Shaping the Future: Maryna Marynkevych on Industry Trends and the Evolution of Venture Capital Using AI

Maryna, your professional career began in PR and marketing communications, where you held management positions in advertising agencies and large companies. You managed campaigns for global brands, presidential candidates, spiritual leaders and celebrities. What led you to the world of innovation?

That’s a great question! I believe that there are no coincidences. I was part of the MultiplexDX team, which provides diagnostic kits that prevent cancer misdiagnosis. There I was responsible for marketing strategy and communications.

The biotech startup quickly gained industry recognition, securing funding and accolades such as Horizon 2020, an ERC grant, CESAwards, FutureNow, Webaward, New Europe 100, JCI CYI and Vodafone Idea of ​​the Year.

I was honored to receive a CESAward as part of the team, and it was there that I first connected with a vibrant community of visionaries. I remember thinking, “This is where the future unicorns will come from—the next Uber, Facebook, and Amazon.” After that, there was no turning back.

Your experience in innovation is quite diverse. How do you juggle the roles of investor, startup founder, advisor, mentor, and community stakeholder?

In the venture capital industry, you often see people wearing multiple hats. For example, a private investor might spend a few weeks studying a project, then check in quarterly after investing. Being a partner in a fund often requires less than a full-time commitment, and having a strong events team allows for effective management of parallel projects.

I started as an ecosystem stakeholder, bringing EuroAsian Startup Awards to Ukraine. Then I joined the fantastic Startup. Networking team and helped scale Unicorn Events (Battles), which became the largest global pitching competition this year.

You’ve probably seen hundreds of startup presentations around the world. Do you know how many?

I once counted over 2,000 presentations before I stopped counting! The highlight of these events was the meeting of innovative visionaries from all over the world. Statistically, the US leads in the number of unicorns, followed by China, India, Latin America, the UK, and then Israel.

You paint a beautiful picture that many people would like to be a part of — a picture where unicorns flourish and new startups emerge.

Absolutely! I believe that the AI ​​boom will open doors for anyone who wants to start a business. You don’t even have to know how to code to create a platform or an IT solution. I think that in the near future we will see a significant increase in the number of incubators that will provide aspiring entrepreneurs with the support and knowledge they need to grow their startups from the ground up.

What impact do you think this will have on the venture capital industry?

I believe that the growing number of entrepreneurs will lead to more investors entering the scene. Historically, startup investment was limited to venture capitalists and angel investors. However, this landscape began to change with the emergence of crowdfunding platforms like Kickstarter, which opened the door to early-stage investment. The emergence of Web3 and Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) has created another wave of retail investment opportunities.

I predict that within the next decade, one in three people you meet will be a startup founder or investor.

What is more common: startup founders becoming investors, or investors becoming founders?

I often see the first scenario where successful entrepreneurs move on to investing. It’s a natural progression. Some of my favorites include Marc Andreessen, Peter Thiel, Ashton Kutcher, and Alex Rodriguez. Personally, my experience managing startups has greatly shaped the way I identify promising ventures.

ANDWhat is your “secret recipe” for spotting a promising startup?

You know, there’s no one size fits all. It really depends on the stage of the startup and who’s looking. An angel investor who takes a lot of initial risk might have a different approach than a venture capital fund with a team of experts and analysts.

Angels can look for traction, trust their intuition, and even play the numbers game with multiple investments. What about me? After years in this game, I have developed a kind of professional sixth sense. I believe this “intuition” is a form of emotional intelligence. It can’t always be explained logically, but it pays off in the long run!

AND What are the warning signs that a startup might be headed for trouble?

Great question! You know, the startup graveyard is pretty crowded, and there are usually three main causes of death: market failures, empty wallets, and team breakdowns.

An idea may sound like pure genius in a brainstorming room, but the real test is when it hits the market. It’s like throwing a party—you only know if it’s a hit if people show up and stay.

Here’s the key: When people start talking about your product and you don’t have to shout it from the rooftops, that’s when you know you have something special. It’s like having a secret sauce that everyone wants to try. And what if you do? Well, a small marketing budget can turn that spark into a wildfire. It’s all about lighting those flames at the right time.

I’ve noticed you often refer to the market. Is that because of your marketing background?

Absolutely. My background in marketing helps a lot. I like to compare marketing to surfing: if a startup catches the right wave at the right time and does well, it can be a breakthrough.

Speaking of myths and realities of the world of innovation, what are the most common mistakes?

In the case of a startup, this is when the founders overestimate their project in terms of capitalization and expect, say, a few million in investment before entering the market. They do not understand how the investment vehicle works, which gradually moves from smaller to larger rounds.

Innovation often creates buzz, but the reality can be different. Remember the hype around chatbots replacing mobile apps, iPads replacing computers, or drones revolutionizing delivery? While these innovations certainly shook things up, true disruption takes time. Infrastructure, laws, digital readiness, and other factors often slow down adoption of even the most exciting innovations.

AND What’s shaking up the innovation industry right now?

AI, no doubt. It’s both a game-changer and an enigma. While we can’t predict exactly how it will play out, we can see some clear signs of how AI will likely change our markets. It’s like trying to guess the plot of a movie based on the trailer alone — exciting, but also a little stressful!

Another challenge is that the startup world has hit a roadblock in 2023 and 2024 because

Equity funding in VC-backed companies has been significantly reduced. As a result, many decent Biotech and DeepTech startups have dropped out of the race before they hit revenue. Many other startups have had to significantly reduce their valuation. I believe that this situation will change for the better soon.

Do you have any exciting plans on the horizon?

Absolutely! The best is yet to come. We are in the process of creating a multi-strategy investment fund. I have worked with some fantastic entrepreneurs: Alice Serebrianyk, Roman Ilchenko and Eric Kadyrov. Together we have created a group of companies (Major Key Group) that offer consulting and marketing expertise to help promising companies grow, scale and secure financing.

We have a number of projects in the pipeline that we believe will have a real impact on the innovation space. We are also diving into cutting-edge digital initiatives. One of them is developing RWA tokenization and innovative digital banking solutions to streamline governance processes and drive economic development for governments. This area is full of future opportunities and everyone is really excited about it. The potential here is huge!