At Brilliant Read Media, we always strive to bring you meaningful and powerful stories from India and around the world to empower and motivate our growing community of investors, management students and aspiring entrepreneurs. This week we invited yet another seasoned entrepreneur Nataliia Rzhevska for an exclusive interview with us. She is a proven business leader, mentor, entrepreneur and educator. She is the CIO of VideoWiki – a collaborative platform for learners and educators to secure learning continuity in times of restrictions and beyond. A simple tool for teachers to create teaching content without any advance knowledge of a tool or code. Let’s learn more about her inspiring journey, her way forward and her advice for our growing community!
Excerpts from our exclusive interview with Nataliia:
We are aware of your contribution to the ecosystem, talk us through your background and your journey as a women entrepreneur, please;
I have always been interested in innovation for ecosystem stability. Academic education gave me the breadth and depth of knowledge of myself, the world, and myself in this world.
The motivation for learning was formed during my studies at school and university.”
Numerous projects, international collaborations gave me the opportunity to scale ideas and get a unique transfer of experience.
What attracts you towards entrepreneurship instead of a corporate career?
Entrepreneurship is a journey in the role of a general manager in its own way, which is driven by YOUR dreams and YOUR desired goals, BUT for a world impact. The realization of one’s individual dream is a goal, the realization of the dream of many is a social impact, the approach to achieving the goal of sustainable development is a global impact.
A corporate career in one way or another defines the outline of your professional creativity. Entrepreneurship provides unique opportunities for the formation of resilience, foresight, philosophy of self-centrism, but for the well-being of the world.”
I sincerely believe in the well-being of present and future generations through passionate entrepreneurs who are ready to rise and fall, get up and walk again for the sake of people as the highest value!
‘VideoWiki’ is such a unique name; talk us through more about it, please. Our audience would also love to know what kind of problem you are solving with the help of your startup?
The global pandemic has impacted the education system, where technically challenged teachers are struggling to deliver online lectures. Due to connectivity issues, online tools are difficult to navigate.
The students are unable to extract knowledge due to the haphazard systems out of place amidst the global crisis. This problem is addressed by the means of a simple tool that will assist the teachers to curate digital content.
The theoretical form of learning may not be as efficient as practical learning. Thus, the effective means to enhance virtual teaching is the tool proposed in this plan. Based on our survey, teachers are finding it hard to adapt to the digital means of teaching.
The requirement for a new education model has risen. The major problem is for the teachers to convert their teaching material into digitized content. Thus, the technicians in the team are developing a simple tool that will assist the teachers. It will make the process for conversion from normal text-based content into digitized content easier.
The teachers can develop and deliver classes through media platforms using this tool. Currently, media platforms allow the addition of material for reference by the students. Thus, the teachers would prefer the new platform which creates media files for them. The children will benefit from the ideology of immersive and in-depth education. The new education model will ensure that the impact of the global virus pandemic is not too severe in the education sector.
VideoWiki aid in the process of converting text-based content into digitalized content. It can be extended towards gamification and immersive techniques for advanced pieces of training. The tool and ease of the conversion of text-based content attract the majority of teachers.”
The digital shift motivates the students to learn through applied training. The work performed by the teacher only involves the copy-paste of the content to be converted into digitalized media.
During this COVID-19 crisis, what are the measures you have undertaken to continue your business without disruption?
VideoWiki was born during the COVID-19 pandemic as a solution for students and teachers, parents and lifelong learners. What is the heart of a business? This is a team. The team as a blood vessel sustains life, fills with oxygen for inspiration…. Business without failures can only be when the team exists in co-leadership when individuality and collective intelligence are combined.
Speaking about the team, I can’t help but mention Shivam Dhawan, Tech Entrepreneur with a Strategy and Analytics background. A Technology evangelist and business strategist. The founder of GetBoarded and VideoWiki. Amazing person, who has incredible charisma and unique experience in creating projects, companies and communities.
How do you manage yourself and keep on going despite the challenges? What drives you?
Challenges are bifurcation points for rethinking and personal growth. I perceive difficulties not as a fall, but as an opportunity for growth. Challenges are indispensable conditions for working and living in an eco-system that has characteristics of uncertainty and chaos.
Every day I work with students, they are an incredible source of motivation and inspiration! I love to go beyond my comfort and improve my mentoring and communication skills, initiate discussions, involve in learning, and adapt to new conditions.
What are the three most important lessons you have learned building your startup?
The team can grow wings! Sincerity is a unique characteristic of being entrepreneurial as well. Listen to others as carefully as you listen to yourself.
What are the business mantras you have embraced as you sought to establish your success story?
Business is a unique journey! Get carried away by knowledge! Get to know the unique! Be honest with yourself every day! Respect and cherish your dreams!
In your opinion – what is more necessary: Idea or a good team for a successful startup?
I believe that a good team will have successful ideas. Each of us is the custodian of millions of thoughts and ideas, but only in a team, when we transfer them, innovations are born.
Given the rapid pace at which the world is changing, what are the leadership traits that are necessary for success?
In conditions of uncertainty and fuzzy prediction, the main qualities are flexibility, adaptability, and the ability to manage information toxicity.
You are always positive and motivated, what keeps you going?
The uniqueness of each day makes me passionately inspired by new ideas, meeting new people, learning new things and getting to know myself.
We would love to know your advice for all those starting out as an aspiring women entrepreneur?
Looking for like-minded people, join communities according to your interests and communicate with people with completely opposite worldview and field of professional activity.
BrilliantRead is committed to bringing stories from the startup ecosystem, stories that reshape our perspective, add value to our community and be a constant source of motivation not just for our community but also for the whole ecosystem of entrepreneurs and aspiring individuals.
Note: If you have a similar story to share with our audience and would like to be featured on our online magazine, then please write to us at [email protected], we will review your story and extend an invitation to feature if it is worth publishing.
