When the world went remote during COVID, something started to disappear: engagement. Meetings moved online, teams appeared as rows of muted faces on video calls, and real connection began to fade. With an MSc in Social Psychology and 14 years leading international HR at Boston Consulting Group, Bumble and high-growth tech companies, Elena Zangeeva (Angarsk, 1991) decided to experiment with that. She built an interactive quiz to reconnect teams. And that small idea would eventually grow into Kvistly, an AI-powered platform designed to make learning interactive, efficient and fun.

TB: What is the purpose of your project?

EZ: To make learning interactive, efficient and fun in every classroom in the world.

TB: Where’s your project at and where do you see it in two years?

EZ: We are scaling globally with corporate clients like Perk, L’Oréal, DHL and 2,000+ school teachers across multiple countries. In two years, I see Kvistly as a category-defining engagement layer for learning and live events worldwide.

TB: A key decision that has shaped your project.

EZ: The idea for Kvistly was born during COVID, when teams went fully remote and engagement collapsed. I designed an interactive and personalized game about our own company—inside jokes, stories and culture. That experiment proved that learning and connection can be both meaningful and fun, and it shaped Kvistly into what it is today.

TB: What has been the biggest challenge you’ve faced, and what has it taught you?

EZ: Building Kvistly as a bootstrapped founder. I’ve made many mistakes, and without external capital it’s harder to accelerate quickly. It taught me resilience, sharper prioritization and how to grow through real traction, not vanity metrics.

TB: The best advice you’ve ever received.

EZ: When I started my career in 2012, our Sales Director told me: “You never get what you deserve, you get what you negotiate”

TB: We all change over time. What have you changed your mind about?

EZ: I used to think pushing harder solved everything. Now I believe inner peace is the real advantage. When you stay calm, protect your boundaries and don’t react to every trigger, you make better decisions and build better companies.

TB: A professional role model who inspires you and why.

EZ: To be honest, I want to mention many people here, but I really admire Tanya Van Gastel, CEO of Rankingonai.com. She is a brilliant and intelligent entrepreneur. I also love the way she treats people with respect and dignity—it’s always inspiring.

TB: What do you value most in the people you work with?

EZ: Curiosity, accountability and kindness.

TB: A technology that will shape the future.

EZ: AI. The backbone of nearly every other emerging technology. From automation and drug discovery to creative work and scientific research: AI is accelerating everything.

TB: A startup or company you admire, and why.

EZ: Brunello Cucinelli. I admire the idea of humanistic capitalism, where profit and dignity coexist. Building a successful global company while protecting craftsmanship, community and humane working conditions proves that business can scale without losing its values.

TB: What do you do to disconnect?

EZ: Sport. I work out five times a week: strength training, cardio and long walks by the sea. Also cooking.

TB: A book to recommend.

EZ: ‘The Culture Map’ by Erin Meyer.

TB: A song that defines your moment in life.

EZ: ‘Thunder’ by Imagine Dragons.

TB: A recipe, a meal or a restaurant.

EZ: Simple Italian pasta done perfectly.

TB: A place in the world.

EZ: Lake Baikal. Raw, powerful—a frozen and serene paradise.

TB: Where would you invest €100k?

EZ: In early-stage founders who sell before they fundraise.

TB: If you weren’t an entrepreneur…

EZ: I’d be a People & Culture leader in a great scale-up, building A-player teams.

TB: What does Tech Barcelona mean to you?

EZ: It’s a place to connect.