Ukraine expat and software engineer Kateryna Tsysarenko co-founded social enterprise AI on Spectrum to help neurodivergent kids make better social connections.
She speaks to Luke Voogt about life in the former USSR and using apps to help others.
Tell us about you…
I’m 37 and originally from Kyiv, Ukraine. I relocated to the Surf Coast almost three years ago. My partner Tim and I live in Jan Juc and just got engaged after four and a half years together.
The daughter of a military man, my family travelled a lot across the former USSR, and at least six times I’ve needed to adapt to a new school, new friends and a new way of life.
I think this has helped me find calm in uncomfortable situations and encouraged me to seek new challenges.
In Ukraine, I spent my free time immersed in wakesurfing and yoga. Now I’m trying to get comfortable in the big, green waves here and enjoying time on the mat at It’s All Yoga in Torquay.
I have a bachelor of computer science and love working with people. I started my career in advertising before moving into TV as an executive producer.
A decade later, my interest in technology and social change brought me back to my roots, and I began developing iOS (Apple) applications in 2018.
I co-founded my first venture in Australia, AI on Spectrum, in 2020.
What is Al on Spectrum?
AI on Spectrum builds better social connections in children, particularly neurodivergent children.
Back in Ukraine, I volunteered 10 per cent of my time to social enterprises, which continued here in Australia, as some new friends and I came across an interesting idea for an application, Emodo, that we’re currently developing.
The app helps children build social competencies, learn emotional intelligence and improve their well-being via interactive games
We plan to make this app free for children everywhere, in as many languages as possible, and focus on making it available in countries with little or no support for struggling kids.
I have at least eight good friends in Ukraine with neurodiverse children and have learned firsthand how hard it is to get any support over there.
We won the Startspace HQ Future Founders Festival’s pitch competition in 2020.
The prize money helped fund ongoing expenses for the software we’re using, but the main thing is that we became part of their community.
What are your favourite things to do locally?
I love going to Geelong waterfront and watching the yachts, and visiting The Pivotonian Cinema to watch arthouse films and eat popcorn.
My favourite coffee is from Surf Coast Coffee Roasters. I love driving down the Great Ocean Road – I’d do it every day if I could!
I like Fisho’s restaurant on the Torquay Esplanade, and my favourite pub is in Aireys Inlet.
How are you coping with COVID-19?
It was a bit of a struggle early on, to be isolated from friends and colleagues in Melbourne, but adopting new communication technologies like Clubhouse and having regular stand-ups actually increased our effectiveness overall.
What’s something about you that people might not know?
At age nine, I dreamed of becoming an accountant. I imagined that it’s just working with numbers, no people involved.
Details on the Future Founders Program: slv.vic.gov.au/stories/welcome-future-founders-program
