined, advised, and yes, got fucked over. Every bruise was a lesson. If you’re doing startups, get ready for bruises. Some bruises you will never forget and I most certainly will never write about.

Startups are serious. That is the reality. You can go viral with rage bait. You can spam and be loud. At the end of the day you will be judged on your product. I dislike any startup that is unable to make a single monetary transaction or sign a LOI at the very least. Proving that someone is willing to pay for a product is probably the thing that breaks most first time founders.

Distribution always comes after product in my opinion.

Why This Exists

Some posts will be cautionary. Some will be notes I keep pinned in my head. Some will be perspective. Some will be bets that might be wrong. That is fine, because I am human and I make mistakes.

I also realized I need to get a bit better at story telling and hope that this will be a fun exercise. Everyone writes with ai these days and I would love to practice this skill more.

Mentorship and Advice

I mentor people I like. lol yes that is the filter.

A few hours every week, I spend time mentoring, as strangers did it for me. When i was younger I got advice that saved me or changed my life and advice that was useless or just straight up wrong.

I am grateful for both.

The mentors I respect never asked for equity. They cared about me and about the little crew I call my team. That is how I try to operate. Relationships first. Not everything is for sale, which is why I do this for free and refuse to take any money or equity. My favorite mentors didn’t so I am going to follow their example.

I cannot be everywhere at once. This is my way to help a few more founders that I may never meet. Any advice is based on my personal experience and does not guarantee anything.

House Rules

Vibe coding = Pushing code you do not understand and cannot explain. Vibe coding leads to vibe revenue. If you have zero idea what you are about to push, stop and watch a tutorial.

Don’t spam me with generic emails. Cold outreach is fine. Bad, lazy spam is not.

Over complication for ego. If you cannot explain it simply, you probably do not understand it.

No harmful or weapon projects. No drones with C4 strapped to them. Yes, someone pitched that. Yes, the deck had TAM, SAM, SOM, and a Problem slide. Still no.

Drama. Call me if you have my number, we will sort it out. Otherwise, keep moving.