Adapting, Innovating, Leading: Lessons from Nikolai Strakh’s Entrepreneurial Path

Discover how Nikolai Strakh, startup mentor, and entrepreneur founder of the largest Russian-speaking tech network, transformed his passion for bringing people together into an international tech success story, inspiring professionals to adapt and excel in any environment. 

The curtain has just fallen on the Tech Flow event, which featured Max Roslyakov, Founder of Xamsor Inc and former SVP of Marketing at Semrush, an American company developing a tool for improving online marketing and SEO. It brought together entrepreneurs, startup founders, tech talents, marketing, product professionals, and innovators. We spoke with its founder, Nikolai Strakh about his journey—from organizing one of Europe’s largest amateur football tournaments to building successful ventures across borders—which offers valuable lessons for entrepreneurs navigating today’s tech and business challenges.

Nikolai, Tech Flow has become a hub for innovation, attracting speakers and participants from diverse professional backgrounds. How did you approach creating a platform that could resonate so strongly with such a varied audience? 

The idea for Tech Flow came from my experience of building communities and fostering collaboration. When I moved to the U.S., I noticed a gap in opportunities for Russian-speaking tech professionals to connect and share insights. I wanted to create a space where people could exchange knowledge, network, and grow together. Tech Flow has grown beyond my expectations, hosting 20 events with more than 550 participants, including industry leaders. It’s incredibly rewarding to see it evolve into a platform that bridges cultural and professional gaps.

Your career spans from organizing one of Europe’s largest amateur football tournaments to founding a leading digital studio in Russia and now building Tech Flow in the U.S. How have these diverse experiences shaped your approach to launching successful ventures? 

Thank you! My journey has always been about building communities and creating impactful projects. During my university years, I organized a football tournament that grew to host nearly 5,000 participants, making it the third largest in Europe. This experience taught me the power of community and collaboration. Later, I founded Func, a leading digital studio in Russia, where we worked on innovative projects that gained recognition. When I moved to the U.S., I wanted to channel that same energy into creating a platform for Russian-speaking tech professionals, which led to the birth of Tech Flow.

Before Tech Flow, you had a significant role at the Internet Initiatives Development Fund (IIDF), which allowed you to mentor early-stage startups, many of which face challenges like unrealistic expectations and market misalignment. How did working with such teams shape your understanding of startup ecosystems? 

Working with early-stage startups at IIDF was an eye-opener. Many founders have incredible enthusiasm but often lack a grounded understanding of the business realities they are entering. One common misconception is that a great product alone will guarantee success. While working with the fund I helped these teams identify gaps, such as underestimating marketing costs or overestimating customer adoption rates.

One crucial lesson I learned was the importance of focusing on unit economics early in the process. It’s not enough to dream big—you need to break your vision down into tangible, testable hypotheses. This approach allowed teams to validate their ideas quickly and, in some cases, pivot before investing heavily in unworkable solutions. It also helped me develop a structured methodology for assessing a startup’s potential, which I still use today when advising entrepreneurs.

One of the startups you mentored at IIDF pivoted from its initial concept to an enterprise-focused HR software solution, which later gained significant traction. What role did you play in that transformation, and how did this experience influence your approach to working with startups? 

This particular startup’s journey stands out as a great example of the value of adaptability and data-driven decision-making. When I first worked with them, their initial idea lacked focus and a clear target audience. During our sessions, we identified enterprise clients as a promising segment and developed a strategy to build an HR solution specifically tailored to their needs. The pivot involved leveraging Telegram bots for automation, which was an innovative approach at the time.

I also helped them sharpen their value proposition, understand their market through research, and ensure their business model could be profitable as they grew. This experience taught me the importance of staying in tune with market needs and being open to making necessary changes. It also highlighted how vital it is for founders to balance big ideas with practical execution—a lesson I always stress when advising startups.

You’ve been a speaker and judge at events. At “Stachka,” an international IT conference, you spoke about investment strategies in collaboration with Microsoft and IIDF. Which event had the most profound impact on your career, and what insights did you gain from it? 

Several events were pivotal but in different ways. For example, “Startup Exchange” allowed me to mentor entrepreneurs and evaluate innovative projects. The hands-on experience of engaging with diverse startups broadened my understanding of emerging trends and strengthened my ability to provide constructive feedback.

“Stachka” was impactful on a much larger scale as it was a platform to address a wide audience of tech professionals. My talk focused on how Microsoft and IIDF collaborated to support startups, highlighting investment strategies and development best practices. It was a chance to connect with an audience deeply involved in shaping the tech landscape and to share actionable insights that resonated with them.

Your consultancy work with Tikkurila, belonging to PPG Industries, led to significant advancements, such as automating B2C e-commerce and digitalizing supply chain operations. What challenges did you face while implementing these solutions, and how did these projects shape your approach to technology and business alignment? 

At Tikkurila, the challenge was not just to build an e-commerce platform but to create a groundbreaking solution that could scale seamlessly across a network of distributors operating in diverse markets. The task involved designing a “master site” system—essentially a customizable template that allowed distributors to quickly and efficiently deploy their own localized online stores without sacrificing brand consistency or user experience. This innovative approach enabled Tikkurila to unify its digital presence while catering to the specific needs of different regions, ensuring that every distributor had access to cutting-edge tools to engage their customers.

The project stood out not only for its technical complexity but also for its strategic impact. By combining automation with a deep understanding of market dynamics, the solution streamlined operations, reduced costs, and empowered distributors to focus on growth. This initiative became a showcase of how forward-thinking digital strategies can transform traditional industries, setting new standards for operational efficiency and customer engagement.

After successfully building Tech Flow in the U.S., which now attracts participants from Fortune 500 companies and government agencies, what advice would you offer to entrepreneurs starting ventures in foreign markets and navigating challenges like limited funding or connections? 

First, take the time to deeply understand the local ecosystem. Learn its nuances, build relationships, and identify opportunities that align with your unique strengths. For me, this meant leveraging my background to create something valuable for the Russian-speaking tech community in the U.S.

Second, focus on building genuine connections. Networking isn’t about collecting business cards; it’s about creating relationships that lead to mutual growth. Finally, don’t hesitate to lean into your uniqueness. Your background and experiences can set you apart and open doors that others might not see. It’s about finding the balance between adapting to a new environment and staying true to what makes you, you.

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