Inspirational Women in STEM and Tech: Eveline Buchatskiy of airSlate On The 5 Leadership Lessons She Learned From Her Experience
An Interview With Candice Georgiadis
Be mission-driven. That’s a must. People have choices, so why would they work for anyone without a mission that actually moves the world forward in a meaningful way?
As a part of our series about “Lessons From Inspirational Women in STEM”, we had the pleasure of interviewing Eveline Buchatskiy.
Eveline leads special projects at airSlate, including managing the partner go-to-market programs, as well as corporate and content marketing initiatives. She has worked with fast-growing startups for over 10 years, initially as CEO of a cleantech startup and then as an investor at a seed fund and accelerators, including as Techstars Director for their Boston accelerator. Eveline received a BS in Chemical Engineering from University of California — Berkeley, a master’s in engineering from University at Buffalo, and an Executive MBA from INSEAD.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
I was always passionate about my studies, particularly science. My high school Chemistry teacher in Brazil saw my drive and took interest in the girl that managed to be top of her class. I also worked my way to the top of my Physics and Math classes. But my Chemistry teacher encouraged me to pursue a degree in Chemical Engineering, and that ultimately launched my career trajectory.
I spent the first 10 years of my career as an engineer in the industrial gases industry before moving to Ukraine where the tech talent was prominent. Kyiv was completely new to me at the time, but I was able to make connections right away. My introduction into the tech startup world was with a deep tech company, and I haven’t left the industry since. After moving beyond that role, I launched a startup accelerator that primarily focused on the digital space. Today, I’m the VP of Special Projects at airSlate, a SaaS company, but what that really means is I’m involved all throughout the company.
My love for tech continues decades later because of the talented, innovative people and the ambitious solutions we’re able to share with the public. Not to mention the fact that I still feel a strong connection to that young student who fell in love with science and engineering — my nerdy roots run deep.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began at your company?
I don’t know if I would call it interesting as much as surreal. airSlate has a large R&D office in Kyiv, Ukraine, with over 800 people. On February 24, 2022, the lives of these people changed drastically. At 5 AM Kyiv time, I found myself in Boston, going down a spreadsheet of all these people and putting check marks to indicate that I had contacted them to wake them up, one by one, with the news: Russia had declared war against Ukraine, they needed to pack and leave the country. For the following two weeks, I did not sleep (yes, I found it to be biologically possible), working on the evacuation of all of them, together with their spouses, children, extended families, dogs, cats, turtles, all together over 3,000 people in the span of two weeks. We had to make logistics, lodging, and emmigration arrangements, all the while having to predict where the next bombing would strike and how to avoid it. We also had to find cash to pay for all of this because no one would take other forms of payment. All our employees are safe, relatively speaking considering the circumstances, and we have adjusted to normal business productivity despite all the challenges they continue to face daily, for over 120 days of war thus far.
It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
During my first engagement as CEO, I was managing a high-tech ultracapacitor company. This electrical component had many applications, from electrical vehicles to wind turbines, from scooters to mobile phones. We ended up falling in love with one client: Ferrari Formula 1 racing cars. It was cool to tell everyone we were going to be at the next Grand Prix. We were in Bologna, Italy, where they had the wind tunnel tests. There was so much glamor throughout the whole experience and of course I had my nails in bright red for all serious meetings. In reality, it almost killed the company. Ferrari had a very specific set of requirements which made us change the whole production line just for them. Yet, how many of these cars are out there in the races? Two! You can’t build a large business out of a handful of high-performing units for a cool Formula 1 client.
What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?
airSlate’s modus operandi is to empower teams to digitize workflows of any complexity through no-code technology. We are the only company on the market with a full suite of digital transformation solutions in this space. Our solutions are integrated so customers can combine them or upgrade their existing processes without a hitch. We’re also the largest document workflow platform with over 100 million users.
We recently celebrated becoming a unicorn (reaching a $1 billion+ valuation) as airSlate became the first portfolio company for the newly launched UiPath Ventures initiative. It’s an exciting time for all of us at airSlate. We’re continuing to unlock new opportunities along the way to helping SMBs become automated organizations.
Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?
The beauty of tech is that we’re always working on something new. airSlate’s latest round of funding backed by G Squared and UiPath is the catalyst for new projects that will accelerate our growth. More specifically, we’re working on expanding airSlate’s mid-market and enterprise customer base, opening new go-to-market channels and developing new products, as well as onboarding new technical talent to support with all of these efforts. Every day provides something different!
Ok super. Thank you for all that. Let’s now shift to the main focus of our interview. Are you currently satisfied with the status quo regarding women in STEM? What specific changes do you think are needed to change the status quo?
I believe more female representation is needed to change the status quo of women in STEM. We need more role models and mentors embracing future generations. Young girls and women should be able to see STEM as an approachable field and environment — it should feel relatable, which happens when we can see ourselves in a particular role. We can also empower young girls to take an interest in STEM from an early age with their toys and activities and the power of their educators. I feel fortunate to have had educators and mentors along the way who have guided me toward a rewarding career despite a few twists and turns.
In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges faced by women in STEM that aren’t typically faced by their male counterparts? What would you suggest to address this?
Unconscious bias is one of the biggest challenges for women in STEM. Despite having advanced degrees in Engineering and Business, people still question whether I am technical or analytical enough to be leading in my role. I was in a meeting not too long ago with a branding agency I was planning on hiring, but then I was asked if we could bring a decision-maker into the conversation. They didn’t realize I was that person!
The more we interact with female leaders in STEM, the less likely these unconscious biases are to occur. Women in all fields, including tech, need to keep sharing our stories to inspire and encourage future talent.
What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about being a woman in STEM. Can you explain what you mean?
None of us spend our days dwelling on what our work environment would look like if we had perfectly equal conditions and opportunities. In reality, like any man in STEM, we women spend the vast majority of our time thinking of roadmaps, objectives and key results, KPIs, growing and nurturing our teams, acquiring new skills, building products, services, and experiences that create value for people. We also spend time mentoring up and coming talent so they have a more accelerated path towards their goals. And yes, time allowed, we advocate for some changes either explicitly through activism or subtly, by choosing to bring value to companies and teams that share our vision for such an equal world.
What are your “5 Leadership Lessons I Learned From My Experience as a Woman in STEM or Tech” and why. (Please share a story or example for each.)
Be human. That goes a long way. From putting yourself in your team’s shoes during the lows, to having a genuine desire to help them grow, to celebrating the highs, everyone wants to be around a leader that is above all a good human being.
Be inspiring. As a woman, you jumped through many hoops and yes, you still made it. It’s the leader’s job to continuously show optimism and to exceed expectations with a vision that will make people put all their bets on your game.
Be ambitious. For you and your team. Goals should be set such that everyone should feel at least slightly uncomfortable with the vision, even better if we all feel like there are a million butterflies in our stomach.
Be unique. In short, don’t be boring and lean into your unique story. Create memorable experiences for the people around you.
Be mission-driven. That’s a must. People have choices, so why would they work for anyone without a mission that actually moves the world forward in a meaningful way?
What advice would you give to other women leaders to help their team to thrive?
Tech can be a demanding industry, especially in the startup space. But remind yourself and your teams that it’s rewarding when you’re passionate about what you do and the solutions you’re building together. Have your sights set on a better future, and nothing can get in your way.
What advice would you give to other women leaders about the best way to manage a large team?
The only way to effectively manage a large team is to empower direct reports and nurture a culture of accountability at all levels of the organization. I always tell my team that the best way to get promoted is to make yourself replaceable by building a team that can run without you. This philosophy forces you to work hard to raise the confidence and skill set of your team, and to put in place the right processes for everyone to take ownership of their results at a much deeper level. Your team members should feel you trust they have what it takes to make the right decisions. It’s equally important to clearly communicate and get the buy-in on the vision for the business and how that translates into what is expected from each member of the team.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
That is very true. While there are a handful of people that helped me navigate forks in the road of my professional journey, my parents’ support may have had the most impact on me. You see, I am the second youngest in a family of 15 children, and the first person to go to college. However, everyone in my family — my siblings, my parents and grandparents — were all entrepreneurial in their own right. My parents worked hard to provide opportunities for me to grow, but they didn’t fully understand my obsession with education.
My mom understood that a degree in engineering most likely meant I would be working for someone else, which wasn’t exactly her dream for me. She was supportive, but I still had to pave my own path without a clear example to model. She also helped me understand that above all, I value a civic-minded life and a career that enables me to give back or advance the public wellbeing in some way, shape or form.
How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?
One of our ongoing focuses is ensuring safety for our community in Ukraine. In 2014, airSlate opened the doors to our office in Kyiv, and we’ve continued to welcome many colleagues in Ukraine since then. The war is incredibly close to our airSlaters and we’ve used our platform to call for contributions that will make an immediate impact. Three of the organizations we’re proud to donate to and support are Nova Ukraine, Razom and Project C.U.R.E.
As an organization, we have provided around $2 million in humanitarian efforts for our Ukrainian team members and their families. We are also happy to share all that we know and our personal experiences from the ground to help others offer much-needed support to those in Ukraine.
If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be?
I would love to create a “magic wand” that unlocks human potential at scale. During my years as an investor, I lived through these magical moments of removing barriers for entrepreneurs that went on to achieve incredible things. Sometimes even small actions such as an intro to a co-founder became the catalyst to life-changing results. There is abundance of talent within most people, which may be restricted by lack of access to capital, opportunity, education, network, or just plain freedom. I often fantasize about a movement that would ensure each individual is able to fully realize their potential. I would start with unlimited access to education.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
Chance only favors the prepared mind, said Louis Pasteur. I love the combination of discipline (always do your homework!) with serendipity (luck matters) of this quote. There were many times in my life when it looked like I was at the right place at the right time. In reality, it was a bit of luck and lots of planning. One good example was when I met Cecile Drucker, daughter of the legendary management guru Peter Drucker. For no obvious reason, for six months we worked diligently on a concept to match tech talent in Eastern Europe with new money in that region to create a world-class startup ecosystem. We designed an accelerator without even realizing that the model had just been launched in Silicon Valley. We were a small team of enthusiasts with a very strong vision, no funding, and no real chance of executing on what we knew could be a transformative project. One day I got a call asking if I knew anything about accelerators. Yes I did! I had a full business plan. When can I start?, I asked. And that marked the beginning of my venture investment career.
Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why?
The world is hungry for leadership in the public sector. After a series of unfortunate events of historical proportion ranging from a global pandemic to war in Europe, a select group of women stand out by their strong principled leadership with grace: Estonia’s Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, and New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. I would love to have a girls night out with these honorable ladies to discuss their secret sauce and how we can spread such leadership style across the globe. If I must pick one person only, I would have brunch with Angela Merkel. For all these years, I admired her pragmatism that led Germany’s economy growth by 34% — 15 percentage points more than its nearest EU rival, France. But I have some unresolved business with her. I think she completely miscalculated the relationship with Russia and Germany’s energy dependence. Was being a woman a factor? Was she hoping that graceful (almost motherly) diplomacy through economic ties would tame an aggressive bear? It’s puzzling to me. I would love to find out.
Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.
Inspirational Women in STEM and Tech: Eveline Buchatskiy of airSlate On The 5 Leadership Lessons… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.