Andrey Klen, co - founder of Petcube and o0 design about his pet, travel and work life

Today we publish an interview with Andrey Klen, co-founder of design studio O0 Design and Petcube - one of the most successful Ukrainian startups.

{We talked with Andrey before the Russian invasion when trips around the world were a part of our lives.}

Tell us a few words about your most memorable trip

The most memorable trip for me was the very first time I came to the US. The year 2009, I landed in Orlando, Florida. Arrived on a work-and-travel visa with what turned out to be a fake job offer at the hotel. With me, I had a single DAKINE backpack with some socks and underwear, a couple of shirts, and 3 film cameras. Felt like a good start. So I have a long history of traveling light.

Do you travel with your pet? Does he like it?

Andrey is an owner of Pablo, pom*

Pablo seriously loves to travel. His sympathy for bags, backpacks, and carriers is almost unhealthy. He loves to be carried. Pablo did planes, trains, cars, war evacuations, you name it. And he is the most chill on the go, he really digs the rhythm and calmness that comes with the traveling routine. He arrived to me from Germany as a puppy, he took a plane, and he was literally sleeping on his back the whole way. That’s how it started I guess.

What captivates you at this time?

My work is quite captivating in a good sense. Running businesses is fun when you manage to keep learning, set challenging goals, and enjoy the time with people who are building things with you. The war Russia waged on Ukrainians requires us to stay sharp, focused, and involved. A couple of jobs added. The one I enjoy the most at the moment is promoting Ukrainian-made products and services with Spend with Ukraine.

Your favorite city and why? And a place you dream to travel?

I’m deeply in love with Kyiv and Kyivans. It is the place to be, the new world frontier, where the most important narratives are produced and circulating. It’s a boiling pot of culture, creativity, entrepreneurship. History is being made here and you can be one of the makers. Hardly any city compares to that.

I’d love to go to Vancouver some time. Pacific North-West really checks a few things on my list: ocean, forest, mountains. I did the American coast with numerous cities, Vancouver is next.

You have a HURU backpack. What can you tell about it?

Oh, HURU is the best. You can tell when the thing is being seriously engineered. The time, the thought, the effort put into it are remarkable. A designer can appreciate the design, that’s exactly what I’m doing to this day. I’m a sucker for durability, and it seems like nothing can touch this bag, it’s indestructible. HURU is functional, it fits everything I need to stay on the road for a long time. I had this backpack for maybe a year now and I’m still discovering new compartments. It’s like getting to know somebody.

What do you pay attention to while choosing a backpack?

It’s black, ahah. My goth-ish aspirations. It blends with your look. It is modest, utilitarian, it’s well made, durable. It can carry a laptop. It doesn’t hurt my back when fully loaded, decent support is important. It’s funny how simple requirements require advanced design work to make them happen.

3 rules you never break

No meat, no drama, no assholes.