#431 From Fear to Founding: Sophia Matveeva’s Journey and Lessons for Non-Tech Entrepreneurs

The CTO Show with Mehmet Gonullu

“Feel the fear and do it anyway.” These powerful words guide Sophia Matveeva’s mission to empower non-technical professionals in a world dominated by technology. In this episode, Sophia shares her inspiring journey from media and finance to becoming the founder of Tech for Non-Techies, a platform that equips non-tech founders and professionals with the tools they need to thrive in the digital age.

Sophia Matveeva joins The CTO Show with Mehmet to discuss her personal story of overcoming fear, her insights on enabling non-tech founders, and how storytelling can transform your entrepreneurial journey. From prototyping with AI to the importance of asking the right questions, Sophia provides actionable advice for anyone looking to succeed in tech—without a technical background.

What You’ll Learn

• How Sophia turned fear into fuel to build Tech for Non-Techies.

• Why non-tech founders are perfectly positioned to solve real-world problems.

• Tools and strategies for using AI and no-code platforms to prototype ideas.

• The role of storytelling in attracting investors and customers.

• How to identify and embrace the intersection of your expertise and technology.

Key Takeaways

1. Fear is natural—accept it and move forward. Fear is an evolutionary response, but it shouldn’t stop you from pursuing your dreams.

2. Prototyping has never been easier. With AI and no-code tools, you can create and test ideas quickly and inexpensively.

3. Storytelling is your secret weapon. Investors and stakeholders are drawn to founders who tell compelling stories about their vision.

4. Non-tech founders are valuable. Leverage your expertise in areas like sales, marketing, and problem-solving to build successful ventures.

5. Seek complementary relationships. Collaborate with technical professionals who align with your vision and skill set.

About Sophia Matveeva

Sophia has contributed to the Harvard Business Review, Financial Times, The Guardian and Forbes on entrepreneurship and technology, and hosts the top rated Tech for Non-Techies podcast.

She has also guest lectured at the University of Chicago, London Business School, and Oxford University.

Sophia is a start-up mentor at the Chicago Booth Polsky Center of Entrepreneurship, and has advised leading accelerators including Chicago Booth’s New Venture Challenge and the Techstars x Blackstone Launchpad.

She holds an MBA from Chicago Booth, and a BSc (Hons) in Politics from Bristol. She speaks English, Russian and French.

Sophia also sits on the Advisory Board to Riviter, which uses AI to predict consumer trends for the world's biggest brands.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophia-matveeva-556365a/

https://techfornontechies.co/

Resources Mentioned

• Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway by Susan Jeffers

• Tools for Prototyping: Galileo, UI Wizard, Bubble, Adalo, Softr

• Tech for Non-Techies Podcast: https://www.techfornontechies.com/podcast

• Google Ventures Methodology for Product Testing

Episode Highlights

• [00:03:00] Sophia explains how fear and shame led her to create Tech for Non-Techies.

• [00:07:00] The importance of asking questions—even if you feel intimidated.

• [00:18:00] Why AI and no-code tools are revolutionizing prototyping for non-tech founders.

• [00:34:00] How non-technical founders like Steve Jobs and Jack Ma achieved success.

• [00:45:00] The power of storytelling in pitching to investors and customers.

• [00:52:00] Why cultivating relationships between techies and non-techies leads to better outcomes.