The Power Is Taken: Dr. Larysa Visengeriyeva on Crashing Tech Ceilings and Rewriting the Rules in Defens
- Aija Pope
- May 8
- 3 min read
At Baltic Boss Babes, we’re here for the women who aren’t just breaking glass ceilings—they’re hacking them, coding them, and building entirely new skylines. And this week’s guest? She’s doing all of that with red hair, backend brilliance, and unapologetic purpose.
Meet Dr. Larysa Visengeriyeva—AI engineer, defence tech disruptor, and the fierce visionary behind Women in Defence Tech.
She’s not just leading from the front. She’s rewriting what the front looks like.
From Military Bases to Machine Learning
Larysa’s story begins where most wouldn’t expect: a Soviet air base in Belarus, raised by a jet pilot dad and an engineer mom. She dreamed of being a pilot—until the world told her that girls don’t fly.Spoiler alert: she didn’t listen for long.
“Don’t listen to any voices but your own.”
That childhood fire sparked a journey through informatics, computer science, backend engineering, and AI architecture. Larysa didn’t just write code—she built systems, defined frameworks, and became one of Europe’s most respected minds in machine learning operations.
But even as she soared professionally, she was always “the first, the only, and the last woman in the room.” And that needed to change.
AI Meets Activism: The Rise of Purpose-Driven Defence Tech
The Russian invasion of Ukraine shifted everything.
“I realized I don’t share the corporate definition of success anymore. I wanted to do something that matters.”
Larysa traded corporate prestige for purpose. She joined the European Defence Tech Hub and began organising grassroots defence hackathons, connecting real frontline needs with rapid-fire, tech-driven solutions. These weren’t theoretical discussions. These were life-and-death problem-solving sprints—with startups as the frontline engineers.
And out of this urgency, a movement was born.
Women in Defence Tech: Not a Network. A Revolution.
After years of being shut out of conversations and dismissed in boardrooms, Larysa had had enough. She launched Women in Defence Tech—a platform built by women, for women, to break into and reshape the most male-dominated sector in tech.
“If men can build drones, program systems, and lead strategy—why can’t we?”
The response? Massive. Explosive. Overdue.
Within days of launching, the community was flooded with women asking, “How do I join?” Engineers, scientists, strategists, and entrepreneurs—ready to bring their brilliance to the battlefield of innovation.
Together with her co-founders, Larysa is creating not just a safe space—but a launch pad for women ready to lead.
Her Life Code
In a world obsessed with linear careers, Larysa lives like a tree—roots deep, branches wild. Her philosophy?
“Prototype your life. If it doesn’t feel right, pivot.”
Whether she’s organising 25 meetings in one day (yes, really), running on cold showers and sunlight, or hugging her kids between hackathons, Larysa proves that ambition and authenticity can coexist.
And when asked for her biggest, unfiltered advice?
“The power is not given. The power is taken.”
Chills. Every. Time.
Final Thoughts: For Every Woman Who's Been Told "No"
This episode isn’t just a conversation. It’s a battle cry.
For the girl who loved math but was told to “look pretty.”For the woman coding in a corner while her male colleague explains her idea.For the founder with a dream bigger than the rules.
Your voice matters. Your vision matters. Your leadership matters.
Let Larysa’s journey be your reminder: you don’t need permission to lead. You just need the courage to start.
✨ Listen to the full episode now on the Baltic Boss Babes podcast🎧
💬 And follow @womenindefensetech to stay in the loop.
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