CINDIE, a streaming service in Latin America, has recently acquired the British Web3 project, Paus. AIN.Capital asked the Ukrainian co-owner of the startup, Oleh Kurtianyk, about the work of the Paus team in Ukraine and the details of the deal.
Even before the sale, Paus was looking for investment for development. Was it one of the options?
Before the deal, we already raised $1.5 million in investments and had the support of venture capital.
Tell us about the terms and amount of the transaction and whether you received a share in cash, stock, or other assets.
I cannot disclose the details of the deal. However, I continue supporting the company’s initiatives and remaining a shareholder.
The startup had a team in Ukraine. What were its responsibilities, or was it relocated?
Our Ukrainian Team consisted of developers and business analysts. Ukraine is known for its strong technical knowledge, so we did not doubt where to hire tech specialists. Our Team had always been in Ukraine. I don’t remember anyone leaving.
How did Ukrainian employees work during the full-scale war?
We hired most of our employees at the beginning of the full-scale invasion. As a company, we were primarily concerned about their safety and tried to support each other.
We even had our own “headquarters” (as we jokingly called it) near a coffee shop in Lviv. We gathered there every morning as a team with acquaintances and mutual friends and planned our day for volunteering and work. After that meeting, we were volunteering and working, sometimes in shelters. One day, I could see commits at midnight—someone was writing code. I think it was an excellent way to reduce stress. It worked for me, for sure.
Can you tell us more about Paus’ business model and what’s next?
With CINDIE, we will launch a new, multi-platform product for premium movies and series that will be innovative for the market. I can’t say precisely what it will be, but we are planning some exciting innovations.
