Leon Podobedov

GP @ hi5 Ventures · Early-stage VC for Ukrainian founders globally · Angel investor since 2007

📍 Ukraine, Ukraine🔄 Updated September 2026💼 13 investments📅 11 years investing🗓 Last invested May 2026𝕏 @upgrade_to_unlock
Operator-angel🌍 UkraineInvested this year
13
Total investments
5
Early stage
5
Mid stage
0
Late stage
11y
Years active

Portfolio

13 investments · sorted by recency
All investments
Early stage
Mid stage
Late stage
Seed Investor
May 2026
Access comprehensive business and financial data on 360+ million companies globally with Comparables.ai. Our AI-driven platform delivers relevant results 20x faster, combining qualitative and quantitative insights to replace manual research. Ideal for Corporate development teams, M&A advisors, private equity, and market research professionals. Comparables.ai enables smarter, faster decision-making with hard-to-source data.
Seed Investor
Feb 2025
Workee helps creators to monetize their time with AI: create personal websites, list products, services and get paid directly from their audience. Over 12,000 professionals already joined Workee and generating millions of dollars with our solution. 4 simple steps that are making Workee great: 🌍 We build your personal website with branding, styles and templates using AI! It takes 1 minute to have your website ready! 💸 You got an entire booking and payment system already built for you. Get paid directly to your account with Stripe, PayPal, or any payment provider with Custom Payments feature! 🤖 We make your work effortless with AI - generate lesson plans, homework, quizzes, meeting and coaching sessions in 1 click! 🚀 We help to promote your business with Workee Ads - launch ads in Facebook and Instagram with us!!
Angel Investor
Jul 2023
The Hands In mission is simple: to eliminate payment hurdles like 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝗱𝘂𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗱𝘀, drive 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘂𝗲 for our business partners, and create smoother transactions that improve customer satisfaction. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗮𝘆𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗜𝗻 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 Travel transactions declining due to insufficient funds make up to on average 5% of all failing payments, contributing to millions lost in revenue at the checkout every month. Additionally, 59% of travelers travel together in groups every year but cannot split the payment. And thats exactly what Hands In wants to solve... We’ve designed three groundbreaking features to tackle these issues head-on: • 𝗠𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶-𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗣𝗮𝘆𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀: Customers can easily split costs across multiple cards, allocating amounts and authorizing each payment in seconds. • 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗽 𝗣𝗮𝘆𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀: Whether it’s friends booking a trip or colleagues organizing an event, peers can join the same transaction and pay their share—no more chasing people down for reimbursement. • 𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆: Customers can split payments across multiple cards if their original payment method is declined due to insufficient funds, allowing two card transaction retries, versus just one. 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗦𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀: Generating over $30M in incremental sales for clients in 2025. 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀 • Air Europa • AsiaPay • Budgy Smuggler • Arab Financial Services • Sports Events 365 • Repayd • Cell Point Digital • BR-DGE • YUNO • DEUNA • BridgerPay Our API connects to up to 𝟰𝟬 𝗣𝗦𝗣𝘀, including major names like 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱𝗽𝗮𝘆, 𝗘𝗹𝗮𝘃𝗼𝗻, and 𝗔𝗱𝘆𝗲𝗻. 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀, 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗴𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗙𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀: https://www.handsin.com/about-us Join the payment revolution with Hands In, and let’s shape the future of payments together!
Board Member
Sep 2022
Saldo Apps helps small and medium businesses automate their sales and accounting. We create simple mobile-first all-in-one software solutions that allow SMEs of almost any kind to sell online, record financial transactions, and keep their books digitally. This, in turn, helps them focus on their business, not bookkeeping. Saldo Apps already has 5 apps (available on App Store and Google Play): - Invoice Maker - Orty - Checkpie - Mileage Tracker - Receipt Scanner
Angel Investor
Sep 2022
The only Web3 distribution tool that actually works.
Angel Investor
Feb 2022
Swag42 designs, produces, and delivers high-quality branded merchandise that people love. We combine style and full-cycle service, creating branded fashion swag in the EU, along with warehousing and global delivery. We also offer a self-service Swag42 Platform that simplifies swag ordering, branding, and fulfillment for HR, event, marketing, and sales teams. 🔸 Custom merch production with premium fabrics 🔸 Unlimited customization (embroidery, labels, patches, buttons, NFC and AI integration) 🔸 800+ catalog items—the most extensive catalog of designer clothing merchandise in the EU and the US. 🔸 Customizing products by HUGO BOSS, Rains, JBL, The North Face, Sony, Nike, Crocs, and other renowned brands. 🔸 Merchandise warehousing and on-demand fulfillment 🔸 Worldwide delivery
Seed Investor
Feb 2022
First on the market AI-powered automation for the slide-writing. We take raw slides and do all the formatting in one click. Establishing as an industry standard among top global consulting firms. Contact us for a client demo or join our team in one of the offices in San Francisco, London, Manila, Kyiv
Investor
Jan 2022
We reinvent how you save and relive memories with your favorite people. Instead of separate albums, your group creates a live timeline with daily photo check-ins. Stay connected through lock screen updates and keep your best moments alive in The Wall. You can also reach us through email: support@yope.tv
Angel Investor
Dec 2021
Receive valuable insights from your marketing and advertising data automatically. Connect all your data sources in one place. Zero coding.
Angel Investor
Dec 2021
Pibox helped the most innovative companies like Universal Music, Sony, Red Bull, Epidemic Sound, and others optimize the remote content collaboration process. Our solution helps to scale remote collaboration and save time for managers and content creators. We’re achieving breakthrough workflow results by integrating Pibox individually with each customer. Our crafted Pibox modules will take your team to the next level of content collaboration: 1. 💬 Project-driven chat for creative teams 2. 🎧 Intuitive audio waveform that boosts productivity and creativity (video and image files supported) 3. 📁 Full-fledged file storage and sharing to keep all data in one place 4. 🦾 Smart automations and templates to save hours for managers and creators Many other magic features that we will reveal to you on a call 😉 👉🏼 Book a free demo at https://pibox.com/
Board Member
Feb 2016
UANGEL is a Ukrainian business angels network, providing platform for entrepreneurs to meet investors and for investors to locally and internationally syndicate. It facilitates the introduction of entrepreneurs to potential investors through pitching events, presentations, investors coffee mornings and other tools. We are a group of individuals or entities interested in financing startups and ventures typically in the early stage of development. Members are provided with selected deal-flow, high profile networking, syndicating possibilities, cross-boarder investments, educational help and much more. UANGEL is a member of EBAN, European Business Angels Network and partner with GUST, the international collaboration platform for angel investing.
Board Member
Mar 2015
SOC Prime operates the world’s largest and most advanced platform for collective cyber defense that cultivates collaboration from a global cybersecurity community. Powered by Sigma language and MITRE ATT&CK® as core pillars, SOC Prime drives a transformational change in cybersecurity to empower smart data orchestration, dynamic attack surface visibility, and cost-efficient threat hunting. Our innovation, backed by zero-trust & multi-cloud approach, is recognized by independent research companies, credited by leading SIEM, XDR & MDR vendors, and trusted by 11,000+ organizations, including 42% of Fortune 100 and 21% of Forbes Global 2000.
Investor
Jan 2015
SOC Prime operates the world’s largest and most advanced platform for collective cyber defense that cultivates collaboration from a global cybersecurity community. Powered by Sigma language and MITRE ATT&CK® as core pillars, SOC Prime drives a transformational change in cybersecurity to empower smart data orchestration, dynamic attack surface visibility, and cost-efficient threat hunting. Our innovation, backed by zero-trust & multi-cloud approach, is recognized by independent research companies, credited by leading SIEM, XDR & MDR vendors, and trusted by 11,000+ organizations, including 42% of Fortune 100 and 21% of Forbes Global 2000.
Experience · 21 entries
All (21)
Investments (13)
Founder (7)
Board (3)
2026
Seed Investor
May 2026
Access comprehensive business and financial data on 360+ million companies globally with Comparables.ai. Our AI-driven platform delivers relevant results 20x faster, combining qualitative and quantitative insights to replace manual research. Ideal for Corporate development teams, M&A advisors, private equity, and market research professionals. Comparables.ai enables smarter, faster decision-making with hard-to-source data.
2025
Seed Investor
Feb 2025
Workee helps creators to monetize their time with AI: create personal websites, list products, services and get paid directly from their audience. Over 12,000 professionals already joined Workee and generating millions of dollars with our solution. 4 simple steps that are making Workee great: 🌍 We build your personal website with branding, styles and templates using AI! It takes 1 minute to have your website ready! 💸 You got an entire booking and payment system already built for you. Get paid directly to your account with Stripe, PayPal, or any payment provider with Custom Payments feature! 🤖 We make your work effortless with AI - generate lesson plans, homework, quizzes, meeting and coaching sessions in 1 click! 🚀 We help to promote your business with Workee Ads - launch ads in Facebook and Instagram with us!!
2023
Angel Investor
Jul 2023
The Hands In mission is simple: to eliminate payment hurdles like 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝗱𝘂𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗱𝘀, drive 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘂𝗲 for our business partners, and create smoother transactions that improve customer satisfaction. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗮𝘆𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗜𝗻 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 Travel transactions declining due to insufficient funds make up to on average 5% of all failing payments, contributing to millions lost in revenue at the checkout every month. Additionally, 59% of travelers travel together in groups every year but cannot split the payment. And thats exactly what Hands In wants to solve... We’ve designed three groundbreaking features to tackle these issues head-on: • 𝗠𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶-𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗣𝗮𝘆𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀: Customers can easily split costs across multiple cards, allocating amounts and authorizing each payment in seconds. • 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗽 𝗣𝗮𝘆𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀: Whether it’s friends booking a trip or colleagues organizing an event, peers can join the same transaction and pay their share—no more chasing people down for reimbursement. • 𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆: Customers can split payments across multiple cards if their original payment method is declined due to insufficient funds, allowing two card transaction retries, versus just one. 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗦𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀: Generating over $30M in incremental sales for clients in 2025. 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀 • Air Europa • AsiaPay • Budgy Smuggler • Arab Financial Services • Sports Events 365 • Repayd • Cell Point Digital • BR-DGE • YUNO • DEUNA • BridgerPay Our API connects to up to 𝟰𝟬 𝗣𝗦𝗣𝘀, including major names like 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱𝗽𝗮𝘆, 𝗘𝗹𝗮𝘃𝗼𝗻, and 𝗔𝗱𝘆𝗲𝗻. 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀, 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗴𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗙𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀: https://www.handsin.com/about-us Join the payment revolution with Hands In, and let’s shape the future of payments together!
2022
Board Member
Sep 2022
Saldo Apps helps small and medium businesses automate their sales and accounting. We create simple mobile-first all-in-one software solutions that allow SMEs of almost any kind to sell online, record financial transactions, and keep their books digitally. This, in turn, helps them focus on their business, not bookkeeping. Saldo Apps already has 5 apps (available on App Store and Google Play): - Invoice Maker - Orty - Checkpie - Mileage Tracker - Receipt Scanner
Angel Investor
Sep 2022
The only Web3 distribution tool that actually works.
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Investment activity
2015–2026 · 13 investments
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