Active · Open to Defense Roles · 2026
Yulia Zimmermann // Reno, Nevada

Bridging Ukraine &
the U.S. in the
Defense Industry.

Strategic Partnerships, GTM, and US expansion for ambitious defense and dual-use startups. Looking to join a team on a serious journey into the U.S. market.

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Yulia Zimmermann
ID · Subject
YZ-001REN/NV
01 / Mission Brief

Target Roles

  • STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS LEAD
  • Country Manager
  • Business Development Director
  • PROGRAM DIRECTOR
  • US Expansion Lead
  • CHIEF OF STAFF
02 / Service Record

Work Experience

  1. NEOLENS AI · Head of Growth and Strategic Partnerships Lead

    Feb 2026 — Present
    Defense AI — Autonomous Sustainment Platform· US / Ukraine

    Early-stage defense AI company building an offline-capable sustainment platform for military assets and autonomous systems.

    Expand Dossier→
    • ▸Helped evolve product positioning from repair AI toward AI-enabled sustainment across training, operations, maintenance, and lifecycle support — aligning messaging for both Ukrainian field users and Western defense OEM / partner audiences.
    • ▸Strengthened strategic collaboration with Roboneers and developed partner-specific materials supporting joint market efforts that drove user adoption and market visibility.
    • ▸Led end-to-end website and messaging transformation, directing cross-functional stakeholders and design efforts to support the company's evolving AI sustainment narrative.
    • ▸Built and expanded relationships with Ukrainian OEMs and defense manufacturers, contributing to partner engagement strategy and real-world field feedback loops.
    • ▸Supported pilot programs with defense stakeholders, helping translate operational requirements into product requirements, KPIs, and deployment scenarios.
    • ▸Revived LinkedIn presence, improving engagement and consistency of defense-focused content. Growth: followers +311%, impressions +13,296%, reactions +2,008%.
    • ▸Led preparation of pitch materials for Tech Defense Valley and Brave1 ecosystem initiatives.

  2. CloudFrame · Director of Partner Channel

    Oct 2022 — Feb 2026
    Enterprise Software· United States

    Owned strategic partnerships channel — onboarding, enablement, engagement, performance, and revenue.

    Expand Dossier→
    • ▸Expanded the partner channel: enhanced and scaled the overall partner ecosystem and GTM plans, driving revenue goals via partner-sourced pipeline.
    • ▸Managed partner onboarding, enablement, day-to-day engagement, and performance monitoring.
    • ▸Negotiated and executed partner agreements.
    • ▸Led Microsoft partnership expansion and co-sell activities through Microsoft Marketplace.
    • ▸Produced partner decks and presentations, product and partner co-marketing materials, website updates, product sheets, and email campaigns.
    • ▸Collaborated cross-functionally with Sales, Product, Marketing, and executive leadership to build and scale partner programs and partner-sourced pipeline.

  3. Nova Ukraine · Head of Marketing and Strategic Partnerships

    Feb 2022 — Sep 2022
    Humanitarian Nonprofit· United States / Ukraine

    Led marketing and communications during hypergrowth — supporting expansion from ~$350K to $40M+ in donations and a 10x increase in active volunteers.

    Expand Dossier→
    • ▸Established strategic partnerships and scaled stakeholder communications during wartime hypergrowth.
    • ▸Developed and launched the first partner and donor-facing weekly newsletter — grew email database from 2,000+ to 60,000+ in 6 months.
    • ▸Executed partnerships with UNICEF USA and AirBnB.org, coordinating activities from initial engagement to GTM strategy.
    • ▸Represented Nova Ukraine at corporate panel discussions for Microsoft, Adobe, and Netflix to spread awareness; gave media interviews.

  4. Qardio · Sr. Director, Sales and Channel Marketing

    Jan 2019 — Mar 2022
    Consumer Health / Connected Devices· Global (5 geos)

    Owned and managed Qardio's largest revenue channel — Amazon, $8M+ P&L across 5 geographies.

    Expand Dossier→
    • ▸Developed annual, quarterly, and monthly forecasts for all consumer channels.
    • ▸Created and executed full-funnel Amazon Ad strategy (Search and DSP). Managed $500,000 in ad budget overseeing 8 active Amazon marketplaces.
    • ▸Launched RiteAid.com and Lenovo.com in the U.S.

  5. Petcube · Director of Global E-Commerce Sales

    Jan 2017 — Dec 2018
    Consumer Hardware / IoT· US / UK / EU / Canada

    Launched new hardware products to online marketplaces across the U.S., UK, EU, and Canada — driving 65% of total 2018 revenue and 200% YoY growth.

    Expand Dossier→
    • ▸Executed GTM strategy and marketplace expansion across Amazon, Walmart, Chewy, and Macy's — reaching more than 10M consumers.
    • ▸Managed a team of 7 executing promo campaigns across SEO, online and retail channel visual assets, email, in-app communications, social media content, and ads.
    • ▸Led the Petcube Rescue Program, promoting brand awareness and pet adoption.
    • ▸Organized Petcube's presence at CES for multiple years, leading logistics, travel, and creative assets.
03 / Operating Theaters

Two Angles of Defense Involvement

I work in both directions — translating between Ukrainian capability and U.S. market access.

01

Ukrainian companies expanding to the US

Translating battle-tested capability into Western procurement language, partnerships, and pilots.

02

US companies expanding their Ukrainian presence

Opening the door to OEM relationships, field validation, and frontline product feedback loops.

Why I'm a fit as a Ukraine–US bridge

  • U.S. Market Presence
  • Ukrainian Defense Ecosystem
  • Early-Stage Startup Operator
  • Partnerships & GTM
  • Defense Pitch & Narrative
  • Mission Alignment
04 / Trajectory

From Ukraine to the Sierra Nevada.

  1. MYKOLAYIV, UKRAINE

    Born

    Where it began.

  2. San Francisco, CA

    2007

    Immigrated to the United States.

  3. Lake Tahoe, CA

    2021

    Traded the city for the mountains.

  4. Reno, NV

    2026

    New chapter in the high desert.

05 / Off-Duty

Beyond the Brief

Mountaineering sharpens self-discipline, resource management, and team coordination. I also mentor startups, support women in tech and mountains, and volunteer on projects connecting the U.S. and Ukraine. 🇺🇦 🇺🇸