33 Q’s for Sergey Khusnetdinov
A walk through Seoul with venture investor Sergey Khusnetdinov - 33 quick questions about founders, money, failure, success, family and why people should never become functions.
THE REVELATION
Sergey Khusnetdinov's most important mistake was not financial. It was forgetting that the people closest to a mission are still separate human beings. He describes the moment when family members and colleagues can start to feel like extensions of yourself or functions inside a company - and calls that thinking destructive and toxic. In a world built around optimization, performance and capital, the harder discipline may be knowing where optimization has to stop. People can share your goals without belonging to them.
A candid conversation in Seoul with venture investor Sergey Khusnetdinov – 33 quick questions about founders, money, failure, success, family, and why people should never become functions.
In this episode of 33 Questions, REVELATIONS meets Sergey Khusnetdinov during Korea Blockchain Week, shortly after a pitch competition. The conversation starts with startups and investing, but quickly moves into a much more personal definition of what makes someone worth backing.
At the earliest stages, Khusnetdinov says, ideas will inevitably change.
“Founders first, ideas second at early stages.”
His reasoning is simple: an idea can be upgraded. Changing the person behind it is much harder.
The same logic appears when the conversation turns to success. Money matters, but Khusnetdinov argues that health, family, friends and fulfillment make the equation far more complicated.
“It’s always good to measure yourself against yourself.”
And beneath the self-described “punk VC” style is a more personal lesson about leadership. Asked about his mistakes, Khusnetdinov recalls losing money after leaving corporate life – but says another mistake was more fundamental: treating people around him as extensions of himself or the company.
“They’re separate human beings. They’re not extension of you.”
That thought becomes even more revealing when he is asked which famous person he would choose for dinner.
He chooses his wife.
Not for networking or opportunity – simply because uninterrupted time together has become difficult to find.
For someone whose professional life revolves around capital, founders and connections, the answer says more than another investment thesis could.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Julia Upiterskaya
Founder of JULS and REVELATIONS
Julia Upiterskaya is a Dubai-based communications entrepreneur, founder of JULS and REVELATIONS, and an international technology moderator and speaker. With more than 10 years of experience across media, communications and events, she has worked with over 100 companies across emerging technology and innovation. Her current focus spans artificial intelligence, wellness and the technologies reshaping how people live, work and build businesses. Through JULS and REVELATIONS, Julia works at the intersection of strategic communications, founder positioning, technology, culture and global communities.
