Олег Онопрієнко Startup 31 July 2025, 10:19

A Ukrainian woman created an application for creating personalized wishlists, which is already used by over 3,000 users. How does Bazhay work!

Olga Grabovska is a web designer with a keen marketing sense who turned personal frustration on her birthday into a full-fledged startup. Using her own money and without investors, she created the mobile application Bazhay!. In a conversation with dev.ua, Olga spoke about the wishes and gifts service, which already has its first advertisers and ambitions to enter the global market.

About the founder of the startup

Olga Grabovska is a web designer with a marketing background and the founder of the mobile application Bazhay!. The application was created to change the process of gift giving, make it pleasant, and at the same time avoid the hassle of choosing a gift.

Olga is originally from Donetsk, but in the last years before the full-scale invasion she lived in Irpen and worked in Kyiv. In February 2022, she had to flee the rapid advance of Russian troops on the capital. Together with her family, Olga was forced to leave Ukraine, worked in Poland and Norway, but later returned to her homeland.

"I chose family, loved ones, and friends, even despite the constant sirens. And I don't regret it. Later, in Ukraine, I met my lover, with whom I continue to live and create here, at home," said Olga.

How the startup idea was born

The idea for the Bazhay! app came from a common everyday situation. One day, Olga received several completely unnecessary gifts for her birthday. This made her think: why not create a service that would help people give exactly what they really need? The wishlist services of the time did not meet her expectations — neither in terms of functionality nor in terms of visual presentation. So she decided to create her own.

At the beginning, Olga worked on Bazhay! independently: she formulated an idea, developed a business plan, conducted market research, created a structure, layout, prototype, and design, and also determined the brand positioning.

Later, her husband joined the team, as well as the developers, with whom they launched the first version of the application. After the release, the project was strengthened by a targeting specialist, an SMM manager, a lawyer, and an accountant. It was not without consultations from external experts.

“I’m really lucky with people. The team is my treasure,” the founder emphasizes.

Today, the startup is actively growing, and the team is looking for a B2B sales manager who will help build systematic work with brands and partners.

What is Bazhay!

Bazhay! is a mobile application that allows people to receive only the gifts they want. Users create their wishlists: they add everything they want to receive as a gift from any sites or simply write their wishes by hand. It can be something tangible or intangible, a wish or a great desire. Each user has their own profile, which can be sent to friends, family or colleagues so that they know exactly what to give.

Thank you! useful:

Anyone who wants to receive the gifts they want should better understand themselves and their desires.
For busy people who don't want to waste time choosing gifts - neither for themselves nor for others.
For partners and friends who want to avoid disappointment and identical gifts.
For relatives and colleagues who want to give something they really need, not "just because."
For stylists who make lists of desired purchases of clothes, shoes and accessories.
For brands that want to be closer to customers when they are choosing gifts.

"Bazhay! integrates personalized wishlists with recommendations, real products, tips, and even advertising that doesn't annoy, but helps. This is the first Ukrainian system that rethinks the gift-giving process: not randomness, but accuracy. With us, wishes are not lost, but fulfilled!", - explained Olga.

First clients

Currently, Bazhay! is an early-stage product that is gradually moving out of the MVP phase. The application already has over 3,000 users and cooperates with eight Ukrainian brands. The team is working on improving the functionality, improving the user experience, and developing business processes that will ensure sustainability and growth.

“We are developing gradually, step by step, but confidently,” says Olga.

The application's users are currently mostly Ukrainian, but Bazhay! is already preparing to enter international markets. Among the first customers are brands that want to promote their products natively, without intrusive advertising, but effectively. One of the ambitious goals is to help Ukrainian manufacturers become recognizable abroad through the application's tools.

Brand integration occurs through cooperation with Ukrainian manufacturers of clothing, shoes, accessories, decor, cosmetics, and other lifestyle products. Selected products are added to users' wish lists and later to their shopping carts or gift boxes.

"We don't just show the brand - we help it sell more. This is advertising that doesn't look like advertising," explains Olga.

In most cases, negotiations go smoothly. But there are exceptions. Olga recalls one story that turned into classic startup trash:

“I was recommended a natural cosmetics brand. I checked social media — it looked old-fashioned, but I decided not to jump to conclusions. It became clear at the first meeting: it would be difficult. The owner, a man in his 45s, did not understand how the application worked, and did not even try to understand. In response to a logical presentation — manipulation, attempts to dictate rules, complete disregard for my time,” said the founder of Bazhay!

As a result, it became obvious: the brand is not growing because "the market is wrong," but because communication at the management level does not allow it to develop.

“The level of communication is always the starting point for any growth. Or lack thereof,” Olga concludes.

Funding, monetization and future plans

Initially, the startup focused on a B2C model, but it did not produce the expected results. This did not stop Olga, she reconsidered the approach and created a B2B direction with monetization through brands.

"I didn't wait a year for an investor or a grant — I just implemented the project. And now I see that it was the right decision," said Olga.

The product now has a paid subscription and its first advertisers, and the team is focused on scaling, attracting new brands, grants, and investments.

In the near future, the team plans to refine the product — make it even simpler and more convenient, expand the partner network, and increase the user base.

The next step is to enter international markets: Europe, the USA, and Asian countries.

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