Hi, I’m Iryna Gavrylenko
— a Product Strategist and Retention-focused PM.

I help startups understand their users and fix the gaps in activation, onboarding, and retention.

How I Help

Check the data
Talk to users
Turn insights into hypotheses
Create list of tests

10 years working in Tech

With over 10 years in Tech, I’ve worked closely with founders across B2C, B2B, and B2B2C subscription-based products, including mobile and web platforms in education, social, dating, and e-commerce.

I’m passionate about building online businesses and discovering what truly drives user growth.

I founded a user research agency called 5 Talks and previously ran a school for aspiring project managers.

Throughout my journey, I’ve found my niche in helping teams uncover real user needs and translate them into product decisions that stick.

Today, I share my experience through mentorship, coaching, and plug-and-play product strategies, supporting early-stage teams and first-time founders who want to build products people genuinely care about.

Recent Blog Posts

The Testing Framework: Separate Ego from Evidence

1) Start with the riskiest assumption Don’t test everything. Test the one thing that, if false, kills the business. Example: Airbnb’s core risk—“Will strangers host strangers?” Do this: List assumptions → rank by risk/uncertainty → test #1 first. 2) Build a minimum testable hypothesis (MTH) Before an MVP, validate with the smallest possible test: Landing page with “Get Early Access” Manual “concierge” version of the service Clickable prototype (looks real, no backend) Short s

2 min read

I Killed My Startup Idea in One Week (Here's How You Can Too)

There are many articles on how to come up with a startup idea. In a nutshell: find a problem that deserves to be solved better, while people care about it and are ready to pay. Some suggest starting with a problem you need solved for yourself. When I had my 2 previous attempts, I based them on this approach. I wasn't happy with the type of product I had at the time, and I wasn't happy with education in one specific field I was interested in. So I covered both directions and w

3 min read

AI-Driven Analysis for Improving Retention in a Psychotherapy App

"Add a daily streak mechanic like Duolingo." "Congrats, you've cried three days in a row, keep the streak alive!" And that's exactly why we still can't hand product management over to AI. Yes, AI is a fantastic tool to speed us up. I use it all the time. But if you don't understand human behavior, product value, and context, AI will happily generate polished nonsense. The Psychology App Retention Trap Here's what happens when you blindly apply best practices from one domain t

3 min read

Hi, I’m Iryna Gavrylenko — a Product Strategist and Retention-focused PM. I help startups understand their users and fix the gaps in activation, onboarding, and retention. ​

How I Help

Check the data

Talk to users