An “As Told To” interview by Kristaps Kovalonoks, Research Coordinator at Aalto School of Business
This interview is part of a first-person storytelling series highlighting the personal journeys, ideas, and insights of members of Aalto University’s Entrepreneurship Unit (ENTU). Real stories, told in their own words.
What happens when an entrepreneur with a passion for social impact finds herself in the middle of a global crisis and decides to turn her lived experience into research? In this interview, Anastasia Koptsyukh, a doctoral researcher in entrepreneurship at Aalto University, shares her journey from Ukraine to Spain and eventually Finland. She reflects on how more than a decade in tech and circular economy ventures shaped her transition into academia, and why she now studies compassion-driven entrepreneurship in the context of war and displacement. Click on each question below to explore her story in her own words.
I’m originally from Ukraine, but when I was a teenager, my family emigrated, so I was raised in Spain. I lived there most of my formative years. I did my bachelor’s, my master’s, had my first work experience, and started one of my companies there. I was dreaming of doing a PhD for a very long time, ever since I did my bachelor’s in economics and business at Pompeu Fabra University. But I was also really passionate about the entrepreneurial and corporate world and wanted to try myself in industry first.
When the time came to apply, one of my favourite options was Finland, specifically Aalto University. During an Erasmus exchange at Mannheim University, I met a friend who studied at Aalto and said, “this is such a great space to learn.” Before applying, I had a brief video call with Ewald Kibler, because for me, even if the university is ranked really high or low, it’s less important than how the people are. I sensed really great vibes from him and thought: if everyone at ENTU is like this, why wouldn’t I apply? Even though he said they accept zero to one person per year, I decided to go for it. It was the only institution I applied to. I moved to Finland in January 2022 to start settling in, and officially began the PhD programme in September 2022.
I feel it’s really important to have a connection between practice and theory. This nexus that we constantly discuss in academia: how do we bridge what we learn and what we disseminate with real problems on the ground? For me, having that experience was really useful. I used to be a Chief Marketing Officer in tech companies, specifically in health tech, and I also had a marketing agency in Vietnam and a circular sustainability company in Barcelona as part of an incubator.
I’ve been on different sides. I know what it means to be an employee in a startup, to found a business from scratch, to lead a team, to create team culture. I know how to sell, especially from a marketing perspective. And all of these aspects are really interconnected with research. When you think about your phenomena or research questions, you can come from practice or even a grounded theory approach. My own experience with the startup ecosystem helps me think about what kind of topics are worth exploring and how that knowledge could eventually feed back into practice.
I was a little bit over ten years in the industry. After working for others, I decided it was time to found my own business and try it on my own terms. One of my ventures was in Vietnam, and I realised it was an amazing place. Opportunities were really blooming there. But then COVID hit, and I didn’t feel comfortable staying so far from my family, so I went back to Spain. I couldn’t just sit still, so I started a new venture in an incubator, this time focused on reducing textile waste by repurposing deadstock fabric. We were doing something good for the environment and society, but at some point, I lost a bit of meaning in it.
I started asking myself, “What is something I really feel passionate about?” I went back to that childhood question: did I want to be a teacher or an astronaut? And I remembered how much I loved learning and sharing. Even when I worked in industry, I was always training my team, learning new tools, and sharing knowledge. So I thought, why not go back to that dream I had during my bachelor’s, which was to do a PhD. And why not in entrepreneurship, which I already knew on a practical level but wanted to explore on a deeper, scientific level. I wanted to move from individual experience to generalised knowledge that could really help others.
I’m looking at compassion venturing and compassion-driven entrepreneurship in extreme and disaster contexts. Specifically, I study ventures that emerged in response to disasters. In my context, to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. So those that formed spontaneously, even serendipitously, to tackle the suffering of people on the ground. Some of these businesses are based in Ukraine, and others are in host countries like Finland, working with displaced Ukrainians or supporting Ukrainian ventures. My context and topic are probably not surprising, given that I’m Ukrainian. When the invasion started on 24 February 2022, I couldn’t think about anything else, so that had to be my research topic.
In practice, I conduct my fieldwork in Finland. As researchers, we can’t just go to Ukraine due to various technical and logistical challenges. So I interview people who are helping Ukraine and are living in Finland. For instance, Finnish or foreign entrepreneurs and teams with a mission to help Ukraine or Ukrainians who fled the war and settled in Finland through temporary protection. But I don’t particularly focus on the experience of displacement. I focus on those who have started businesses, are part of international ventures, or have found ways to support others in Ukraine or in the diaspora.
Yes, I believe ENTU is a very supportive community. Of course, starting a PhD is hard for anyone, but in my case, there was the added emotional weight of my country being invaded. I got a lot of support, especially from my academic advisor, Ewald Kibler. He walked with me through that path, not just in terms of research, but also by giving me space and saying, “Take your time, there’s no rush.” He even visited the refugee centre I co-founded and met some of the people I worked with. That meant a lot.
The peers I work with are also great people, really kind and helpful. There’s a strong sense of openness and transparency. We have our coffees, lunches, dinners. It’s not just a place where we work, it feels like a real community.
I didn’t have any specific motivation. Just the moment the invasion happened, on 24 February 2022, I felt like I had to do something. I went to the streets to protest, started asking what people needed, and began gathering donations. At one point, there were hundreds of bags in my apartment that I was sending to Ukraine. I wanted to do something more substantial, so I joined a volunteer group, and we started thinking more deliberately: how can we help people arrive in Finland more easily? We partnered with organisations like Tallink to provide free tickets from Tallinn to Helsinki and then thought: why not create a centre for everything, including informational support, psychological help, legal aid? That’s how the refugee relief centre was born.
I was very present during the first year, but later, once we secured grants and could hire staff, I stepped back from daily operations. It was emotionally very tough, constantly being face to face with people who had lost everything. But I’m still involved. Each year, I bring CEMS (Global Alliance in Management Education) students from Aalto to visit the centre, to raise awareness about the invasion and what displaced people face. I also have invited people from the center to organise a traditional Ukrainian art workshop here at Aalto. I still stay in touch, but I know I couldn't continue at the same tempo or with the same emotional intensity as in the beginning.
I’m part of a few initiatives. One of them is the Doctoral Programme Committee, where I serve as a student representative together with my colleague Canan Keleş. We review and approve curriculum changes and contribute to decisions about how the doctoral programme is run. I’m also on the School of Business DEI committee, where we’re working on the DEI plan and forming task groups to address key issues.
Of course, it’s difficult to affect every little aspect, but being on these committees gives me insight into how the university operates behind the scenes and provides the opportunity to push for change. At the same time, it’s a way to indirectly support my peers and represent the student voice. If decisions are made without student input, it often feels very top-down. That’s why I think more doctoral students should apply for these roles. It definitely complements my academic work and my understanding of the university as an institution.
Well, I don’t know if people would know this or not, but I’m very passionate about theatre and acting. As I’ve said before, if I could become two people, one of them would be an actress and the other an academic. I travel the world to attend masterclasses with movie directors from all over the world. It’s something I already do “in my free time,” which is an important part of who I am and how I connect with the world.
Through acting, you can step into the shoes of so many different people. It really opens up your perspective. Even when you play a character you might dislike, you can’t judge them. That’s what acting teaches you: respect for every character, every story. I think it makes you more empathetic in life, and it’s definitely shaped how I understand people and the complexity behind their decisions.
Yeah, it is quite different from Spain. One thing I really, really enjoy is the socialist kind of aspect of Finland. It’s very community-driven. There’s a sense of trust, and the system is built in a way that most people are on a similar level in terms of what they can do and where they can go. That trust also shows up in work relationships. People focus on doing their best, and there’s no micromanagement or pressure. That kind of work ethic really connects with my own laissez-faire. So just let people do, and the results will speak for themselves.
I also love the community spirit. I think about places like Sompasauna, where people just create and maintain something together, for themselves and for others. That kind of grassroots initiative really builds strong community bonds, and I’ve found that inspiring here.
Something I did, and that I really recommend, is to reach out to the team before applying. I contacted Ewald, Bernadetta, and a few others on LinkedIn, and then had calls or discussions with them. It helped me understand if we’d be a good fit for each other. I also looked through the team’s website and read their scientific articles. That was super helpful, especially for the interview, which was in person and included the whole team. Thankfully, I had read everyone’s top or seminal work, so I could say, “In your paper, you say this,” and they were like, “Okay, this person has prepared.”
I think I had to prove that I wasn’t just going to go back to industry. My whole CV was very entrepreneurial, and one of the questions I got was: “Are you sure this is for you?” But by knowing their work and being able to speak to it, I could make a stronger case. For example, I told Myrto, “You used to be a marketing director at L’Oréal, and now you’re here.” That helped me realise that if she did it, maybe I can too.
Thank you, Kristaps, for this interview which prompted me to reflect on my journey and the meaning behind what we do in academe and beyond! Have a nice day!
