Yasha Filippenko is exiting founder of Sailplay, a B2C marketing automation platform, and the founder of Intch, a professional social networking platform. Born in Kazakhstan and later moving to Russia, Yasha specialized in mathematics, a path that eventually led him into the realm of technology. His tech career kicked off at Yandex, Russia's largest search engine, providing him with invaluable industry insights and experiences. Yasha then moved on to launch his first company, navigating through a series of challenges before successfully exiting. His entrepreneurial journey didn't stop there; after a stint at a venture capital firm where he further honed his business acumen, he initiated his most recent venture, Intch.

In the interview, Yasha delves into an array of relevant and informative topics for young entrepreneurs, founders, business owners, and MBA students. He shares the story of his humble beginnings, providing listeners with a candid account of the twists and turns he encountered while building and exiting his first company. Yasha's experience in both startup and venture capital realms offers listeners valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities of launching and scaling a business. Furthermore, the journey of Intch, his latest venture, provides practical insights into the tenacity and vision required to sustain and grow a successful enterprise. This episode is a treasure trove of entrepreneurial wisdom, from understanding market dynamics to navigating venture capital, making it a must-listen for those keen on the entrepreneurial journey.

OUTLINE:

(00:00) Intro
(1:34) Early years in Kazakhstan in a tiny town
(4:00) Why I became obsessed with math
(7:58) How I began my interest in entrepreneurship
(12:30) What are the most important skills of a project manager?
(15:00) Getting started at Yandex
(18:45) “I can do it better” - my reason to become an entrepreneur
(22:03) The concept behind SailPlay
(26:00) Raising money and almost getting acquired
(30:00) Why our first acquisition fell apart
(37:14) What I learned from a failed acquisition
(43:05) What is product market fit?
(46:54) Fast nickels are better than slow dimes
(49:40) When the wire hit from our acquisition
(54:13) In an acquisition, the devil is in the details
(57:40) Why I went into venture capital
(59:40) Why I founded Intch
(1:09:45) How we are different than LinkedIn and Indeed
(1:16:42) LinkedIn is overrun with spam
(1:20:00) Fixing incentives for users on professional social media platforms
(1:28:00) Replacing employees with Chat GPT

EPISODE LINKS:

Sailplay: https://sailplay.net/
Intch: https://intch.org/
Yasha’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yfilippenko/

PODCAST INFO:

Podcast website: https://forwardobsessed.com/
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/forward-obsessed/id1615760781
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2TrkOZ7xL7WSlzc2mrwXuC?si=aa5e7790aca64e05
YouTube Full Episodes: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-ldUUGxQZ5b9WPqVXz_qlfXgK3hHPs4z
YouTube Clips: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-ldUUGxQZ5Yt0LiPml0y6pNUSrqHzWql

SUPPORT & CONNECT:

Digital Surgeons Website: https://digitalsurgeons.com
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@digitalsurgeons
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/digitalsurgeons
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/210497/

The Future Of Networking With Yasha Filippenko

Forward Obsessed