About eastok
The name eastok combines the English east with the Russian восток, which means the same thing. It also brings to mind исток, the Russian word for a source or origin.
I started eastok to better understand what is happening in the technology markets of Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia.
The region has no shortage of ambitious plans, new tech hubs, digital programmes, startups and investment announcements. I am more interested in what actually lies behind those claims.
Why do some ecosystems grow faster than others? What does a technology park or special zone really offer companies? Where do local fintech firms find an edge? Why does a model that works in one country fail in another?
When I write about technology and business across the CIS region and neighbouring markets, I also look at local history, institutions, business practices and the people working there.
There is not always a simple answer. Sometimes it matters just as much to separate real change from announcements and see what the evidence tells us.
Hi, I’m Damian
I was interested in the East long before I began working in technology.
I was born in Toruń, Poland, but my family has roots in Podlasie and the eastern borderlands. Some of my family lived for generations in what is now Belarus. Perhaps that is why Poland’s eastern borderlands never felt entirely unfamiliar to me.
Later I studied Russian alongside economics and management. I travelled to Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakhstan. Many people close to me in Poland speak Russian, so the language and the region are part of my everyday life.
For work, though, I moved into technology. I have always liked building things, so I taught myself to code and found my first IT job a few months later. I went on to work on digital products, including ones for the Saudi Arabian market.
Over time, I became more interested in the questions around the code. How do companies get started? Why do they choose certain business models? How do they enter new markets, and why do some projects grow faster than others?
I have also worked on business development, investment and international cooperation. I was most interested in building something from the beginning, setting a direction and talking with people and institutions.
Eventually, I noticed that three interests I had pursued separately were coming together: technology, business and the East.
That is where eastok came from.
For me, it is a way to keep learning about these markets: checking sources, asking questions and talking to the people working in them.
Have a question or want to talk about the region?
Write to me if you have a thought, a source or a perspective to share.
Write to me