A new video project, “Don’t Waste My Time,” is launching in Ukraine — a series of honest and unfiltered interviews with leading investors, created for startup founders. The goal of the project is to provide Ukrainian startups and entrepreneurs with clear guidelines from active investors and help them better prepare for dialogue with the venture capital world. Through candid conversations, experts explain why some startups attract investment while others fail, and what mistakes are most often fatal.
The series features 11 episodes on topics including: Sales or Die, Great Product — Client Value, Your Competitors Are Smarter Than You, The Silent Startup Killer, The Investors Hate You, No Plan — No Funding, The Red Flags, Customer Development, and a bonus episode, Persistence Beats Everything.
Among the speakers are well-known investors and entrepreneurs:
- Natalia Anon, Angel Investor, CEO and Founder of Svitla Systems
- Adrian Slywotzky, Angel Investor, Renowned Business Futurist and Consultant, Partner at Oliver Wyman, Author of “Davyd Peremahaye”
- Ivan Petrenko, Serial Entrepreneur, Managing Partner at Angel One Fund, CEO of Ideas Center UCU
Their candid insights and examples will serve as a valuable reference for startups seeking to raise investment and scale their businesses. A special bonus of the project is an exclusive episode with the legendary Steve Blank, author of the Customer Development methodology and one of the most influential figures in entrepreneurship, often called the “Godfather of Silicon Valley.”
“This project was created so that Ukrainian founders could hear the truth without embellishment. Investors always see more than meets the eye, and honest answers to uncomfortable questions can save startups months, and sometimes years, of mistakes. We will not show glossy success stories, but candid conversations about why some startups attract investment while others remain stuck at the starting line,” said Ivan Petrenko, Managing Partner of Angel One Fund and CEO of Ideas Center UCU.
New episodes will be released at UCU Business School YouTube Channel. The first episode, titled “You’re Way Too Slow,” is already available on YouTube. In it, investors share their views on why speed of execution and the ability to scale are critical for startups.
The video project Don’t Waste My Time was created at the initiative of the Ideas Center of the Ukrainian Catholic University (Ideas Center UCU) and the venture capital fund Angel One Fund.
The project was supported by the Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute and Vilni Media.
Information partners: Ukrainian Startup Fund, UCU Business School, UCU-online.
