We had the good fortune of connecting with Katya Kotlyar and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Katya, how did you come up with the idea for your business?
The idea behind donut comes from personal experience. Being originally from Ukraine, we found ourselves as the primary resources for friends, coworkers, and our wider community on how to support local efforts in Ukraine after the invasion began. It was then when we realized the substantial barriers to cross-border aid, from the basic challenges of identifying and trusting organizations, to more complex issues like language barriers, incompatible payment systems, lack of tax incentives, and very little understanding of your impact. Similarly, in the U.S., individuals face hurdles in navigating nearly 2 million registered nonprofits to find one that aligns with their values and seeing which organizations their peers support. We realized that people and their personal connections to the cause, organization or location are at the center of every action, and donut is our response to the problem – it’s a social network where everyone can both connect with each other and take action in one tap. Today, donut is present in nine countries and working hard on fostering a truly global community – starting from solving the “backyard” problems here in Los Angeles to feeding children in Ukraine.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
When the idea of donut started taking shape, we didn’t want to repeat what’s already out there. Unique in both its positioning and the services it offers, donut fills a significant gap in a market overwhelmingly focused on nonprofits. We recognized a crucial, unmet need to provide a product for the people who actually contribute money and time to the organization (2.4 billion worldwide). We created a space for people to connect with each other and organizations they support and equipped them with the easiest way to become a global advocate for the organization or cause with just one tap. We can’t wait to see the donut community grow.

Abandoning our successful careers in tech and strategy consulting to launching a startup was a formidable challenge, especially as an all-female founding team. However, it felt like the right path to take. The journey of starting a new business is never straightforward, and we’re proud to have investors like Greycroft, Correlation Ventures and angel investors from Spotify, Discord and Snap who backed our idea.

Building something entirely new in this category is no small feat. Fortunately, our backgrounds and professional experiences have been invaluable assets. We’re proud of what we’ve achieved so far and excited about the potential it has to redefine how people engage with each other and organizations. And it’s not every day that you get to create something that not only makes a difference but also earns the jury prize at The Webby Awards in the Apps category, beating such competitors as the WNBA.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
We grew up on the Black Sea and have a natural strong pull to the ocean, so many of the spots we like are coastal. A beach walk is a must for any visiting friends; depending on time, we might drive the PCH and take a walk along Malibu’s shores or stroll along the Venice boardwalk with a stop at Dudley Market for dinner towards the sunset. ABeing both movie buffs and racing fans, there’s an intersection in LA that has everything we need to feed our passions and share them with friends – we’ll definitely take you to the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures and pop across the street to Petersen Automotive Museum right after.
For dinner, Holbox offers an extraordinary culinary experience we’re lucky to have in LA. Alternatively, Frogtown holds a special place in our hearts. You can get there by biking there along the LA River, too – grab a coffee at La Colombe with a view of the river, or explore the local eateries for something more substantial. No matter what you do, though – don’t miss the gorgeous Los Angeles sunset (Getty Museum is the perfect location to take it in, free with reservation).

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
We owe a tremendous amount to our mom, Rayisa, who has unfailingly supported every hobby, extracurricular, and idea we’ve ever pursued. Her encouragement to explore life in all its facets and chase our passions led us to moving across the world with ease or launching an online marketplace for luxury pre-owned clothing at just 18 years old, and eventually, to leave our successful careers to start a company from scratch. Having someone who believes in you might be just enough to make the most important (and scariest) first step to a new venture.

Website: https://www.donutsocial.com

Download donut on App Store: https://apple.co/45kTGHY

Download donut on Google Play: https://bit.ly/3RYIeyY

Instagram: https://instagram.com/donut.community/

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