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Anna Podolsky

Founder & CEO at Lyka

Anna Podolsky is the Founder and CEO of Lyka, a direct-to-consumer pet wellness company based in Australia.1 Here are some key details about Anna:

Professional Background

  • Founded Lyka in August 2017 and has been leading the company since then1
  • Previously worked as a Consultant at Bain & Company from July 2013 to January 20181
  • Held roles as a Mathematics and Statistics Tutor at The University of Queensland and as an Actuarial Intern at Quantium1

Education

  • Graduated from The University of Queensland with a Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Science, majoring in Finance and Mathematics1
  • Achieved a GPA of 6.83 out of 7.00 and received the Dean's Award for Outstanding Academic Excellence every semester1

Entrepreneurial Journey

Anna started Lyka after experiencing health issues with her own dog, also named Lyka. Noticing improvements in her dog's health after switching to home-cooked meals, Anna saw an opportunity to disrupt the pet food industry.23 She initially bootstrapped the company, doing everything from running the kitchen to marketing and customer care.3

Company Growth

Under Anna's leadership, Lyka has:

  • Grown to a team of over 70 employees3
  • Served over 4 million meals to dogs across Australia1
  • Raised approximately AUD$8.5 million in capital, including a $6.5 million Series A round in 202113

Personal Traits

Anna is described as passionate, strategic, and deeply committed to animal welfare.4 She is multilingual, with proficiency in Portuguese, Spanish, Russian, and English.1

Anna Podolsky's journey from management consultant to pet food entrepreneur showcases her adaptability, business acumen, and dedication to improving the lives of pets through better nutrition.

Highlights

Nov 16 · linkedin

Employers are struggling to motivate workers to come back to the office. I have an idea that might help - Let employees bring their dogs to work!

We need to turn the workplace into somewhere people enjoy spending time. Having lots of puppers roam the office can boost morale and make the office a more fun place to spend the day.

I truly think dog-friendly offices are the future for Aussie companies. But how does it impact productivity? And what about the workers who aren't dog people? Read my article below, where I address these topics.

I'd love to know what you think - should employers allow dogs in the office?

Post some pics of your pups below and keep the conversation going in the comments section.

#LinkedInNewsAustralia #IOTD #BigIdeas2024

Oct 25 · linkedin

I'm excited to finally share the news of our Series B fundraise!

The oldest dog in the world lived to be 30, but the average dog only lives to be 11. At Lyka, we're working to close this gap by focusing on health life, and not shelf life. We're humbled to have transformed the lives of thousands of dogs, and I'm excited to continue growing our impact.

A huge shout to Dr Matthew J Muir, Gabriel Guedes and our wonderful Team Lyka - we truly have an all-star team taking the organisation to great heights (and we're hiring - reach out if you're interested in joining the pack 😜).

Thank you to our rockstar investors for your continued belief in us - AfterWork Ventures, Wattle Hill Capital, Point King Capital, Shearwater Capital - and welcome on board Itai Tsiddon and Nicholas Ellenoff. Let's do this! 🚀 🐶

#startup #fundraise #pet #team #hiring

https://lnkd.in/gVmjwszG

Related Questions

What inspired Anna Podolsky to start Lyka?
How did Anna's background in mathematics and statistics influence her approach to founding Lyka?
What challenges did Anna face when scaling Lyka's team?
How does Lyka ensure the quality of its human-grade meals?
What are some unique features of Lyka's subscription service?
Anna Podolsky
Anna Podolsky, photo 1
Anna Podolsky, photo 2
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Experience

Founder & CEO at Lyka (August 2017 - Present)
Consultant at Bain & Company (July 2013 - January 2018), Mathematics and Statistics Tutor at The University of Queensland (March 2010 - November 2012)

Education

Bachelor of Commerce (B.Com.); Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) in Finance and Mathematics from The University of Queensland (2009 - 2012), High School Diploma from Brisbane State High School (2004 - 2008)

Location

Greater Sydney Area