August 2023 was an important milestone in the career of Ukrainian IT specialist Pavlo Martinovych — he was appointed Head of Product at the American fintech startup upSWOT, which has attracted over $4 million in investment and is already working with leading US banks.
August 2023 was an important milestone in the career of Ukrainian IT specialist Pavlo Martinovych — he was appointed Head of Product at the American fintech startup upSWOT, which has attracted over $4 million in investment and is already working with leading US banks.
Pavel’s story is an example of how a combination of analytical thinking, technical education, and attention to detail can ensure success in the global technology market.
Pavlo was born in the city of Selidove, Donetsk region. Since childhood, he combined studies at a music school (violin class) with football. As he recalls, music taught him structure, and sports taught him team play and quick decision-making.
«Music taught me attention to detail—every note is important. And football is about strategy and reaction under pressure,» says Martinovic.
Over time, these skills became useful in product management, where it is important to simultaneously see the big picture and not lose sight of the details.
Pavlo’s educational path was a conscious choice. He earned a bachelor’s degree in «Economic Cybernetics» from the V. Hetman Kyiv National University of Economics, which gave him fundamental knowledge in mathematical modeling, systems analysis, and business process automation.
After that, Pavlo completed his master’s degree at Cherkasy State Technological University (ChSTU), specializing in the economics of entrepreneurship, a field that allowed him to better understand the financial challenges of small and medium-sized businesses.
«I consciously combined the technical base with economics to work in fintech,» he explains.
While still studying, Pavlo spent five months in the US, working in Florida under the Work and Travel program. It was there, he says, that he first experienced the scale of the opportunities of the American market.
Upon his return, he joined UKRSIBBANK BNP Paribas Group as a business analyst. Here he worked with internal banking systems, risk management, and corporate structures. It was then that he developed a vision of products through the prism of analytics, processes, and data.
Later, Pavlo joined an Atlanta CPA firm (accounting and auditing company), which opened an office in Ukraine. Quickly climbing the career ladder, Pavlo headed the department related to receivables in large corporations (among the clients were Amazon, Walmart, Home Depot). After a business trip to the USA and direct work with clients, he was appointed head of the sales tax department — with responsibility for over 200 tax returns per month in all US states, amounting to over $1 million.
upSWOT, founded by Dmitry Norenko, had already attracted the attention of investors and banks at that time thanks to a platform that integrates data from business services used by small businesses.
Pavlo joined the startup in February 2020 as a business analyst, responsible for integrations with accounting and CRM systems. Over the year, the number of integrations under his leadership has grown from 15 to 50, including QuickBooks, Xero, Zoho Books, Salesforce, Shopify, and others.
Gradually, he began working with banks directly, implementing solutions for clients and collecting feedback.
«Entrepreneurs and banks often see the same data but interpret it differently. A platform is needed that reduces information asymmetry,» he notes.
From a business analyst, Pavlo quickly rose to the position of Head of R&D, where in 2022 he built a team of 20 people and laid the architectural foundation for scaling the product. During this period, patent applications were also filed in the USA, Canada, the UK, and Mexico for the technological components of the system.
In August 2023, Pavlo was officially appointed Head of Product. In this role, he is responsible for coordination between the development, customer service, and sales teams.
During this period, upSWOT is actively entering the American market:
As Andy Sheehan, EVP of Open Banking at Mastercard, noted:
«Open banking… makes it easier for financial institutions to provide customers with access to data for decision-making…»
Brandon McDonough, GM of NerdWallet, noted:
«As part of this pilot project, in partnership with upSWOT, we are integrating tools and resources that will help simplify financial decisions for small business owners and promote their growth and success.»
These strategic partnerships, as the company notes, open up new opportunities for interaction between financial institutions and small businesses.
Today, the team led by Martinovich is expanding the platform’s functionality — in particular, integrating new types of business services and adding analytical modules to assess risk and business growth of the bank’s clients.
«We want banks to not just lend, but actually help businesses grow. This is only possible through a deep understanding of both sides,» he says.
Pavlo Martinovych’s career path is an example of how Ukrainian specialists with a deep technical and economic background can play a key role in creating technological products in the global financial market.
