The first time I visited Kyiv was in March 2019. I got an invitation from the management team to take a look at the UNIT.City project and to make a final decision as to whether I wanted to join. Because prior to getting the offer to become CEO, all I knew about Ukraine were those three notorious ‘C’s’ – Chernobyl, Crimea, and Corruption.
Due to my engagement in the tech sector, I was well aware of deep tech talents emanating from Ukraine. In Silicon Valley, I have often heard compliments in the direction of Ukrainian developers. Nevertheless, I had the common perception created by the US media telling unflattering stories about the former Soviet Union, in which Ukraine was being mentioned all the time.
When my plane landed at Kyiv’s Boryspil Airport, I took an Uber (oh, Uber is operating here also, which is great!) and made my way downtown. I was awe struck as I saw something different from what I’ve been told at home. Posh cars, well-dressed people, fancy restaurants. It felt like I was in Berlin or in Prague. A truly cosmopolitan city!
