Aleks

Aleks Prykhodko
New Businesses Director · CEO · Business Architect

For 18+ years I've built and scaled businesses where engineering, product, and P&L meet –
from Ukrainian retail and import to international FoodTech, AgTech, and hardware. I've
shipped real results across the UAE, Japan, China, the USA, and the UK.

Kyiv, Ukraine · [відкрити контакти](див. вище в блоці «контактна інформація») · [відкрити контакти](див. вище в блоці «контактна інформація») · aleks-prykhodko

Key metrics Profile
45+ $15M+ I work at CEO or business-architect level when what's needed is a working model, a team,
team, at peak assets managed and a route to market – not a slide deck. My rhythm is consistent: fix what's broken in the
unit economics, pull together the technology and supply chain, get retail or investors on
side, and drive through to revenue. And I know the Ukrainian market inside out.
$140K ×5.8
raised on sales growth, 2 yrs
Kickstarter What I bring to boards & hiring teams
Launch a new product or business line from a blank page.
$13K→$1M >$4M Turn around loss-making or stuck models – reworking assortment, pricing, logistics, and
Acctrade, from gross margin, Q4'08 capex until the numbers add up.
scratch
Take hardware and FoodTech international: China sourcing, crowdfunding, D2C, and
pilots with municipalities and retailers.
Domains
Build the operational engine – KPIs, procurement, warehousing, teams of up to 50, and
Agri, Climate & FoodTech
straight reporting to owners.
Vertical farming and controlled-environment
growing, with supply chains built for climate
Negotiate with Ukraine's national retail chains for listings, brand zones, and shelf margin.
stress.
Wellness & functional nutrition
Products with real, measurable benefits and Recognition & visibility
unit economics that work – not checkbox
WEF UpLink Top Innovator – Food Ecosystems for Arid Climate.
wellness.
Hardware commercialization Selected by the Dubai Future Foundation from 700+ applicants, which led to a Dubai
From prototype to DFM, manufacturing, and Municipality pilot.
market – China and crowdfunding included.
QLYX – one of Ukraine's top-5 Kickstarter projects of its time, with ~$140K pledged by
Science meets P&L
backers.
Technology I back only when the payback and
unit economics are clear.
UK Global Entrepreneurship Programme; Slush 2023 in Helsinki; recognised by the
LEAN & operations Embassy of Ukraine in Kuwait.
Smarter processes and equipment choices: less
waste, more margin. Featured by CNN, HortiDaily, NV, AIN, and KyivPost.
AI integration
Automating routine work and putting AI agents
Experience
into day-to-day operations.
Sustainability Founder / Business Architect – International Product Jan 2024 – Feb 2026
Resilient models, energy efficiency, and Businesses
responsible production. UAE · Japan · China · USA (Florida)
Circular economy Three separate businesses taken from concept to market in 24 months.
Reusing resources and turning waste into value
along the chain.
1. Shchyrytsia – an amaranth superfood. I built the grain-processing chain (protein, oil,
extracts), the product line, the industrial equipment, and the unit economics.
Core skills
2. Vertical farming for Japanese strawberries. As CEO, I ran TCEA up to +57°C with
P&L, cash flow, unit economics Japanese R&D partners – engineering, pilot, stable production, and an international
From zero to stable operations team.
International teams & China sourcing
3. Functional beverages in the USA. From growing the raw material to chlorophyll
Retail, D2C & chain negotiations concentrate, bottling, and D2C on Shopify – with LEAN equipment selection, out of Palm
KPIs, LEAN & digitization Beach, Florida.

Education · languages CEO · R&D / Hardware Architect – continued on page 2 →

KNEU – Business Management
Microelectronics
Ukrainian (native) · English C1
 Recognition Experience (continued)
WEF UpLink Top Innovator
CEO · R&D / Hardware Architect Aug 2016 – Aug 2023
Dubai Future Foundation – from 700+ Innovation Development Agency · Kyiv · UAE · UK
applicants
I founded an innovation engineering bureau and ran it for seven years, taking hardware
Top-5 Ukrainian Kickstarter
from prototype to serial production.
Slush 2023, Helsinki
QLYX (2017) – a smart car mount funded on Kickstarter and Indiegogo. DFM and
UK Global Entrepreneurship Programme
manufacturing in China, sold into the US; top-5 in Ukraine with ~$140K from backers.
Engagement models Smart Oasis (2018) – water from air, powered by PV + battery storage. Chosen from
CEO / operations lead 700+ applicants by the Dubai Future Foundation and piloted with Dubai Municipality.
Business architect at launch
Smart Oasis Farm UK (2020–2023) – fogponics and hydroponics, with private-label
Owner / board advisor produce on the shelves at Silpo and Novus.
International product launch
Created “Smart Farming as a Business” for the Middle East, and represented Ukraine at
Tools & markets Slush.

Financial modelling, capex, payback WEF UpLink Top Innovator – Food Ecosystems for Arid Climate. Coverage in CNN,
Certification, QC, import HortiDaily, NV, and AIN.
Fogponics / hydroponics
Crowdfunding & e-commerce Co-founder · Business Owner – Acctrade Sep 2009 – Dec 2017
Import, distribution, private label · Kyiv
AI in operations
Started with $13K and grew it into steady revenue of $0.8–1.0M a year for 5+ years.
Ukrainian retail chains
Sold through national chains – Foxtrot, Comfy, Eldorado, Metro, Auchan, Epicentr, OKKO,
Foxtrot · Comfy · Eldorado · Metro · Auchan ·
KLO, and more – including in-store brand zones.
Epicentr · OKKO · KLO · MOYO and others
Owned the full chain: finding and auditing suppliers in China, QC, logistics, warehousing,
and distribution to retail.

Built our own private-label gadget lines and ran the P&L, cash flow, and balance sheet –
pricing, assortment, and margin.

Negotiated with category managers on listing terms, promotions, turnover, and dead
stock.

Head of Product Department May 2007 – Sep 2009
AVentures / Unitrade Group · Kyiv
Built and led a standalone P&L line for gadgets and accessories inside the commercial
department.
Grew its sales ratio against the core product group from 1.8 to 10.5 in two years.

Ran four channels – three retail chains plus wholesale – with a team of up to 50.

Delivered gross margin of over $4M in Q4 2008, in the teeth of the 2008–2009 crisis.

Owned assortment policy, procurement, turnover, profit per m², and margin by channel.

How I work
I start with the analysis – which market, and which customer profile (B2B, B2G, or D2C).
Then the numbers: what it costs to launch, and where we break even. Then the team, the
technology, and the contracts. It's the same approach whether it's retail at $1M in revenue,
a Dubai Municipality pilot, or three international FoodTech cycles in the last two years.

I'm after roles that call for execution, not vision on slides – someone who puts the model,
the team, and the first deals together inside 90 days. CEO, New Businesses Director, or
business architect for a launch, with real authority over P&L and product.

If you need to commercialise technology, create a new product or business line, or scale one – international
markets included – let's talk.

Call me and we'll walk through your challenge on the numbers.
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