Bucharest, Romania · EU

Leonid
Khatskevych

Building AI-powered education for refugee children in the EU. Background in blockchain infrastructure across 3 continents, 3 EU grants, and government digital transformation. Published researcher. Marathon runner. Father.

8+
Years Deep Tech
3
EU Grants
3
Hackathon Wins
100K+
Users Educated
Leonid Khatskevych in Singapore
Professional Experience

Current Roles

Building across blockchain, AI, and education — from enterprise to consumer products.

CEO

Founder & CEO

COGNILEDGER SRL · Romania (EU)

Developing Makuri — an AI-powered educational platform for immigrant children aged 12–15 studying in foreign-language schools across the EU. Claude Sonnet for deep explanations, Gemini for fast mode. Exam Prep module in development.

2025 – present · Bucharest
Makuri →
CBDO

Chief Business Development Officer

482.solutions · Blockchain Engineering

Strategic partnerships and BD for an Industry 4.0 blockchain firm. Official partner of DTEK. First company in Ukraine to receive a Eureka Grant.

2018 – present · Odesa
Playbook →
Expert

Independent Investment Expert

Ukrainian Startup Fund (USF) · Gov't Fund

Evaluating early-stage tech startups (pre-seed & seed) for the state fund launched by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine.

2020 – present
Key Projects & Grants

Built for real impact

EU-funded projects, government initiatives, and enterprise blockchain solutions.

Makuri — AI Education Platform

COGNILEDGER SRL · Romania (EU)

AI tutoring platform for immigrant children aged 10–16 integrating into EU school systems. Student uploads a PDF textbook or pages photos — gets explanations, translations, and tests in their native language. Two AI modes: fast (Gemini) and deep (Claude Sonnet) for nuanced, context-rich responses. Exam Prep module in development: preparation for Romanian national exams (EN VIII + Bacalaureat) with official MEN scoring barems.

MVP LiveClaude SonnetGemini AISupabase14 Languages
  • 11 AI-powered learning tools (Explain, Translate, Test, Solve + deep mode)
  • Claude Sonnet 4.6 for deep explanations across all learning intents
  • Adaptive memory system with vector embeddings & RAG
  • Parent dashboard with real-time child progress
  • Config-driven AI routing, admin panel, GDPR-ready

TRUST-FOOD

EU Digital Europe Grant

Blockchain training for Food Supply Chain across Europe. EC — DIGITAL-2022-TRAINING-02.

EU FundedID 101100804
2023 – present
Project ↗

State Crypto Literacy Course

Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine

Co-authored blockchain & virtual assets course on Diia.Education. ~100K users, ~4M media. Pilot under guidance of Leonid Khatskevych.

100K+ UsersCo-author
2023
Course ↗

PyDEN-Electrodo

Eureka Grant — First in Ukraine

Decentralized energy network with Sustainable Living Reward tokens. R&D with Pylon City (Singapore).

First Eureka Grant in UA2020-16836/GS
2021
Product ↗

DTEK Blockchain Platform

DTEK — Ukraine's Largest Private Energy Co.

Renewable energy guarantees of origin. Co-organized "Innovations in Energy" with EWF, Ecolabs, GE.

EnterpriseRenewable
2021
Press Release ↗

Blockchain4ESG

i4Trust Data Spaces — 2nd Call

ESG data marketplace for Food & Agriculture using TCFD Recommendations.

EU FundedESG
2023 – present
Case Study ↗

Woden — Document Workflow

482.solutions · Hyperledger Fabric

Electronic document workflow and digital voting. Teaching tool at Strathmore University (Kenya).

HyperledgerDigital Voting

EV Charging Roaming System

UA Association of EV Market Participants

Roaming system concept for EV charging station operators in Ukraine.

Smart GridE-Mobility
Speaking & Conferences

International stage

Keynotes, panels, and training sessions across 4 continents.

IEEE DESSERT 2020
Keynote Speaker
Africa Blockchain Conf.
Uganda · Speaker
IoT Asia
Singapore · Speaker
Blockchain Expo Europe
Amsterdam
Kyiv Smart City Forum
Kyiv · 2019
Counter Fraud Conf.
14th Annual · Speaker
Recognition & Awards

Track record

🏆

Polkadot Hackathon — 1st DeFi

$20,000 prize. DeFi solution on Polkadot.

Devpost ↗
🏆

NEAR MetaBUILD — Winner

Most Potential Impact on NEAR protocol.

Devpost ↗
🏆

NEM/Symbol — 2nd Place

Powering Possibility Hackathon.

Devpost ↗
IEEE Keynote Speaker 2020TOP-100 UA Blockchain LeadersUSAID Startup Mentor Published Researcher (ORCID) ↗ Gov't Startup Evaluator (USF)
Research & Publications

Published researcher

Peer-reviewed publications in blockchain technology and Industry 4.0.

Blockchain as a Transaction Protocol for Guaranteed Transfer of Values in Cluster Economic Systems with Digital Twins

IEEE DESSERT 2020 · Keynote Presentation

Invited keynote on blockchain as DID implementation technology and economic agent interaction.

Keynote SpeakerIEEE Catalogue

Technical Comparison Aspects of Leading Blockchain-Based Platforms on Key Characteristics

European Scientific Journal of Economic and Financial Innovation

Comparative analysis of Ethereum, NEM, and Stellar platforms.

Academia.edu ↗

Analysis and Solution of the Conceptual and Terminological Problem of Blockchain Definition

European Scientific Journal of Economic and Financial Innovation

Standardized terminology and conceptual framework for blockchain.

Full Paper ↗
Google Scholar → ORCID: 0000-0002-5032-9483 →
Education & Certifications

Academic foundation

MSc Computer Systems Automation & Control

Kharkiv National University of Radioelectronics (KNURE)
2001 – 2006 · Kharkiv, Ukraine

Certifications & Programs

Chainalysis CCFCEU4Business SUREIEEE DESSERT 2020Atom Crypto Course (Trainer) ↗
Partnerships & Education Outreach

Global network

MoUs, training programs, and collaborations across 4 continents.

Strathmore University / @iLabAfrica

Kenya · Blockchain training via Embassy of Ukraine.

iLabAfrica ↗

Nanyang Technological University

Singapore · Energy Research Institute @ NTU.

Energy Web Foundation

Switzerland · Low-carbon energy blockchain.

DTEK

Ukraine's largest private energy company.

Press Release ↗

MAMPU — Malaysia

Gov't innovation institution. MoU via Embassy.

Kyiv-Mohyla Academy

Top Ukrainian university. Blockchain research.

APPAU

Industrial Automation Assoc. With Interpipe, Metinvest Digital.

Singapore Institute of Technology

Educational partnership on blockchain.

+ 4 more universities

Indonesia, Kenya, Ukraine — blockchain research and training programs.

In the Media

Press coverage

Beyond the Office

Athlete. Father.

The same discipline that drives the work — drives everything else. Marathon runner, open water swimmer, single father raising two kids in Bucharest.

Endurance Sports

Running at Crosul Arenelor 2025

Marathon runner and open water swimmer. Competing across Europe.

  • 🏃
    Rome Marathon
    2025 · Italy
  • 🏃
    Bucharest Marathon
    2025 · Romania
  • 🏊
    Atlantis Man — Open Water Cup of Romania
    2025 · Open Water Swimming
  • 🏅
    Crosul Arenelor & other races
    Romania & Europe
Bucharest Marathon 2025 finish with family
Atlantis Man medals with Arina

Family

Leonid with Arina and son

Single father raising two children in Bucharest. The personal experience that inspired Makuri.

🤽
Arina · 12 years old
Water polo player for CS Dinamo București (U14 & U16). Relocated from Ukraine in 2022. Started Romanian school in Bucharest in 2024 with zero Romanian. Less than two years later — communicates with coaches and teammates entirely in Romanian. Her journey is the origin story of Makuri.
👨‍👦
Артур · 17 years old
Growing up bilingual in Bucharest, navigating the opportunities of being a young Ukrainian abroad.
Arina in Dinamo Bucharest water polo gear
Get in Touch

Let's build something together

Open for partnerships, education pilots, and speaking invitations.