From Siberia to Silicon Valley—One Woman's Startup Journey

Designing Successful Startups

Bio

Svetlana Kazantseva is a US-based entrepreneur and the founder of Strawberry Health, a women’s health startup empowering women to make proactive and data-driven health decisions.

A mother of 2 and the founder of 2 FemTech companies, she lived and worked in diverse locations such as Siberia, New Delhi, London, and California, and brings a unique global perspective to her work.

Svetlana is passionate about supporting women, she has established a thriving community of FemTech leaders in the San Francisco Bay Area. Additionally, she supports immigrant women facing language barriers through community initiatives.

Summary

In this conversation, Svetlana shares her remarkable journey from a small town in Siberia to becoming a founder and CEO in Silicon Valley. She discusses her passion for women's health, the transition from her first startup focused on environmental sustainability to her current venture, Strawberry Health, which aims to educate and support women regarding health conditions. Svetlana emphasizes the importance of community building in the FemTech industry and shares insights on balancing family life with entrepreneurship, highlighting how her diverse experiences have shaped her grit and determination.

Takeaways

• Svetlana's journey from Siberia to Silicon Valley showcases her diverse background.
• Her first startup focused on reducing plastic waste in feminine hygiene products.
• Strawberry Health was born from a need for education in women's health.
• Community building is crucial in the FemTech industry.
• Svetlana emphasizes the importance of in-person connections.
• Her experiences in different countries shaped her entrepreneurial approach.
• Balancing family life and work requires structure and discipline.
• Svetlana's grit comes from her international moves and challenges faced.
• The revenue model for Strawberry Health targets corporate partnerships.
• Svetlana believes that having children has made her more organized.

Sound Bites

"You're really adding to the diversity that I have going on."

"I moved to India. I moved to a city close to New Delhi."

"I started with the period products because it was a very personal problem for me."

Links

Strawberry Health: https://thestrawberry.app/

Please leave us a review: https://podchaser.com/DesigningSuccessfulStartups

Tech Startup Toolkit (book): https://www.amazon.com/Tech-Startup-Toolkit-launch-strong/dp/1633438422/

https://www.manning.com/books/tech-startup-toolkit

Site with all podcasts: https://jothyrosenberg.com

Jothy’s non-profit : https://whosaysicant.org

Jothy’s TEDx talk : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNtOawXAx5A

Chapters

00:00 Journey from Siberia to Silicon Valley

10:03 From Environmental Concerns to Women's Health

20:09 Building a Community in FemTech

30:07 Balancing Family Life and Entrepreneurship

36:53 The Grit Behind the Journey