I came to the US 12 years ago to fulfill my biggest dream: building a company. Dreaming big works, but back then it was scary, and I doubted my plan. My first startup pitch was at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View. I barely spoke good English and wondered how I'd present on stage.
Years later, I launched an immersive startup to simplify creating virtual tours after seeing how complex it was. It grew into a significant business, raising $3M and drawing hundreds of thousands of VR creators. Our platform served educators, photographers, content professionals, and journalists, allowing them to upload, create, sell, and buy high-quality VR content. Despite the traction, it didn't last. It was tough, but worth it.
After the startup, I transitioned to a consultant position at the World Bank Group, focusing on VR and Edtech development. I love this role: it's really inspiring. But my entrepreneurial spirit and my initial dream of building a successful company still keep me up at night.
Here's what I did to overcome the challenges:
Find like-minded people. Participating in the startup community was a game-changer. Local accelerator programs were an amazing opportunity to get back on track and start building again. They helped me realize I'm not alone. There are so many other founders out there, each with dreams, struggles, and wins.
Find your niche and keep building. We had built Edtech products and LMS in the past, revealing a major bottleneck: converting content into interactive modules is labor-intensive. Transferring skills is hard, so I pivoted the idea and focused on one single niche: helping IT, support, and sales teams build onboarding and compliance courses with ease.
Secure support. With great mentors and a supportive network, I received support from local programs and innovation grants and built the initial product.
Lessons learned along the way:
Previous products were too broad and barely competed with market leaders. Building custom e-learning solutions was not easy, and even with a great team, resources didn't guarantee success.
Technology has advanced. It used to take longer to build, design, and adapt products. Now, with available frameworks, automation tools, and AI support, product teams can execute faster. We rebuilt Konstantly from scratch and keep building it quickly.
Support matters. We have strong support from the local network and major clients. This keeps me encouraged, and we're working on building exciting features that I will announce very soon.
Looking back, I see how each step was connected, even when it seemed impossible. Every struggle was a step toward where I am today: building a startup that helps people make knowledge universally accessible. I am stronger, wiser, and kinder because I know what it's like to leap towards your dreams.