From Ukraine's Battlefield to Silicon Valley's Boardroom : Story of Dana Sydorenko, Forbes Europe 30 Under 30

In a world where resilience is romanticized but rarely understood, Dana Sydorenko 🇺🇦 embodies it.

She’s not just a founder. She’s a force.

She didn’t just talk about grit - she lived it. On the frontlines of war. In the chaos of startup life. And now, in one of the toughest spaces in tech: online gaming.

Where most people break, Dana builds. Where most people retreat, she reinvents.

And not just herself. Dana is building companies, communities, and an entirely new culture - one that is grounded in inclusion, empathy, and transformative leadership.

🚑 A Beginning Forged in Fire

Before Dana ever wrote a line of code, before she led strategy meetings or pitched to investors - she was a combat paramedic in the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

Let that sink in.

While many of us were navigating corporate meetings or startup pitches, Dana was navigating warzones—saving lives, responding to trauma, and witnessing firsthand the raw realities of conflict.

She didn't just serve. She led. And in doing so, developed the kind of operational clarity, emotional strength, and moral compass that can’t be taught in business school.

This was no ordinary beginning. This was a crucible.

One that would shape every step of her entrepreneurial journey to come.

🛠️ From Combat to Commerce: The Birth of Nika-Text Plus

After her military service, Dana didn’t seek comfort. She sought contribution.

She built Nika-Text Plus, a logistics and procurement company that supplied military-grade merchandise to Ukraine’s armed forces. What started as a service became a mission - serving the same communities she once stood beside on the battlefield.

This wasn’t a Silicon Valley-funded rocket ship. It was a bootstrapped, impact-first business grounded in urgency and empathy.

In war, she learned how to respond to chaos. In business, she learned how to build from it.

Her leadership wasn’t textbook—it was visceral. And that gave her an edge few could replicate.

🎮 GameTree : The Platform Reshaping Online Gaming

Then came the second chapter: GameTree.

If the battlefield taught her to save lives, the boardroom taught her to scale impact.

GameTree isn’t just another social app for gamers. It’s a movement—built on one radical question:

What if online communities could heal instead of harm?

Gaming is a $200+ billion industry, but also one rife with harassment, toxicity, and isolation. Dana saw that pain. And like a true operator, she didn’t wait for someone else to fix it.

With GameTree, she’s using AI-powered matchmaking to build safer, values-aligned communities for gamers across the globe. Imagine finding your tribe in a space where your identity is protected and your voice is respected. That’s the future Dana is building.

And in a world increasingly fractured by digital noise, her vision is revolutionary.

💥 Tech Meets Trauma: Why Her Story Matters

Dana’s story matters because it challenges every assumption we hold about leadership, especially in tech:

• That founders must follow a certain playbook.

• That trauma disqualifies you from building.

• That only "technical" founders can innovate in AI or gaming.

• That women - especially from warzones—don’t belong in venture.

Dana defies every one of those myths.

She’s proof that the hardest roads often lead to the most important innovations.

Her combat experience gave her a unique grasp on risk management, emotional intelligence, and rapid decision-making—the very skills VCs should be scouting for but often overlook.

💸 From Founder to Funder: Becoming an LP at Flyer One Ventures

Dana’s journey didn’t stop at entrepreneurship. She moved from building companies to backing them.

As a Limited Partner at Flyer One Ventures, Dana is now channeling capital into the hands of bold, overlooked founders—especially women and mission-driven tech startups.

And let’s be clear: this is not a vanity LP check. This is active ecosystem building.

She knows what it's like to be underestimated. Now, she’s changing the game for others.

This is what founder-led investing should look like.

💬 Lessons in Leadership: What Makes Dana Unstoppable?

So what makes Dana truly unstoppable?

Not just the accolades. Not just the AI tools or the venture portfolio.

It’s her mindset.

When we interviewed her on The Unstoppables, one message came through again and again:

"Resilience isn’t about pushing harder - it’s about finding meaning in the pain."

That’s what powers her. Not hustle porn. Not ego. But purpose.

She leads with clarity. She builds with conviction. And she invests with heart.

📢 Why This Story Needs to Be Heard

As a global community builder and the founder of The Unstoppables, I’ve interviewed many incredible entrepreneurs. But Dana’s journey stays with me.

Why?

Because she doesn't just inspire - she activates. She is a living example of NEVER GIVE UP!

She reminds us that:

• Leadership isn't granted. It's earned - often through pain.

• Innovation isn't about tech stacks. It’s about human problems solved with intention.

• And the greatest founders aren’t chasing exits - they’re creating new entrances for others.

🙌 Final Takeaway: The Blueprint for 21st Century Leadership

In Dana, we see a new kind of leader emerging:

• Emotionally intelligent.

• Strategically grounded.

• Mission-obsessed -

• And battle-tested - literally.

Her journey is a blueprint for founders, investors, and operators alike. Whether you're in a warzone or a boardroom, the rules of resilience remain the same.

If Dana could build peace through purpose in a war-torn nation and transform chaos into community in the gaming industry, then what’s stopping us?

We all have a battlefield. And if she can rise - we all can.

🎙️ Tune in for Dana’s full interview on The Unstoppables Podcast – premiered on Spotify, YouTube, and LinkedIn.

Spotify : https://lnkd.in/d6HiFxkM

YouTube : https://lnkd.in/d7M5S3cA 

💌 If her story moved you, share this post. Let’s make her voice - and her mission - unstoppable.

Your host,

Hurratul Maleka Taj