Olga Bartnicki

From a young age, Olga has been driven to transform ideas into tangible ventures. Her father was an inventor in the field of electrical engines, holding 12 patents that never moved beyond his cherished folders. Witnessing his unbuilt inventions inspired her to focus on turning ideas into reality—building, launching, and making them real.
Throughout her career, she has dedicated herself to creating new ventures within large corporations and as standalone startups. She launched innovative initiatives at a major media conglomerate (MTG), ideated and delivered products as a strategy consultant (for Merck, Thomson Reuters), and worked with Fortune 500 companies at Allen & Co., providing thought leadership during disruptive periods like the Napster era.
As a tech entrepreneur, Olga has founded four startups—two failed, and two successfully exited. She has also served as Managing Director for two startup accelerators—Techstars and CUNY—and mentored founders at Harvard iLab, MIT Media Lab, ERA, Cornell, and Yale.
For Olga, nothing is more fulfilling than bringing an idea to life and helping fellow founders succeed.
She holds a Master of Science from the University of Colorado and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Title: Entrepreneur in Residence
Organization: Yale Ventures