Lyuba Guk & David Gilgur: Ukrainian Startups and the Global Tech Landscape | Episode 35

Nothing Ventured

On this episode of Nothing Ventured, Aarish Shah interviews Lyuba Guk and David Gulka, co-founders of Blue Lake, a VC firm supporting immigrant founders in the UK. They discuss the resilience of the Ukrainian ecosystem, transitioning from SMEs to investing in migrant founders, the prevalence of migrants in founding unicorn ventures, and the importance of building a community for international founders. The conversation touches on the challenges and rewards of being a founder, emphasizing the need for VCs to focus on investing. Additionally, they highlight their free ecosystem initiative, International Office Hours 3.0, which is now open for applications and aimed at supporting international founders. For more information, visit https://www.internationalfounders.co.uk Timestamps: 00:00 - Introduction to Nothing Ventured Podcast 00:11 - Overview of Blue Lake VC Firm 00:29 - Resilience in the Ukrainian Ecosystem 01:07 - Building a Super Community for International Founders 02:07 - Impact of the Russian Invasion on Ukrainian Founders 05:25 - Shift to Military and Defense Tech in Ukraine 07:12 - Opportunities for Investors in the Ukrainian Ecosystem 10:49 - Personal Reflections on the Invasion 14:42 - Evolution of Blue Lake from Accelerator to VC Firm 18:08 - Challenges of Founder Education 20:27 - Overeducation and the Founder Journey 24:24 - The Illusion of Universal Founder Success 25:36 - Transition from Accelerator to Investment Focus 26:38 - Blue Lake's Syndicate Investment Model 29:18 - Traits of Successful Migrant Founders 32:32 - Community Support for Migrant Founders 35:53 - Resilience and Grit in Migrant Founders 38:28 - Fragmented Immigrant Communities 41:07 - Geographic Spread of Migrant Founders 44:12 - Potential of the African Startup Ecosystem 47:35 - Future Expansion Plans for Blue Lake