- Aliaksandr Kazhamiakin is the CEO and co-founder and Yotewo,
- Yotewo is a fast-scaling IT hiring platform that’s reshaping how startups hire, build and grow in the age of AI.
- Kazhamiakin is a non-technical founder with the idea of the “modular startup” at the core of his professional belief system.
- The notion of the “modular startup” means that everything – from engineering and AI tooling to CTO advice – is fractional, remote and curated.
- Yotewo was founded in 2022 and the app is set to launch today, the 22nd of July 2025 – have you checked it out yet?
Tell Us About Yourself and Yotewo
I’m Aliaksandr Kazhamiakin, CEO and Co-Founder of Yotewo. I was born in Belarus and raised in London. I launched Yotewo while pursuing a Master’s in Entrepreneurship at UCL.
That period of study was pivotal. I became obsessed with the idea of connecting hidden tech gems around the world with startups that need them. I started with manual matchmaking, joined UCL’s incubator program, and met my co-founder Denis, one of my first ever clients. That experience shaped my vision to democratise hiring through product. Eventually, I fundraised and now I am building a hiring engine for early-stage startups.
What Inspired You to Start Yotewo? What Problem Were You Aiming To Solve?
The inspiration came from a clear and costly problem: startups often lose valuable time and money on the wrong hires. They turn to recruiters, freelancers, or agencies who, without the support of technology, struggle to deliver precise matches. We saw a gap.
Startups need a faster, more accurate way to hire. So we set out to build a curated marketplace where they can instantly access relevant talent and a full infrastructure to interact with them. At the same time, we wanted to give overlooked tech professionals a real chance to be discovered by the right startup.
What Has Been Your Biggest Challenge So Far? How Did You Overcome It?
It may sound ironic given what we do, but hiring has been our biggest challenge. Startups demand flexibility, speed, and a hands-on mindset and not everyone is used to or comfortable in such a fast-paced, high-pressure environment, which is completely understandable. Since January, we’ve made over 10 hires and had to part ways with six of them. We overcame this by becoming much more deliberate in our hiring process, screening for adaptability and resilience, and by proactively building a pipeline of strong candidates ahead of need, rather than hiring reactively.
Can You Describe A Pivotal Moment That Significantly Shaped the Direction of Yotewo?
The pivotal moment came early on, when our concept was still blurry and unclear. Were we building a consultancy? A job board, or something else? Neither felt right. I even considered wrapping the company up.
Then, with perfect timing, I met Denis. He had spent years in the industry and shared his perspective, which validated my instincts: the market was shifting away from the traditional agency model toward a new gig economy. That conversation gave me clarity and reconfirmed my vision that the industry will be in need of a solution that will make hiring simple for them.
How Do You Define Success?
For Your Business: For the business, I define success through customer loyalty. That’s the real measure as it’s directly linked to and impacted by how satisfied people are with what you’ve built and whether your brand is the first that comes to mind in your space. Loyalty is earned when your product genuinely solves a problem and consistently delivers value.
As a Founder: For myself as a founder, and this may sound a bit arrogant, success means making a meaningful impact on the industry. It’s the extent to which the conservative model is disrupted and drives real change. Think of what Revolut did to banking. It’s something all banks hate but all people love. It’s disruptive but undeniably transformative.
What Advice Would You Give To Someone Considering Launching Their Own Startup?
The most common one is: don’t launch a start-up. But if I’m being serious, then it’s: don’t fall in love with the product. Instead, make sure that you build something that people actually need and that it’s solving a real problem.
Also, be mentally prepared for stress. The founder journey is intense. It’s never comfortable, and it’s not suitable for everyone. A lot of people start thinking of it as a job and then meet a harsh reality full of rejections, burnout and pressure, so before starting, be aware of how highly stressful this environment is.
What’s Next for Yotewo? Any Exciting Developments We Should Look Out For?
We’re about to officially launch on July 22nd, followed by our Seed round, so it’s an exciting time. Looking ahead to the rest of 2025/26, our focus is on raising the industry benchmark by shifting from an automated marketplace to an AI-curated marketplace.
Founders are extremely busy, right? So we want to simplify the process to the point where all they need to do is to open an app, type or say who they want to hire, and let the system, already armed with the context of a startup, do the rest. More is in the works, but that’s all I can share for now.
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Founder’s Five with Aliaksandr Kazhamiakin
Let’s get to know a little bit more about the man behind the business, co-founder of Yotewo, Aliaksandr Kazhamiakin, with TechRound’s Founder’s Five.
1. Favourite Business Tool?
I am a total fan of Notion.
2. One Lesson You Learned the Hard Way?
Be selective with who you start business with. If needed, be selective twice.
3. One Future Trend You’re Watching?
A few, if I may – tech bridging with emerging markets, nano hardware, advanced energy.
4. A Quote You Live By?
Diligence is the mother of success.
5. A Book/Podcast You Recommend?
Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens. Or if you still want to do startup – Entrepreneurial Finance by Simon Hulme, either of [the] two editions.
