A Conversation with Lana Glygalo: Amplifying Early-Stage Startups Through Media Innovation
Lana Glygalo, Co-Founder of The Top Voices media, shares her journey from building a global tech community to creating a platform dedicated to amplifying early-stage startups.
In this interview, she discusses the power of storytelling, common mistakes founders make when pitching to the media, and the lessons she’s learned as an entrepreneur. Get inspired by her insights on navigating the startup world and empowering others to tell their unique stories.
Lana, what inspired you to start your media company, and what problem are you solving?
Before launching my media company, I spent more than two years contributing to building and growing a global association for founders and people in tech — Burning Heroes. We successfully scaled the association to over 300 members and a community of 2,000 people, hosting events ranging from the Plug and Play Centre in San Francisco to startup awards on the Australian and African continents.
During those two years, we worked closely with founders and noticed an interesting trend: almost none of them were motivated by material prizes from awards or competitions. Instead, they were primarily seeking opportunities to pitch to investors and gain media recognition. While Burning Heroes excelled at bringing top-tier investors to our panels, the media recognition aspect proved to be a persistent challenge — particularly given our nonprofit nature, which meant relying solely on organic growth. It became clear that traditional (or even legacy) media wasn’t particularly interested in covering early-stage projects, with big tech dominating the news landscape.
This realisation sparked our desire to create a platform where early-stage startups are welcome. The Top Voices media was born with a team largely comprised of members from Burning Heroes, though it is an entirely separate project. We’re thrilled to now receive press releases from seed and pre-seed rounds almost from day one. Additionally, our newsletter boasts an open rate of nearly 50%, which is twice the industry average.
If you could give one piece of advice to a founder who wants to be published in the media, what would it be?
From my perspective, all the magic lies in storytelling. This applies not only to founders — speaking and speaking in a way that makes people listen are two entirely different things. My advice would be to first ask yourself why people should care about and find your story interesting before pitching it to the media.
There are compelling stories around any product, even seemingly dull ones — personal stories of the founder, pivotal moments, addressing a significant social issue, or presenting unique data. At The Top Voices, we don’t just publish content; we also help founders refine their media strategies. I frequently share insights about this on my LinkedIn page to support founders in our community.
What common mistakes do founders make when pitching their stories to the media?
Sending AI-generated texts and generic headlines. While neither we at The Top Voices nor many other media outlets are against using AI as a co-pilot, we strongly advocate for content that adds real value to the world, rather than simply repeating what ChatGPT already knows.
What are bad recommendations you hear in your area of expertise?
I wouldn’t call it a bad recommendation, but I’m not particularly fond of the concept of “brand awareness” in the context of the startup world. People today are overwhelmed with information; nothing really sticks in their minds unless there’s a long history of interaction with the brand through multiple touchpoints — a process that demands significant time and resources, which are often out of reach for startups. The only exceptions might be narrow, low-competition niches or fundamentally new products. Personally, I believe more in a strategy focused on being visible online for relevant target queries (a mix of PR and SEO) and building credibility through media presence for the audience that engages with your channels or searches for you online.
Lana, what life events have shaped you the most?
Launching my first startup was probably the most impactful event. I wanted to shut it down five or six times — it was a very long lesson in patience and willpower. Overall, it changed how I view many things, from relationships with people to my perspective on money.
What is one thing you wish people could understand about entrepreneurship?
I wish people understood how much of entrepreneurship — especially for women — is shaped by both external expectations and internal narratives. Women in business are often treated differently, whether it’s being underestimated in professional settings or being scrutinised more harshly for their choices. But just as important is how women treat themselves: many of us battle imposter syndrome, set unrealistically high standards, or hesitate to take risks because we’ve been conditioned to avoid failure.
Entrepreneurship isn’t just about building a business — it’s about unlearning those patterns and learning to own your story, make bold decisions, and embrace mistakes as part of the journey.
In your past or current role, which decision was difficult and turned out to be right?
In one of my previous projects, I had to lay off some really talented and dedicated team members. It was difficult, both as a founder and as a human being. However, it ultimately helped save the project.
What’s the most challenging aspect of your work?
I think, like many in the startup world, the most challenging aspect is finding the right balance between limited resources and the sheer amount of work. Quite a few tough decisions have had to be made to abandon projects that might be profitable in the short term but distract from the long-term strategy. There’s always a sense of FOMO or the fear of making a wrong decision, and I believe it’s a common experience for early-stage projects.
Rapid-fire questions:
- Coffee or tea? – Coffee
- Dogs or cats? – Cats
- Summer or winter? – Summer
- Sweet or savoury? – Savoury
- Fiction or non-fiction? – Fiction
- City life or countryside? – Countryside
- Comedy or drama? – Drama
- What’s your favourite book that has influenced your entrepreneurial journey? – Lean Startup
- What app do you use the most? – Probably Telegram
- What’s your go-to productivity hack? – Finding a combination of purpose and a way to achieve it that you truly love and enjoy
What advice would you give to a smart, driven college student about to enter the “real world”?
Everyone will give you a lot of advice, but actions are what actually decide.
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