Basetska Alona and Zhyhun Yelena

Ukrainian entrepreneurs with more than 26 years of experience in the restaurant industry and extensive expertise in jointly managing and developing businesses. In 2015, they opened Fiji Lounge Bar in Kyiv and subsequently expanded their business into a group of restaurant projects, including Prynada and HayLoft. Their entrepreneurial journey has involved navigating major crises, from rebuilding HayLoft following a devastating fire in 2020 to adapting their restaurants into volunteer kitchens and safe spaces after the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion. Today, their management system brings together more than 150 employees.

Alongside their business activities, Alona and Yelena are engaged in mentoring and sharing their entrepreneurial expertise. They are co-authors of the books The Power of Women Entrepreneurs and The Path to Victory, and founders of the transformational project Reboot. Their expertise encompasses team building and scaling, crisis management, delegation, business partnerships and the development of resilient business systems in uncertain environments. In their mentoring practice, they combine extensive hands-on entrepreneurial experience with coaching, facilitation and personal development tools.