Innovation comes from diversity: Olha Zota on building robots, breaking stereotypes, and inspiring a new generation of women in STEM

“I am an innovator, a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) and gender equality ambassador,” said Olha Zota, co-founder and CEO of UkraineRobotics, a science-engineering start-up specializing in hexapod robots. Her flagship model, “KULYA”, redefines innovation – proving that engineering can be both functional and inspiring.

Ms. Zota’s journey into robotics started almost by accident. During the pandemic, she and her team were experimenting with 3D printing when a playful idea emerged: could we build our own robot?

“That experiment became ‘KULYA’ – and people’s reactions showed it was something bigger,” she recalled. “When we filed our first patent and strangers started asking on social media, ‘Can I order one too?’, I realized it was no longer a hobby. It was the beginning of a company – and a vision to create an ecosystem where robotics and imagination meet.”

Olha Zota is an innovator, a STEM and gender equality ambassador. Photo: Malashyna Alona/EU 4 Gender Equality

Olha is a founder of UkraineRobotics. Photo: Malashyna Alona/EU 4 Gender Equality

UkraineRobotics was founded amid the ongoing war in Ukraine – a fact that, for Olha Zota, defines its identity.

“Adaptation is part of our DNA. From the beginning, we had to design, test and share our work during blackouts, evacuations and uncertainty,” she said. “KULYA became our symbol of resilience – a robot that kept evolving even when circumstances were against us.”

Zota has also found ways to combine innovation and art. She worked in collaboration with artist Kateryna Tymoshenko to create ‘Impulse’ – an interactive robotic flower featured at the Serendipitous Events exhibition by UN Women Ukraine and the Port of Culture NGO in Kyiv. The flower, adorned with traditional Petrykivka painting, came to life at the touch of a button, unfolding its petals in wave-like motion under a beam of coloured light.

“I wanted to show that technology can be both emotional and alive – that it can respond to human presence just like we respond to the world around us,” she said.

Zota’s journey in tech was not easy.

“It was hard for me to accept myself as a CEO,” she admitted. “I had never seen a woman in that role in my field. I saw women in tech, but mostly in administrative positions. Only now I understand that the key is to stop doubting yourself.”

Sexism in the IT and engineering world, she said, remains widespread. “It is often seen as humour – part of tradition, especially among men over 40. At first, it hurt. But then I realised: my motivation is to break stereotypes.”

UkraineRobotics recently received its first investment from a woman investor.

‘KULYA became our symbol of resilience – a robot that kept evolving even when circumstances were against us’. Photo: Malashyna Alona/EU 4 Gender Equality

‘I wanted to show that technology can be both emotional and alive’. Photo: Malashyna Alona/EU 4 Gender Equality

‘Technology is for people who are driven by ideas, not by gender’. Photo: Malashyna Alona/EU 4 Gender Equality

“Women work great,” Olha Zota said proudly. “Women leaders in science and engineering start-ups bring more revenue and long-term sustainability. I always hired women in IT, even when people advised me not to because of a ‘male team’. But innovation does not happen in monolithic teams.”

She wants girls to see that they can belong anywhere – including in labs, factories and boardrooms.

“When you are young, you rarely see women scientists. Girls are not taken to factories or shown how machines work. I did not even know this profession existed,” she said. “So my advice to girls in STEM: choose what you love and start exploring it. Do not listen to anyone. People often expect women to be convenient, but everything begins with small moves. And if there are not enough real role models, inspiration can come from anime or anywhere else you find it. Technology is for people who are driven by ideas, not by gender. When your invention speaks for itself, stereotypes quickly lose their power.”

Zota sees untapped potential in women’s innovation – and believes it is key to Ukraine’s future: “There are women in this field, but too few. If we create the right conditions, it will help rebuild Ukraine during and after the war. Women leaders think more about sustainable development – and that is what our recovery needs.”

When asked why more women should enter STEM, she is clear: “Because technology shapes the future, and if women are not part of it, the future will be incomplete. Innovation comes from diversity. When more women enter STEM, the field becomes not only smarter, but also more human.”