WoW Woman in FemTech I Galyna Iefremova, founder and CEO of w7g
Galyna Iefremova is the CEO and founder of w7g, a femtech company creating digital products that support women's well-being. Originally from Kharkiv, Ukraine, and now based in Lisbon, Portugal, she has over 15 years of leadership experience across tech and gaming.
Galyna’s career began in project management for complex industries like nuclear energy and manufacturing before she transitioned into IT and gaming. In August 2020, she founded SUITSME, a dress-up game to help women experiment with clothes in a sustainable way and discover their personal style. It quickly evolved beyond a game into a platform for self-expression, creativity, and digital escapism for thousands of women globally. Building on that foundation, she introduced FABU in 2024 - a self-care app that combines mood tracking, journaling, and creative expression to support personalized wellness journeys.
Galyna is passionate about adopting AI and using gamification to make self-care more accessible, intuitive, and personal. Outside of her work, she is passionate about sports, like fitness and padel. She is also dedicated to mentoring first-time managers and encouraging the next generation of women leaders in tech.
w7g is a femtech company founded in Kyiv, Ukraine, in August 2020. They build digital products that support women’s well-being, designed to fit naturally into everyday life and offer small, powerful ways to prioritize self-care.
Their first product, SUITSME, began as a fashion game to help women explore their personal style and make more mindful wardrobe choices. It quickly evolved into a space for creativity, identity, and digital escapism. In 2024, they launched FABU, a wellness app that blends mood tracking, journaling, and self-expression through playful, gamified experiences.
Tell us a bit about your background and your projects so far.
I started my career in one of the most unexpected places for someone who would later work in tech and gaming - on a nuclear power plant construction project. I was just 22, managing parts of the project workflow and reporting to senior engineers who were often twice my age. It was a unique experience that taught me how to lead cross-functional teams and manage complex systems.
When I returned to Ukraine, I moved into IT project management. I worked with teams across Europe and Asia, helping scale complex technical projects and building high-performance teams along the way. But as I grew into leadership roles, I realized I wanted to make decisions, not just execute them. That’s what led me to the startup world.
In 2020, I founded w7g (previously SUITSME), a femtech company focused on digital wellness for women. Our first product, SUITSME, started as a personal style discovery game but quickly evolved into a creative platform where women could express themselves, experiment with style, and escape the pressures of the real world.
In 2024, we launched our second product, FABU. It’s a gamified self-care app that helps women track their mood, reflect through journaling, and express how they feel by styling an avatar. It’s built on the belief that wellness isn’t one-size-fits-all and that by adding creativity and personalization, we can help people build self-care routines that actually stick.
Through it all, I’ve worn many hats: founder, product lead, team builder, and user researcher. But at the core of everything is a simple goal: to create digital experiences that genuinely improve people’s lives in small, everyday ways.
How did you get into this industry? Has it been an easy industry to get into or have you had many challenges?
My path wasn’t linear. I moved from translation studies to project management, then from heavy industry to IT, and eventually into game development. Getting into tech wasn’t easy. I didn’t have a technical background, and I was often the only woman in the room. I had to prove myself through learning, persistence, and results.
One of my early roles was managing a team of all-male developers. I didn’t speak the technical language fluently at first, terms like “merge,” “deploy,” and “release” were completely new to me. But I quickly realized that to earn their respect, I didn’t need to pretend I could code, I needed to show that I was a professional in my own field. That’s what I focused on - being a strong, structured, and reliable project manager. When people see that you understand your craft and operate with confidence, they respect you regardless of background or gender.
Of course, being a woman in tech came with added layers. I remember in 2013, joining a team where all the guys greeted each other with handshakes every morning, but didn’t know whether to shake hands with a woman. It wasn’t out of malice; they simply weren’t used to women in those roles. So I made it clear that I was part of the team and taught them to greet me the same way. It sounds minor, but those moments shape team dynamics and how inclusion is practiced day to day. Over time, it became second nature, and I like to think it influenced how they engaged with women going forward.
Later in my career, especially in executive roles, I noticed another pattern: the higher the level, the fewer women you meet. At industry events, I saw how women, myself included at first, tended to cluster together or hesitate to approach all-male groups. It took some self-coaching to break that habit. I started pushing myself to walk up, introduce myself, and join the conversation. And the more I did that, the more I felt accepted and treated as an equal. It was uncomfortable at first, but over time, it paid off, not just for networking but for reshaping how I show up as a leader.
So yes, there have been challenges, but each one became a learning experience. And I’ve tried to pass that on, especially to first-time managers and women stepping into leadership. Because when you’re one of the first, part of the job is making it easier for those who come next.
How long did it take you to be where you are now? What was the biggest obstacle?
It’s been more than 15 years of navigating different industries. But the turning point was launching SUITSME.
The biggest obstacle, by far, was transitioning from being an operational leader to a strategic founder, especially as a solo founder without a partner to validate ideas or share the weight. When you’re building something from scratch, with no blueprint and no fallback, the responsibility is enormous. You have to make all the decisions, create a vision, build the team, and then keep it all moving through uncertainty.
There’s also a different kind of loneliness in leadership. You’re expected to be the decision-maker, the motivator, the steady hand, but at the same time, you’re human. One of the most difficult things is creating a culture where your team feels empowered to challenge you constructively. When you don’t have that, it’s easy to go off course. I had to intentionally build that kind of environment where feedback flows both ways.
Another obstacle was the shift in mindset. Early in my career, I was focused on execution: meeting the deadline and shipping the product. But as a founder, you have to think several layers deeper - about user behavior, market shifts, long-term vision, monetization models, team dynamics, and more. That evolution from manager to CEO was the hardest and most rewarding part of the journey.
What are the challenges of being in the industry you are in?
Right now, the biggest challenge is the speed of change, especially driven by AI. For the past decade or more, the way we interacted with technology has remained fairly stable. Smartphones, computers, apps - the core experiences didn’t shift dramatically. But today, AI is opening entirely new ways for users to interact with digital products, especially in B2C spaces like ours. Voice interfaces, personalization, predictive behavior - all of this is evolving so fast that it feels almost impossible to keep up.
On one hand, AI brings incredible new opportunities. We’re already integrating it into FABU to personalize user experiences, and we use AI extensively in design, marketing, and creative content. However, the pace of innovation also creates constant pressure to learn, adapt, and stay ahead before new tools or interfaces redefine user expectations overnight.
Another challenge is that content is losing its value. When AI can generate infinite amounts of content instantly, authenticity becomes the real currency. It's no longer enough to publish for the sake of publishing - you have to create meaningful, high-quality experiences that genuinely connect with people. Otherwise, you risk being lost in a sea of AI-generated noise.
There’s also a broader economic shift happening. As AI automates more tasks - from customer service to content writing to logistics - entire categories of jobs are changing. This affects what kinds of products people will need and what they will be willing to pay for. We need to think carefully about building products that are truly indispensable to people’s lives, not just "nice to have."
And finally, speaking specifically about the gaming and app industry, the market is becoming increasingly saturated and dominated by big players with massive marketing budgets. For smaller studios and indie developers, it’s getting harder to compete for user attention, ad space, and even organic growth. Users expect very high production quality, which raises costs and increases time-to-market pressures.
In short, staying innovative, authentic, and relevant is harder than ever, and at the same time, that's exactly why it’s so exciting.
What are your biggest achievements to date?
Building and launching SUITSME as a solo founder is my proudest achievement. I had to be CEO, product owner, and creative lead and build everything from scratch: the vision, the team, and the product. Today, we have a loyal user base that interacts with the game not just for fun but for creative escape and expression. Seeing that kind of impact is deeply fulfilling.
What are the projects you are currently working on?
Right now, my focus is split between two projects: SUITSME and our new venture, FABU.
SUITSME started as a tool designed to help women cultivate sustainable fashion habits and explore their personal style with minimal impact on the planet. Over time, it evolved into something more than just a styling simulator; it became a platform where users express themselves, experiment with looks, and engage in a form of digital escapism.
But my current passion project, the one that’s pushing me into exciting new territory, is FABU.
FABU is a self-care app that feels like a game. It combines mood tracking, journaling, and habit-building into a single experience. What sets it apart is how it invites users to channel their emotions through creativity. For example, they can style an avatar in colors that reflect how they’re feeling at that moment, turning emotional check-ins into a playful ritual. The app is designed to help people build self-care routines that stick. And we're just getting started; we’ll soon be adding more creative features to help users explore and manage their emotions and build personalized safe-care routines in ways that are both healthy and fun.
Both projects are about giving people tools to express and connect with who they are in playful and deeply personal ways. And I use them myself daily. I play SUITSME like a regular user, without cheats or shortcuts, so I can experience it the way our players do. FABU is still new, but it’s already reshaping how I think about well-being.
These aren’t just products; they create an ecosystem of digital solutions for women’s well-being we’re building at w7g.
Is the #WomenInTech movement important to you and if yes, why?
Absolutely. For a long time, I was the only woman in technical teams or leadership circles, and that experience shaped me. This movement matters because representation changes what people believe is possible. It’s about creating environments where women don’t just enter the industry but thrive, lead, and redefine what leadership looks like. I’m passionate about mentoring first-time managers and helping them grow with confidence, especially women navigating male-dominated spaces.
What will be the key trends in your industry in the next five years and where do you see them heading?
One of the most exciting shifts we’re seeing is the rise of femtech, a space that has been underfunded and underserved for too long. That’s finally starting to change. Investment in femtech is growing, and so is societal awareness around women’s health, mental wellbeing, and the need for more personalized, gender-intelligent solutions.
For a long time, products in the wellness and self-care space were designed with a generic user in mind. But women’s bodies, hormonal cycles, and emotional rhythms aren’t generic. The next five years will bring more products that reflect that reality.
We’ll also see a shift toward more intelligent and emotionally responsive interfaces, with AI driving that change. People don’t just want another tracker; they want tools that understand them. That’s exactly what we’re building with FABU. By integrating AI, we can personalize the user journey, suggesting reflections, routines, or creative outlets based on how someone feels that day.
It’s about making wellness feel less clinical and more like a natural extension of who you are. AI enables that kind of intimacy and personalization at scale, and it will be a major differentiator in the next generation of self-care and femtech apps.
What is the most important piece of advice you could give to anyone who wants to start a career in this industry?
Starting a career today, especially in tech, gaming, or digital products, has never been more challenging than it is now. The reality is that simple, entry-level jobs are disappearing fast as AI takes over routine tasks. It’s becoming harder for juniors to get that critical first experience.
My first piece of advice would be to get as close to real practice as early as possible. Internships, volunteering, freelance projects - anything that allows you to observe how professionals work and to start building practical skills is invaluable. Theory alone isn’t enough anymore.
Second, embrace the long game. It’s easy to fall into the trap of chasing hype or expecting fast success, but real growth comes step-by-step. You have to be willing to test, fail, learn, and build steadily. Sustainable careers aren’t built overnight - they’re built brick by brick.
And finally, develop critical thinking. AI tools are powerful and can accelerate your work, but they’re no substitute for judgment. Being able to think deeply, challenge assumptions, and ask the right questions will always set you apart - no matter how much technology evolves.
Also, don’t underestimate the power of reading books. Long-form content forces you to focus, reflect, and engage deeply with ideas - skills that are becoming rare and even more valuable in a fast-scrolling world.
Who are three inspirational women in your respective industry that you admire?
I’ve never been someone who had "celebrities" or "idols" to look up to. But I deeply admire all the women who lead by example and act as role models for others.
Every woman who navigates leadership in tech inspires me because it’s not just about individual success. It’s about creating visibility, changing perceptions, and opening doors for others.
Recently, I met an incredible woman at a Meta event - someone who had worked at Meta and now leads a creative agency helping brands collaborate with creators. She was confident, funny, deeply professional, and completely herself. Watching her speak and seeing how she carried herself - was a powerful reminder that leadership can be both expert and human at the same time. Women like her remind me that success isn’t about fitting into a mold - it’s about expanding what leadership looks like for everyone.
I believe every woman who pushes boundaries, builds something meaningful, and inspires others along the way deserves recognition. And I hope to do the same for the next generation.
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