Belarusian tech founders exiled as ‘extremists’ face statelessness
▼ Summary
– Imaguru, founded by Tatyana Marynich and Anastasiya Khamiankova, became Eastern Europe’s leading tech incubator, supporting over 300 startups and attracting $100 million in funding, with notable successes like MSQRD and Prisma.
– The Belarusian government viewed Imaguru’s advocacy for economic independence as dissent, leading to a crackdown after the 2020 elections, with the founders sentenced to 23 years combined and exiled.
– Despite the crackdown, Imaguru continues operations in Warsaw and Madrid, advocating for entrepreneurship as a human right, while facing personal and familial harassment.
– Investors and supporters describe the persecution of Imaguru’s founders as unjust, emphasizing their role as key figures in Belarus’ tech scene and innovation.
– Marynich faces challenges as a stateless individual in Spain, highlighting the global divide in how governments perceive entrepreneurship, with some nurturing and others viewing it as a threat.
The story of Imaguru’s founders reveals how authoritarian regimes view entrepreneurship as a threat when it empowers independent thinkers. What began as Belarus’ first startup hub in 2013 became ground zero for a political crackdown that left its creators exiled, imprisoned in absentia, and stripped of citizenship.
Tatyana Marynich and Anastasiya Khamiankova built Imaguru into Eastern Europe’s most influential tech incubator, fostering over 300 startups and attracting $100 million in funding. Success stories like MSQRD (acquired by Facebook) and Prisma (reportedly bought by Snapchat) emerged from its programs. Yet their advocacy for economic independence collided with a government that sees free enterprise as dissent.
After the disputed 2020 elections, Imaguru opened its doors to civil society groups; a move that sealed its fate. Authorities raided its offices, labeled it an “extremist organization,” and sentenced the founders to 23 years combined. Marynich’s passport expired under a new law barring exiled dissidents from renewing documents, leaving her stranded in Spain without banking access or travel rights.
“Entrepreneurs question power,” Marynich explains. Her late husband, a former minister jailed for opposing President Lukashenko, inspired her shift from World Bank economist to startup advocate. “When politics fail, you build alternatives.”
Despite the crackdown, Imaguru persists through hubs in Warsaw and Madrid, backed by European partners. The team now campaigns to recognize entrepreneurship as a human right, gathering signatures worldwide. But the personal toll is stark, former staff face interrogations, family members are harassed, and returning to Belarus means arrest.
Investors who witnessed Imaguru’s rise call the persecution unjust. “They were the heart of Belarus’ tech scene,” says Max Gurvits of Vitosha Venture Partners. Marvin Liao of Rolling Fund Diaspora.vc adds, “These are nation-builders exiled for believing in innovation.”
While Poland and Lithuania offer support, Spain has yet to respond to Marynich’s pleas for documentation. “I’m stateless,” she says. Yet defiance remains: “We created something beautiful. Now we fight for its survival.”
The case underscores a global divide, where some governments nurture startups, others see them as threats. As Marynich puts it, “Free thinking can’t be imprisoned.”
(Source: TechCrunch)
