Panel discussion: Money, metrics, illusions: what's behind business scaling [ukr]
Everyone dreams of scaling up, but they don't always understand whether every business is ready for it. Let's talk about the growth of companies, what strategies work in 2025, and why sometimes “holding the line” is more profitable than “driving growth.”
- Key questions:
- When is scaling an opportunity and when is it a business trap?
- How to understand that a company is ready for growth?
- Is it possible to grow without losing profitability?
- What metrics really show effective growth?
- In 2025, is it better to grow fast or steadily?
Vadym Vlasenko
Preply, Director of Engineering
- Technology leader with people, engineering, product, and business expertise
- Currently is a Director of engineering at Preply on a mission to unlock human potential through language learning
- 15 years in IT at SDL, Vista, Intellias, and Preply with a strong focus on making the best products and high-performing teams
- Has strong expertise in developing data-intensive high-load systems and mobile applications
- Speaker at international conferences and various meet-ups in Spain and Ukraine
Julia Nefodova
Founder & CEO, Affemity at Quarks
- Founder and CEO of Affemity — an international psychological platform for women focused on relationships, personal transformation, and self-realization.
- 8+ years of experience in management, marketing, and startup launches, including 2+ years as a founder of a tech product. Combines strategic vision, a product-driven mindset, and a strong team culture.
- Ambassador of Tytanovi — a center for osseointegration prosthetics, post-amputation adaptation, and the athletic and cultural rehabilitation of veterans.
- Works at the intersection of business, psychology, and technology, with a focus on creating solutions that foster cultures of efficiency, responsibility, and female agency within teams and society.
- LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram
Kateryna Doroshevska
Founder at BECOME PR agency
- 15+ years in communications and PR, helping business leaders build trust and visibility through personal branding in Ukraine and globally
- Expert in “Strategic PR and Business Communications” at Diia.Business, member of WCFA World Communication Forum Association Davos and Aspen Institute Kyiv community
- Collaborated with UNDP projects, Ukrsibbank, Kyivstar TV, Megogo, Halia Baluvana; agency portfolio includes 74 clients from 16 countries
- Featured clients in Ukrainian and international editions of Forbes, ELLE, Vogue, and 80+ other media outlets. Together with her team, secured over 950 media publications for clients
- In 2024, received the Women Innovators Award from EIT - European Institute of Innovation and Technology (Budapest) and the Voice of New Era recognition (Vienna). Her agency also won Best PR Case in the "Best Digital Campaign" category by MMR - Media Marketing Review
- LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram
