Volodymyr “Vlad” Silchenko, MBA 26, was running an up-and-coming restaurant company in Kyiv when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.
As many people fled the country, Silchenko closed his business, Capital Food, for a few months, transforming it into a support hub for all of the community.
“The restaurant became more than just a business—it turned into a shelter for the displaced and refugees since it was in the city center,” he said. “It became a support hub for the local community, providing hot meals and electricity, which was rare. We managed to have power at my business by using generators and a special kind of internet fiber.”
Within the chaos of war, Silchenko solidified his role as a startup founder who uses innovative ideas to address real-world community problems. That startup pivot stands as his proudest accomplishment, for which he received an “Unbreakability Point” honor and a certificate of appreciation from Ukraine’s 43rd Artillery Brigade, which played a pivotal role in defending Kyiv.
It’s no surprise that when Silchenko was planning to leave Ukraine for at MBA program, the Berkeley Haas Defining Leadership Principle “Beyond Yourself” struck a chord that made his decision clear.
“You can really feel the DNA of Haas when you read those Defining Leadership Principles and the principle of Beyond Yourself resonates deeply,” Silchenko said. “It aligns with how I’ve approached both my personal and professional life, especially in times of crisis.” UC Berkeley’s reputation as top in the world for generating startup founders whose ventures get funded was also a big draw, he said.
Today, Silchenko guides his company from Berkeley. Since the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine war, the company has hosted more than 100 charity events to raise money for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. “The business has not stopped, not even for one day, despite the constant rocket attacks and power shortages, with half the national electricity infrastructure destroyed,” said Silchenko, who was born in Crimea.
Broadening horizons
Silchenko first experienced life in the United States while at boarding school in Virginia on an academic scholarship. There, he became the only Ukrainian student on the school’s varsity football team. “I bulked up 60 pounds in six months to switch to linebacker and was the only international student on a 100-player team,” he said. The experience, he added, both “broadened my horizons and laid the foundation of my national outlook.
As an undergraduate student at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, where he also received a master’s degree, Silchenko studied international economics. While working on a restaurant startup, large-scale national Democratic protests erupted throughout Ukraine—after the country’s president failed to sign a free trade agreement with the European Union, instead moving closer to Russia. Throughout a national revolution in 2014, 21-year-old Silchenko navigated the chaos and currency depreciation of 300%. “I managed to build a successful business, luckily,” he said.
“An entrepreneurial exploration phase”
Now a first-year student enjoying a stable, supportive environment at Haas, Silchenko plans to dive into entrepreneurship through programs like Berkeley StEP, Berkeley’s 10-week entrepreneurship program, the Berkeley Haas Entrepreneurship Program (BHEP), and at the new Berkeley Haas Entrepreneurship Hub (eHub), which is set to open this fall just steps from the Haas campus.
“I’m in my entrepreneurial exploration phase, looking for opportunities to create innovative solutions, any solutions that can make a really significant impact—not just in Ukraine, but globally,” he said. “An MBA program is the perfect place for this because it allows you to play on an absolutely higher level.”
He said he’s also looking forward to sharing with both students and faculty all that he learned while building a company with a social purpose in a challenging environment. “Everything was going south, but somehow I was managing to find new possibilities to expand the team and help my community,” he said. Silchenko added that the chaos of conflict made him more resilient and adaptable, while also creating a need to build something lasting and impactful.
The community at Haas is special, as it emphasizes both community and inclusivity, he said. “I wanted like-minded people around me and to live in this bubble of people who share similar goals. I’m really proud that I chose the school, and I’m looking forward to doing great things with these people around and supporting them as well.”