We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Alina Shkolnikov a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Alina, thanks for joining us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

In my career, the most significant risk I’ve taken is one that many perceive as counterintuitive: aligning financial objectives with social change. While conventional wisdom often separates profit from purpose, I’ve consistently chosen to intertwine them, believing that doing well and doing good are not mutually exclusive but mutually reinforcing.

This philosophy has guided my journey across various sectors and continents—from leading impact initiatives at the Edmond de Rothschild Foundation to driving global innovation at HP. However, it found its most profound expression at PollyLabs, where I serve as Chief Partnerships Officer.

PollyLabs is a 501c3 focused on rapidly accelerating solutions to urgent global challenges by repurposing existing technologies. Operating at the intersection of research, venture incubation, and systems change, we turn bold ideas into tech-enabled interventions through a venture studio model.

Our approach is rooted in the belief that sustainable solutions emerge when social impact and financial viability are aligned. The perceived risk in this alignment lies in challenging traditional business paradigms. Yet, time and again, this strategy has proven not only ethically sound but also economically advantageous.

Alina, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’ve always been driven by a single question: how can systems work better—for more people? That question has guided me through a career that spans philanthropy, innovation, finance, and ultimately, entrepreneurship.

My background is in building partnerships and strategies that connect social impact with economic sustainability. I started out in the public sector—working with NGOs and government agencies across different countries—before moving into private-sector innovation. Over time, I found myself gravitating toward work that wasn’t just about “doing good” or “making money for others,” but about designing new models that made good business sense and created meaningful, scalable impact. That sweet spot—impact innovation and investment.

At PollyLabs we work at the intersection of research, venture incubation, and systems change. We repurpose existing technologies to solve urgent problems—problems that are often overlooked because they’re complex, slow-moving, or don’t fit into conventional venture models. Think: life-saving medications stuck in customs, small farmers drowning in predatory debt, or veterans missing out on care because of bureaucratic gaps. These aren’t tech problems—they’re systems problems. But tech, when repurposed thoughtfully, can be a powerful part of the solution.

What makes us different is our discipline in focusing on what’s already working. We don’t build from scratch if we don’t have to—we repurpose, redirect, and accelerate.

I’m proud of many things in this work, but most of all, I’m proud of our insistence that impact doesn’t have to come at the cost of viability. That systems change can be bold and fast, if we stop pretending we need to invent everything from zero. That’s the ethos behind PollyLabs. And it’s the thread that’s run through my entire career: building what’s needed, with what we already have, to make systems truly work—for more people.

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

I met my partner, Bar Pereg—founder and CEO of PollyLabs—over a decade ago, back when we were both part of the core team at PresenTense. I was Head of Pedagogy, and she was Accelerator Director. We each had distinct roles, but we also co-taught and co-designed some of the organization’s earliest programs for social and business entrepreneurship. That’s where the partnership really began—through shared values, creative collaboration, and a deep belief in the potential of mission-driven ventures.

Since then, we stayed close friends as our careers unfolded in parallel. Bar went deeper into the private sector; I went the philanthropic route. But we were both on different sides of the same question: how do you build things that are both impactful and viable?

Years later, when I opened a private consultancy, I started advising Bar on some early PollyLabs work. Very quickly, it became clear that this wasn’t just a client relationship—it was the next chapter of a long-running partnership. In many ways, the roots of our work today were planted back then—two people trying to figure out how to teach entrepreneurship for good. Now we get to live that question every day.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

I’m a long-form content person—completely obsessed with books and podcasts. I find that the ideas that really shift how I think usually come from deep dives, not hot takes.

If I had to pick a few that have truly influenced my journey:

1. Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl – This book fundamentally shaped how I think about purpose, resilience, and what drives us—especially when the work feels uphill. It’s a powerful reminder of the “why” behind everything.
2. Impact by Sir Ronald Cohen – A must-read for anyone trying to understand the mechanics of how capital can drive social change. It gave language and structure to ideas I’d been carrying for a long time.
3. Abundance by Ezra Klein – A recent favorite. It challenges the idea that we have to choose between ambition and equity—and makes a compelling case for designing systems that scale care, not just profit.

These are the kind of works that have helped me make sense of my own path—across sectors, across disciplines—and continue to fuel how I show up in the work.

For those interested specifically in the Israeli impact sector, during my time at the Edmond de Rothschild Foundation I hosted a podcast called Double Impact (דאבל אימפקט). We featured many of the field’s leading voices, and even recorded one season in English.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.polly-labs.org/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alina-shkolnikov/

Image Credits

Boris Shvartsman