Client Interview

- Ana Mineva, CEO DGlegacy®

Have you ever thought of your digital assets as anything that might need to be bequeathed? Meet Ana, founder of the German based start-up DGLeagacy, seasoned product, engineering, and marketing professionals with proven entrepreneurial track record. They’ve not only already built successful startups but have been in key roles in other companies elevated as unicorns.  

Hello, my name is Ana Mineva, a serial tech entrepreneur, a CEO and one of the Co-Founders of DGLegacy - a Global Digital Inheritance service, solving the multi-billion-dollar problem of unclaimed assets. I strongly believe that laying the foundation of ‘tomorrow’ by overcoming the challenges of ‘today’ is the best part of entrepreneurship. And that is exactly what I have been doing for the past 15 years as a female entrepreneur. Holding Engineering MSc and an EMBA degree from ESMT Berlin, #1 Business School in Germany,currently I am on a mission to build a better world where people can protect their assets and make sure their families and loved ones are secure.  I am grateful and proud to be part of DGLegacy’s team. 

How did you come up with the idea of DGLegacy and what are your dreams for this product? 

The idea behind DGLegacy, a digital inheritance app, solving the multi-billion-dollar global problem of unclaimed assets, dates back to more than 15 years ago when , as a  businessperson with a dynamic assets and lifestyle, and a mother of two,  I was constantly worried about the possibility of something unforeseen happening to both me and my partner, and the need for someone to take care of our children. 

• Whether our loved ones would know what assets we own, where to find them and how to claim them?  
• Will our kids continue to have the same standard of living, quality of education, etc.?

I wished we had a tool where I could see a snapshot of my assets and could decide what parts to share, with whom, and when.

I dreamed of such a tool and now together with theextended team, we are on a mission to build it. The need for a service that connects your beneficiaries with your assets, in case of a fatal event, increases even more with the current global trends such as: 

• digitalization 
• continuous increase in the number of expats 
• remote work and life possibilities 
• shift in retirement planning  

If you compare the assets, you possess now to the assets you had 15 years ago, you will notice that the two lists are vastly different. The assets have changed and evolved, instead of being physical, they have become digital, or at least with digital access to them. Our dream is to build a platform that offers a wide range of additional services, so our users can successfully protect any digital asset globally. 

Tell us a bit about the early days of your journey and what led you to Plan A in the first place. 

The official launch of the DGLegacy MVP was in August 2020. We wanted to validate our hypothesis that people are ready to use a digital inheritance service and that there is demand for such a solution. After a year filled with learning, adapting and refining cycles, we had collected enough insights into the potential of our product, and it was time to think about a scalable and much more robust version of DGLegacy. By mid 2021 we already needed a reliable technical partner, and we found such in the face of Plan A.  

You did great in a very short amount of time! What is the current stage of the platform? 

The platform is now live for users. We are constantly implementing new features, and at the same time - building the mobile app. The team is built of 8 people, who are led by an experienced engineering manager from Plan A. As creators of an innovative product, we have infinite ideas around its vision, and thanks to the accumulated experience of the talented team of 2 designers and 6 developers, we are building a product that has the potential to have a real impact  

You were able to build a strong development team and process. Are there any other areas in which you find added value in your partnership with Plan A?  

In addition to the formal criteria of technical expertise, we were also looking for a partner with solid references. Plan A met both requirements perfectly. The company has a team of experts in various fields and technologies, including cutting-edge technology frameworks. This gives us the opportunity to select the most optimal technology stack for DGLegacy without any constraints stemming from our partner company.  Having access to such talented professionals was critical in the creation of our cross-functional squad.  Thanks to their deep development knowledge, they are actively involved in the selection and direction of technologies as well as architectural approaches. But this is not the only advantage of our cooperation. We knew that the people within the company had achieved exceptional results and impacted on multiple critical global projects. Plan A’s contribution comes from years of experience in building products from scratch and their ability to implement best practices, which is invaluable in our daily activities. 

What is your vision for the future development of the platform? 

We have extremely ambitious plans. Building a blue ocean product and creating a completely new global market uncovers massive opportunities. From a technological perspective the biggest challenges are related to data security, cryptography and constantly adding new and improving existing functionalities for our users. We are committed to handling these challenges with utmost attention to detail and applying state-of-the-art practices to achieve our targets. We have reached a stage where we are starting to look for investment. Further marketing, development and growth plans are already in place. 

The next steps for DGLegacy sound really exciting! How do you see Plan A’s role going forward? 

The development of the platform and its continuous improvement are two of the most important aspects of our business. It is particularly important for us that Plan A sustains the high level of quality of the services and consulting they provide. In this past year, our dedicated team has built significant knowledge about the business domain and specifics related to security, data protection, performance and much more. Everyone involved is committed to the project and we are looking in the same direction. This shared motivation makes us confident that we can continue to build upon what we have already achieved. 

Having such a reliable partner is a great asset for us and an advantage in our pursuit to build the world's leading digital inheritance service that enables people to protect their digital and financial assets!