Stanimir Markov

CEO Runecast Ltd

It is my pleasure to share the experience working closely with Katerina for over 6 years.
At Runecast, she was reporting to me in her role as a CFO. The range of responsibilities she took on directly over the years is pretty mindblowing. From financial reporting to budgeting, forecasting, general ledger management, accounts payable and receivables, cash management, banking relations, regulatory filings, funding support, people leadership, handling accountants, tax and payroll providers for a complex international structure of multiple entities in Europe and US. I think the vast experience and skills she acquired over the years are not only impressive but also quite rare. What makes her especially invaluable for startups and scalers is that, in addition to her experience, she is able to execute very fast.
Katerina also brought her past experience with managing grants and helped Runecast to be successfully approved twice for EU funding. She also handled the typically overwhelming grant reporting and budgeting which resulted in perfect audit results and smooth cooperation with the EU funding body.
I was happy I could trust Katerina with such a diverse set of responsibilities that were critical to company success. She was living and breathing Runecast and this showed in everything she did. I am so grateful I had her invaluable support throughout these years and appreciated her work ethic, dedication, agility and perseverance. We would have never reached this level of success without her.
A huge external stamp of approval for Katerina was the feedback from the deep due diligence that came with the Runecast acquisition by Dynatrace. The auditors praised our financial management as one of the cleanest they've ever seen.
I am happy I can still continue to cooperate with Katerina post-acquisition where she plays an important role in the integration which adds another set of skills to her already rich experience.

Jason Mashak

Marketing Communications Director at Whalebone

As the Head of Marketing at Runecast, I worked with Katerina quite a bit in optimizing the Marketing team budget over time. She is an excellent listener, which is one of the most important aspects for someone overseeing financial resources. Additionally, she is an enabler, often finding creative ways to make sure that the Leadership team had what was needed to make an impact. Any organization would be fortunate to have her knowledge, skills, and experience.

Roman Čmelík

Co-founder of Limerock and Zero Gravity Capital, and key executive of JCIF¨

We were a VC investor in Runecast and I was serving as director of Runecast. I have had experience with Katerina since her first days, as we were closel involved with the growth and life of a young startup. I was impressed with her ability to quickly assess complex, unfamiliar situations and implement effective solutions. She skillfuly established a comprehensive reporting system at a time when the company was still in its infancy, with virtually no pre-existing structures. In an environment where founders and investors were sharply focused on rapid growth and expected a professional standard of reporting, Katerina built processes and frameworks from scratch - laying a solid foundation that enabled the company to scale with confidence.

Katerina also demonstrated high competence in consolidating financial data across multiple jurisdictions, navigating different currencies, VAT regimes, and regulatory landscapes. Her approach combined technical accuracy with the agility to adapt as requirements shifted, ensuring that our reporting remained robust, coherent, and timely. She consistently found a way forward, regardless of how ambiguous or urgent the situation was.
Throughout periods when the company was preparing numerous pitch decks and presentations for various types of investors, I deeply appreciated her professionalism and dedication. No matter how complex or last-minute our requests, Katerina responded with clarity, precision, and attention to detail.

Her management of the financial due diligence process during the sale of the company was impeccable. Orchestrating the preparation of all necessary documentation, she led her small team of two with confidence and resolve, while engaging with a multitude of external professional advisers and M&A specialists from a NYSE-listed corporation. Katerina ensured that every aspect of our financials withstood the highest levels of scrutiny.
Katerina's blend of problem-solving acumen, attention to detail and steadfast professionalism made her indispensable to Runecast's growth and success. I am confident that she will bring the same excellence, dedication, and integrity to any future work endeavor.