Mariya Bohun was content working on the software side of things for technology companies, until her experience at wellness technology company Peerfit convinced her to start her own company.
"I was not sure if I wanted to do it, but during my years at Peerfit, it was so inspirational," Bohun said. "We were encouraged to share our ideas, be an entrepreneur — and I grew so much at Peerfit, I became one."
Bohun has a long history working for startups, first in Boston after immigrating from Ukraine at 23, and then at Clearwater-based cybersecurity company KnowBe4. Throughout her career in software quality assurance and testing, she kept coming back to a common problem.
"Startups have a tight budget but big ideas for products and they can't afford to hire professionals," she said, initially coming across the problem in 2015. "And people were so overworked and I thought there had to be another solution to not make people just work harder."
Enter Acelogy. The Tarpon Springs-based company is a custom software developer and IT provider, with three full-time employees locally and more than 100 developers based in Ukraine. Because Bohun can speak a number of languages, including Ukrainian, she plays the role of the middle man typically found in other outsourcing.
"We are different because we are here in Tampa, locally, and the difference is the value we provide and customer satisfaction; it's a key," she said. "We guarantee the product we develop, that you will love it or we will redo it. I'm here, I'm the main point of contact and I take all the meetings personally to meet with [the customer]. With other countries like India or elsewhere, you don't know who you're talking to, there are so many middlemen."
Bohun has a specific focus on startups, with the goal to help cash-strapped companies create software and apps needed to help their businesses thrive.
"When you start working with the startups and see your app in the app store, you say, 'I worked on this app' or see them in the news and say, 'Wow I helped to do their project,'" she said. "And it's being a good role model for my kids. They’re getting older, they're so excited and they know I worked for these companies and now have my own company."
The company was trademarked in 2019, but Bohun decided to pursue it full-time at the end of October, after Peerfit sold part of its IP technology to an undisclosed company that caused shifts within the company. She made the announcement during her first public speaking event at the Synapse Converge summit, held in November.
"Everything worked out perfectly — they sold technology to the company and it was a big change," she said.
Peerfit CEO Ed Buckley supported the change, introducing her to other startup supporters in the ecosystem.
"One thing we love doing at Peerfit is supporting our team, both while they are at Peerfit and after their journey brings them somewhere else," he said in an email to Tampa Bay Inno. "Mariya experienced so much with us at Peerfit and has such a strong desire for excellence, she is in a great position to succeed. Her commitment to continue learning and being part of a strong community demonstrates she is a force of good and I am excited to support her journey."
Bohun stated she does not have plans for pursuing funding anytime soon, but does hope in three to five years she can have a number of offices including in Boston, San Francisco, Latin America and Europe.
"I thought my story would inspire other women immigrants from other countries," she said. "You came to this country, you don't know the language, then step by step you can achieve your dream."
