A United Vision: Fighting Disinformation from Kyiv to Tbilisi

by Harun Bala

In January, The Democracy Tech Entrepreneur Fellowship commenced its inaugural activities in London with a company visit to Palantir Technologies. Since then, this group of aspiring and established democracy defenders alike have participated in the fourth cycle of The Democracy Tech Entrepreneur Fellowship.

On this penned journey, you will meet Anton, Dmytro and Mariam, before they pitch their democracy tech solution at the Copenhagen Democracy Summit in May. Each of them bears separate life experiences, but they are aiming their arms at the same target: taking down disinformation.

Anton Tarasyuk of Mantis Analytics

During chaos, innovation emerges as a beacon of hope. Rising like a phoenix out of the ashes, Anton Tarasyuk probably has an entrepreneurial journey to which few can relate. In the wake of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Mantis Analytics was born – a volunteer initiative offering AI technologies to detect, defend and counteract against information warfare. Recalling the early days, Anton underscores the vitality of Ukraine. When Russia’s invasion happened, all sectors started brainstorming figuring out ways to help. In his tech-AI-community, they took on the threat of disinformation and from this Mantis Analytics was born. The emergence of war flattened out hierarchies, making it easy to get in touch with government officials. In light of this, Mantis has advised the National Security and Defence Council (NSDC) of Ukraine. As the Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, Mykhailo Fedorov, highlights, 80% of Mantis Analytics reports are accepted by the NSDC without additional changes by analysts. Despite commendable achievements, there is a long way to go. “If we were successful, we would no longer be a startup,” Anton jokes when asked about the key to building a successful startup.

Anton Tarasyuk is no stranger to change driven by Russian aggression. His home city Donetsk was lost in 2014 when Russia seized it. He moved to Kyiv for his studies and got a master’s degree in philosophy – so a pivot going into tech. When asked about how these two are complimentary, he symbolically credits Alex Karp, the founder and CEO of Palantir Technologies , as his inspiration. If the name does not ring a bell, read the first sentence of this article again. In his opinion, philosophy teaches you the humility and systematic thinking needed to work in tech, blaming his field for underestimating the power of classical education. This is also why the fellowship is important. Civil society and tech are complementary and there can be a fruitful dialogue in its intersection. “But civil society also should not colonize tech, that would be disastrous,” he jokes.

Anton has experienced many things in his career but attributes the new-found success with Mantis Analytics to his personal motivations to go the extra mile. The war ignited a desire to help his country. He recalls a moment in March 2022 where he thought to himself:

“I’ve worked in consulting, and if I die, I die for a PDF presentation - what the fuck man.”

He laughs in the moment but emphasizes that it was an emotional time. Clearly, Anton’s story is not just a tale of entrepreneurship but about resilience and a pursuit of helping his country’s future. A future where technology serves democracy rather than dominating it.

Dmytro Bilash of Osavul

Keeping it in Kyiv, we shift the conversation to Dmytro Bilash of Osavul . His story and the founding of Osavul echoes the tale of flat hierarchies and entrepreneurial fervor Anton depicted when Russia launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Dmytro was working in advertising when the war happened. He wanted to help in a meaningful way and started asking government and security officials how he could be of help. With experience in analyzing open-source data, Osavul was founded providing software solutions to explore, assess and counter disinformation. Like Mantis Analytics, Osavul was started as a volunteer initiative but has since grown to raise $1 million USD and expand operations to Europe and the US. But it is still “a baby,” in Dmytro’s words.

The novelty of Osavul stands clear when looking at Dmytro’s resume. He has already been through the entrepreneur journey once, from founding to exiting. With an academic background in communication and space studies and an entrepreneurial intuition, he knows how to build a product and Osavul’s systems are used by government analysts every day to combat information threats.

Recognizing the power of information, Dmytro also fights a cultural war against Russia. In March, Osavul published their research exposing an affinity for using racial slurs in the Kremlin. Russia's true nature is often misconstrued he explains. Despite its leftist and anti-colonial facade, the country harbors a deep-seated racism and hatred, a reality often overlooked.

“Politically, it is important to show this. Finishing the war starts from understanding the enemy,” he says.

Brought up in Odessa, a city historically dominated by Russian speakers, Dmytro's upbringing reflects the cultural aspect of war. While Russian language prevailed during his childhood, he increasingly practiced his roots in Ukrainian culture and shifted to Ukrainian, despite the legacy of the Russian-dominated USSR era, which enforced Russian language use. This cultural awakening mirrors the current experiences of many navigating similar identity shifts amidst the fight for Ukraine. In December, Osavul was awarded Ukraine’s Honorary Digital Ambassador by the Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Among the winners also included the First Lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska, who during the award ceremony said: "It is an honor for me to be among you. I'm proud of each and every one in this room. Being an ambassador of Ukraine today means being an ambassador of democracy and truth.”

Despite maintaining pride in where they grew up, both Anton and Dmytro share an appreciation for Kyiv. “It is a place where history happens,” Dmytro says. Comfortable despite its circumstances, it is a melting pot of old and new, with the historic neighborhood of Podil and St. Sophia’s Cathedral to great nightlife and modern architecture. Forever with Ukraine, we commend their commitment to Ukraine's future and resilience in the face of adversity.

Mariam Akhalkatsi of Media Development Foundation (MDF)

Leaving Kyiv, we travel to Tbilisi, Georgia to meet the third and final fellow in this piece, Mariam Akhalkatsi . With Georgia’s election being among the many in the 2024 Super Election Year, Mariam stands at the front of a crucial initiative, often neglected in the tech world. She is leading the development of an AI chatbot designed to empower female politicians, women, and girls in the face of gender-based online violence and disinformation. In Georgia, political discourse is often depreciated by sexist rhetoric and smear campaigns she explains. Thus, Mariam's democracy tech solution solves a problem at home and abroad: the importance of gender equality in sustaining democracy.

Behind Mariam's team is the მედიის განვითარების ფონდი | Media Development Foundation (MDF) , an organization with a longstanding commitment to combatting hate speech and gender-based disinformation. The origins of their project trace back to 2014 when MDF embarked on its journey to combat hate speech. By 2020, recognizing the gender-based attacks on female figures, they wanted to address the specific challenges faced by women. Through collaboration with women-focused organizations, they identified the insidious indicators of female hate speech, shedding light on the disproportionate targeting of women in public discourse. As a true pioneer, Mariam is tackling two important issues. Not only is she fighting for all women but is also strengthening Georgia on the map of democracy tech landscape. “Georgian is too small of a language for big tech companies to invest in AI that works well in the language,” she explains. With its antiquity and distinctive script, we would like to believe it is just too sophisticated for technology to handle. But the AI chatbot that MDF is developing is set to work both in English and Georgian.

Killing two birds with one stone while developing an idea into a product, she is a conqueror of entrepreneurship. Mariam's personal journey highlights the urgency of her mission. In a male-dominated field like AI, biases against women find their ways into the development, often unintentionally born from the biases of developers. Knowing this, Mariam and her team are placing the utmost importance on their methodology to liberate their AI platform from the delimiting chains of gender biases.

Mariam's roots in Georgia are a significant driver behind her work. She grew up in Gori, birthplace of Joseph Stalin, a town with its own experience of Russian aggression. Mariam had to flee the town when it was captured by Russia for a period in 2008. She has seen first-hand how intricately the Russian propaganda machine works to infiltrate and capture people's minds. As Georgia struggles with gender discrimination and anti-Western narratives, Mariam's venture is a critical part of the efforts for a democratic Georgia.

In her commitment to equality and truth, she proves that technology can serve as a catalyst for positive change, empowering women, and safeguarding democracy against the tide of disinformation.

This cohort of the fellowship is the most dynamic one yet. It has a team, a pair, and strong individuals that span from being experienced entrepreneurs to high school prodigies. Anton emerged victorious at our Democracy Tech Entrepreneur Fellowship Launch and Pitching event in Kyiv. Dmytro was nominated by a peer in the field because of his extraordinary accomplishments. Mariam was selected in our open call for applications for her entrepreneurial ideas that she is developing into a product. We always aim to select democracy tech entrepreneur fellows through many channels, scouting for the best candidates using tech to defend democracy, at home and abroad.

These three fellows are at the height of preparing to pitch their democracy tech solutions at the 2024 Copenhagen Democracy Summit. They are working hard and receiving top-notch mentorship from our expert mentors in the fellowship. Klaus Nyengaard is mentoring Anton, Alexander Aghassipour is mentoring Dmytro and Marie Louise Gørvild is mentoring Mariam. With sincerest respects, we want to thank each of their mentors for the guidance and expertise they are sharing with the fellows, as successful tech entrepreneurs themselves. We would also like to extend our gratitude to our honorable program supporters Trifork , International Strategy Forum of Schmidt Futures and the New Democracy Fund as well. Their contributions to the efforts of The Democracy Tech Entrepreneur Fellowship are invaluable.

At the Alliance of Democracies Foundation, we are proud to represent such diversity in this program and believe in the power it holds, especially in the fight for democracy. Strength lies in the bridges built between people who share a common goal.