Translating scientific discoveries into human-centered products remains a major challenge for society. Valeriia Verkhovykh, who worked in international deep tech startups, as well as in a leading global IT company, was able to make a meaningful contribution to solving this problem. As a product manager, she successfully worked on bridging the gap between science and people in the robotics, quantum physics, and wearables fields.
In her last position as head of robotic delivery product at Yandex Self-Driving Group, Valeriia helped the company to become one of the most commercially successful robotic service providers. Under her leadership, the robotics team completed over 150,000 deliveries in just a year and a half in the US, South Korea, Israel, and the UAE. And in 2021, Valeriia's team launched an autonomous delivery project in cooperation with Grubhub at the Ohio State University and the University of Arizona.
Valeriia talked about her journey: the specifics of working in the space tech sector, the process of commercializing science to improve public safety and optimize delivery, and the lessons she learned as she developed her career.
Fueling a Childhood Passion with Tech and Science
Valeriia's passion for technology ignited early on. "I wanted to do it since childhood," she recalls, "I would read my dad's science fiction books, be captivated by the stunning photos of stars and planets, and foster a keen interest in astronomy." This early curiosity set the groundwork for her work in the tech and science sectors.
Embarking on her academic journey, Valeriia honed her scientific acumen at the Physics faculty of Moscow State University (MSU Lomonosov) and broadened her perspective on space technologies at Skoltech's Space Science and Technology program.
In 2016, Valeriia launched and established an MSU alumni mentor network with over 400 participants to facilitate the implementation of graduate projects and foster the development of an alumni business community. "During my studies, I realized that I wanted to be involved in science, but not as a scientist," she mentions, demonstrating her penchant for pragmatism over abstract concepts. In 2018, she became the Moscow Hub Curator and later-a Member of the Global Advisory Council of Global Shapers Community of the World Economic Forum. She launched various projects focusing on the Tech for Good agenda during her tenure. These projects included a bicycle air purifier project, a monitoring system for city water infrastructure, a recycling incentive system, and supporting an educational program for child refugees.
Working on Commercial Astronomy at Dauria Aerospace and MIT
Valeriia's interest in astronomy and space tech led her to become a Business Development Manager at Dauria Aerospace, a privately owned and operated global satellite manufacturing company. While at Dauria Aerospace, Valeriia delivered informational materials regarding Dauria's commercial satellite systems to its clients. "While working on technical specifications and relevant business models, I was making my first steps in product management without knowing it", Valeriia notes.
Valeriia saw the untapped potential of space data for product development and couldn't resist diving in. "I actively worked on applied astronomy," she reflects, "as something that could be implemented in the "earthly" life. Figuring out how to create a useful service from space data was the step towards product management."
In 2015, while still working at Dauria as a business development manager, Valeriia spent the spring semester at MIT. "I took courses which expanded my knowledge in space science, technologies, and policies that broaden my perspective on the work in the space industry," Valeriia notes.
Space tech offered Valeriia a unique lesson in the nuances of long-term planning. "These are long-term projects," she conveys, "but they immediately taught me the importance of planning. Satellites depend on rockets, and launch windows are long-a month or half a year." She carried this lesson throughout her entire career as "a science-based hardware business always requires meticulous long-term planning," Valeriia explains.
Practical Application of Deep Tech at Russian Quantum Center
After returning from MIT, Valeriia's passion for human-centered technologies grew even stronger. Eager to innovate and bring tangible benefits to people's lives, she engaged in projects designed to simplify tasks using technology. "Studying at MIT helped me work with innovations. I gradually progressed towards projects closer to people-NIMB, and then robots which simplify work," she states.
In 2016, the pursuit of working in deep tech led her to the Russian Quantum Center (RQC). "I wanted to work in deep tech, but with maximum real-life application, so I always looked for practical applications at RQC and elsewhere," Valeriia comments. She considers this period a golden opportunity to immerse herself in the commercialization of science: "On one hand, the quantum center was funded privately by brilliant scientists, and at that moment, it was an excellent opportunity to get involved in the process of transforming scientific innovations into practical applications that would ultimately benefit the public."
Innovation for Personal Safety with NIMB
At this point of her life, Valeriia understood that she wanted "to apply the results of her work more frequently and to larger audiences." In 2017 her journey took a crucial turn at NIMB - a startup developing a smart ring with an alert button that sends an emergency signal to a list of pre-set contacts. "This project appealed to me because it was a deep dive into the world of innovation in personal health and public safety technology," Valeriia reflects, "This was essentially what I wanted for the past two years: to bridge my science-driven experiences and in-depth user research with concern about people's needs."
At NIMB, as Head of Customer Experience, Valeriia was responsible for organizing pre-launch product UX testing and target user research, setting up and optimizing the client support system, implementing a data-driven approach for UX changes, and prioritizing new features backlog. "I was looking for options for a more scalable application. This is how I turned to the topic of smart cities, which resulted in me leading NIMB's team in high-profile contests such as the Smart City Expo World Congress "Safe Cities" call for solutions in Spain in 2017, which we won", Valeriia states. "One year later, we ranked as finalists in the Xprize Women's Safety competition which was held in the US and India," she adds.
In these tournaments, Valeriia honed her negotiation skills at both the national and city levels. She now reflects that this experience was invaluable when managing large-scale projects as the leader of the Yandex Self-Driving Group. Valeriia's varied experiences contributed to her current role in the robot industry. She emphasizes the importance of adhering to one's vision, even amidst skepticism. As she reflects, "In reality, the entire pre-Yandex experience helped me in the autonomous robots industry as it taught me to stick to my vision and avoid negative voices around me."
Pioneering the Future of Autonomous Delivery at Yandex Self-Driving Group
Transitioning to Yandex in 2018 was a relatively easy choice as it provided an opportunity to deliver technological solutions to a significantly larger audience in a leading national IT company.
Valeriia began her career as Product Manager at Yandex's Maps, an already well-established project utilized by millions worldwide. Later, she advanced to the role of Product Manager at Yandex.Auto, where she successfully led a software development team and oversaw the creation and launch of state-of-the-art embedded solutions. "I made alliances with Chinese and South Korean contractors, collaborated with OEMs, and developed predictive maintenance services for connected car systems," she shared.
Upon joining the Yandex Self-Driving Group as Product Manager and quickly promoted to Head of Product in 2020, Valeriia aimed to revolutionize unmanned courier services. "Unmanned courier services were often dismissed as publicity stunts. I aimed to transform them to a commercially viable product," Valeriia states. For this, she conducted a wealth of user research, both qualitative and quantitative. The result was the successful implementation of robotic commercial deliveries from eateries and grocery stores in Russia, the United States, South Korea, Israel, and the UAE. "In just one and half years under my management, the team has completed more than 150,000 deliveries," she notes. "In essence, robot delivery is a highly human-oriented service. It makes deliveries accessible throughout the week, regardless of external factors, allowing people to focus on their goals and relationships."
Valeriia's team later introduced the world's first robotic parcel delivery service in collaboration with over 30 Russian Post branches across Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Innopolis. Valeriia explained, "These robots were developed after meticulous product research and development. The square shape of the cargo area was ideally suited to meet Russian Post shipping standards, and the replaceable battery ensured continuous operation." Parcel delivery was a significant attempt to optimize last-mile logistics.
In 2021, Valeriia's team launched a robot delivery project in cooperation with Grubhub at the Ohio State University and the University of Arizona. "We capitalized on our previous research to design robots of the ideal size and shape for maximum agility and speed. In complex structures like US campuses, our robots navigated easily," Valeriia notes.
Looking back at Valeriia's illustrious career, her journey can be summed up as a relentless pursuit of integrating tech and science to transform abstract concepts into tangible, human-centric applications. From her early love for astronomy and her education at MSU and Skoltech to her expansive roles at Dauria Aerospace, MIT, Russian Quantum Center, NIMB, and ultimately Yandex, Valeriia has consistently bridged the gap between deep tech and practical solutions.
In her continued quest for innovation, Valeriia remains guided by the principles that have defined her career thus far: tenacity, a commitment to practical applications, and a deep-seated desire to make people's lives better. As we move into an era increasingly defined by the interplay of technology and human needs, there is no doubt that she will continue to be at the forefront, shaping the future of tech and science.
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