Home base: Boston, MA
Journey: USSR to Houston, TX to Boston, MA

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Semyon Dukach is an entrepreneur, investor, and former professional blackjack player. He is the Founding Partner of One Way Ventures. As a refugee from the Soviet Union, Semyon has overcome many challenges and is a vocal advocate for change makers and those who see the world differently.

Semyon was formerly the Managing Director of Techstars in Boston, where he helped countless startups grow and succeed. Prior to Techstars, he was a prolific angel investor with over 100 investments to his name, including early investments in Quanergy, SMTP.com, and Vivox. Xconomy lists Semyon as a top angel investor in New England, and his philosophy has always been to focus on helping his founders at all costs.

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Before becoming a full-time angel investor, Semyon co-founded several technology companies, including Vert and Fast Engines, which was sold to Adero in 2000. Beyond startups, Semyon is known for leading one of the MIT blackjack teams in the early 90’s, a story which later inspired both a book and film adaptation. He earned his B.S. from Columbia University and M.S. from MIT, both in Computer Science.

In addition to his work with One Way Ventures, Semyon is also the co-founder of Cash for Refugees, a non-profit organization that provides financial assistance to families affected by the war in Ukraine. One year into the war, Cash for Refugees has served more than 15,000 families and over 39,000 people.