Section 1: About me. Dossier.
«The most important decision for me was to accept. It happened at the beginning of the full-scale invasion, when we decided to stay in Kherson. Everything was happening chaotically and very unexpectedly. Fighting began on the outskirts of the city, and it became clear that Kherson was being surrounded. We sat in a basement with our child, my wife, and relatives. It was frightening, and it was far from certain that everything would be all right. The hardest part was letting go of everything you considered yours: your business, property, familiar life, and plans. And at that very moment, I felt immense gratitude. Gratitude to myself for allowing myself to experience this honestly and fully. I accepted the point of a new beginning—a state in which you have nothing left, but have the opportunity to start over. That feeling changed me forever. »
Valerii Zarubin
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Join the clubSection 2. About the business. Dossier.
Section 3: Biography.
A Kherson basement, accepting “zero” and Military Tech — how Bluebird Tech was born
Today I am an entrepreneur (Bluebird Tech) building a technology business in Military Tech, accustomed to thinking in terms of the future and responsibility. For me, entrepreneurship is not about “making money at the right time,” but about being able to pull yourself, your team and your system together when there are no guarantees. I have always seen success as a combination of the right moment and preparation: an opportunity may arise for many people, but only someone who has already grown internally to meet the scale of the challenge can seize it.
I was strongly affected by an inner shift that took place after I turned 33. At some point, I stopped seeing business as a way to confirm my status and began thinking much more about meaning, mission and the real value of what I create. This process became especially intense during the full-scale invasion.
At the beginning of the war, we decided to stay in Kherson. My wife, child, relatives and I sat in a basement at a time when the future was completely uncertain. It was then that I experienced one of the defining states of my life — accepting “zero.” Letting go of attachment to property, control and familiar supports, and allowing yourself to start over. From that moment on, this became a universal principle for me: the external is always a reflection of the internal. If you want to build a strong and stable business, you first have to work on yourself.
I am drawn to the idea that great systems are created through years of preparation and brought to life at one right moment. That is why I like taking on a higher level of responsibility. Everything we use today — roads, technology, communications, infrastructure — was once created by people who believed in something before others did and kept moving forward even when the outcome was not yet clear.
For me, that is the meaning of entrepreneurship: being useful, creating things that matter to other people and leave a real impact.
I always advise aspiring entrepreneurs to take more action and not be afraid of mistakes. Mistakes are inevitable, but the main thing is to learn from them quickly and not drag out bad decisions just because a lot of time, effort or money has already been invested. In entrepreneurship, you need to know how to lose as well as win. Sometimes it is much more important to close a project at the right time than to start a new one at the right time. The ability to walk away from what no longer works is one of a founder’s most important skills.
In five years, I see myself working on projects of global scale. I am always drawn to a greater level of responsibility, because responsibility creates great results and opens up the possibility of building things that affect the lives of millions of people. I like the thought that even at the most uncertain moment, someone simply believed in their idea — and the world changed because of it.
For me, happiness is about people and meaning. And yes, today I can call myself a happy person.
The idea of working in technology runs through my entire life. Even as a child, I was drawn to engineering and technology. I was born near a semiconductor factory — one of the forerunners of modern microchips — and watched it gradually decline. That was when I wanted to do the opposite: build something that grows and flourishes.
When I was close to 25, I read Steve Jobs’s biography, and it helped me finally understand that technology is where I belong.
At the same time, I have always been fascinated by aviation and drones. In 2022, when the quadcopter market began to develop rapidly, I really wanted to work in that field, but for a long time I did not allow myself to get involved with weapons — internally, it was taboo.
The turning point came in the middle of 2023, after Mariia Berlinska publicly called on entrepreneurs to take responsibility for developing military technologies in Ukraine. That was when I realized I was ready. In the middle of 2023, we began immersing ourselves deeply in the world of drones, and in early 2024— we founded the company.
The foundations of my growth were not life hacks, but an inner mindset and a solid management foundation.
First — firm belief in the outcome, even when there are no guarantees.
Second — readiness to act amid uncertainty: when there is no product, validated demand or clear market yet, but you keep moving forward anyway.
In many ways, this is the classic path of any business. I had already been through it in previous projects and saw the same patterns in the new business.
I recently heard a phrase that describes my approach very precisely: success is a combination of the right moment and preparation. I was prepared enough to do what we did when the right moment came.
That is why I felt responsible for making the most of this chance and opportunity, which arose at a particular time and under particular circumstances.
I do not see a crisis as something that automatically brings a company to a halt. For me, the scale of a problem depends on how much we ourselves amplify it.
There are always challenges in business: the product, people, external factors that cannot be controlled. My job is not to dramatize things, but to work on myself. If there is fear, distrust or doubt inside, it will inevitably show up in the company.
That is why any external problem is a signal for inner work for me.
At the same time, I consider the ability to close projects at the right time an important entrepreneurial skill. Sometimes that is more important than opening new ones at the right time.
The decisions that drive the greatest growth are those that build for the future before there is any confirmation from the market.
I am convinced that companies grow when the founder scales the team ahead of time — at a moment when it is still scary and there are no guarantees of sales.
If I know internally that tomorrow I will be selling 100 thousand units a month, I start building a team for that scale even before the market has confirmed it.
That is exactly how we grew:
in the first year — plus 100 people;
in the second — another plus 450;
in the first 4,5–5 months of this year — another plus 350.
We nearly doubled in size. If we had waited until everything became obvious, we would have remained a company of 60 people.
Great companies are built by those who are ready to take responsibility and withstand uncertainty.
I do not think in terms of “one big mistake.” Life is made up of small wrong decisions that teach you to make big right ones.
My main lesson is not to let a small mistake grow into a big one.
Big mistakes most often happen when someone ignores small signals and keeps moving in the wrong direction simply because a lot of time, effort or money has already been invested.
That is why it is important to me to learn quickly, assess people and situations honestly, and walk away in time from what is not working, even when it hurts the ego.
I earned my first money as a child, using very simple methods — gathering, growing, or selling something. For example, lilacs or tulips.
At 16, I worked in construction and earned around $1000 a month, sometimes more.
That was when I realized that working for someone else wasn’t the path for me. I was more drawn to sales and entrepreneurship.
I earned my first $10 000 through my own entrepreneurial projects. I launched my first business at around 20.
I earned my first $100 000 in the construction business. In fact, I achieved results like that many times and in different fields, but the numbers themselves were never what mattered most to me.
Section 4: How can I be useful? Experience I can share.
I have come a long way as an entrepreneur and can share practical experience in building a business:
organizational structure;
management models;
decision-making process;
team scaling.
The key is to learn how to build a strong organizational structure and find a model that works for you.
At one point, I studied this using Oleksandr Vysotsky's methodology. I bought one of his courses and, in just a week, gained a systematic understanding of how to build a company's organizational structure.
I also find Itzhak Adizes's approaches compelling. I think there are other strong methodologies, but these became a useful foundation for me.
To grow x2, you need to stop waiting for the moment when everything becomes clear.
Growth starts when the founder decides to create the future and build a team for it before the market has given confirmation.
In practice, this means hiring people when you're scared:
when it's unclear whether there will be orders;
whether there will be enough money for salaries;
whether the market will buy the product.
If the founder takes responsibility and builds for future scale, the team starts creating that future alongside them. If you wait for guarantees, the company will grow much more slowly.
Section 5: Club value
