Katya is an investor at BGV, an early-stage cross-border VC fund focused on Enterprise AI. She joined the team in 2023 after graduating from the Stanford MBA program, where she co-founded Duckfund, a fintech startup, and participated in multiple venture capital programs and classes. Before Stanford, Katya was a consultant at McKinsey, most recently in its Private Equity practice, conducting commercial due diligence for large buyout funds. She holds an undergraduate degree in Economics with honors and a graduate degree in Philosophy. Born in Eastern Europe, she has built an international career spanning roles in India, where she managed AIESEC’s student exchange program with TCS, and in Belgium, where she worked on big data analytics at Nokia.

EVCA: What is a value, principle, or philosophy that has meaningfully shaped your journey? How does it continue to influence how you invest, lead, or approach challenges?

The principle that has most profoundly shaped my journey is the power of global ecosystems, the belief that transformative innovation emerges when talent, ideas, and capital can flow freely across borders.

My own path reflects this philosophy. I was born in Ukraine, studied in Russia, and as a student became the leader of AIESEC, an international organization that enables global internships. That role took me to India, where I ran TCS’s student exchange program, connecting students from around the world to opportunities in a fast-growing market. It was my first exposure to how global collaboration drives growth and resilience for individuals, for companies, and for ecosystems.

Later, I worked in Belgium at Nokia on big data analytics, and then at McKinsey across Eastern Europe and the United States. Each move was a calculated leap into the unknown, and each reinforced the lesson that diverse, global perspectives unlock opportunities that staying in one market cannot.

Today at BGV, this principle guides how I invest. We focus on Enterprise AI companies that are inherently global. They might build their engineering talent in India or Eastern Europe, pilot solutions with U.S. customers, and scale into international markets. I see my role as helping founders navigate this complexity and turn global ecosystems into an advantage. The ability to operate and lead across borders has shaped every step of my journey, and it is core to how I approach challenges and opportunities as a venture investor.

EVCA: Is there a technology, idea, or movement that most people overlook (or dismiss) which you believe will define the next era of innovation? What draws you to this perspective?

I believe the next era of innovation will be driven by Physical AI, the convergence of artificial intelligence with robotics and automation that brings intelligence into the physical world.

While most attention today is on generative AI and digital agents, the a bigger transformation will come as AI leaves the screen and powers robots, drones, and autonomous systems that can perceive, learn, and act in complex environments, running warehouses, inspecting infrastructure, optimizing factories, performing surgeries, and enabling new ways of agriculture and logistics. Sectors like manufacturing, healthcare, and supply chain that have long lagged in digitization will be reshaped as AI augments human capabilities and takes on physical tasks.

At BGV, I work closely with a portfolio company in food robotics that demonstrates how Physical AI can solve labor shortages and make healthy food options affordable and accessible anywhere. Watching their progress reinforces my conviction that these solutions will soon scale globally.

I am drawn to Physical AI because the most disruptive innovations often start at the edges in places that seem niche or slow moving before they transform the mainstream. While digital AI dominates headlines, the combination of robotics, sensors, and AI will quietly redefine productivity and create new markets.