Irina Kukuyeva
Fractional Chief Data Officer
at Kukuyeva Consulting
Dr. Irina Kukuyeva [pronounced: eye-REE-na ku-KU-eeva] helps VCs and accelerators do AI due diligence, having been on the other side (inventing and developing algorithms, leading global teams, teaching graduate students, and mentoring 100+ start-ups at many well-known accelerators).
She’s an advisory board member at a Pediatric MedTech Accelerator (CTIP) and UCLA Department of Statistics and answers founder FAQs on her “Dear Advisor” blog.
Fun fact: Irina invented a novel image compression algorithm for her PhD thesis — and found similarities between two storms on Jupiter, a finding confirmed by NASA Juno’s mission 6 years later.
Articles by Irina Kukuyeva
How to Build a Customer Support Function for Startups Using AI Tools with Alex Velinov
Delivering high-quality customer support can be one of the most resource-draining parts of a startup. The good news: we’re at a turning point where founders can use AI tools to...
Zero → 100: The Exact Steps We Took to Close Our First 100 Paying Customers
Going from zero customers to 100 in just four months sounds impossible—unless you’re a founder willing to roll up your sleeves and hustle relentlessly. I’m Gaurav Bhattacharya, co-founder of Jeeva.ai,...
Unblocking Startup Growth: Best Practices for Sales Discovery & Qualification with Richard Harris
Startups are in a constant race against time and resources, navigating complex sales environments with lean teams and limited margins for error. In a recent session from the Mucker Growth...
The LinkedIn Playbook: How Startup Founders Can Stand Out & Scale
This LinkedIn Playbook is based on insights from a recent one-time Mucker Growth Session webinar featuring LinkedIn growth experts Alec Paul (Founder of SalesBrand) and Kyle Williams (Founder of Brickstack)....
DeepSeek vs OpenAI: Comparison Breakdown and What It Means For Your Tech Startup With Dan Cleary
In this recent webinar of our Mucker Growth Series, we discussed the evolving AI landscape with Dan Cleary, founder of PromptHub. He provided an in-depth breakdown of DeepSeek vs. OpenAI,...
Building Product Without Knowing Code With Adam New Waterson
In a deep dive into AI-driven product development, Adam New-Waterson, a former CMO turned Chief Product Officer and now solopreneur, shared how non-technical founders can harness the power of AI...