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Elena Verna: Head of Growth, Lovable
Overview
Published 20 May, 2026.
Welcome to this classic episode — some of our favourite conversations from our back catalogue. This is a replay of Episode 217, originally released in July 2025.
Elena Verna is one of Silicon Valley’s most respected growth operators, whose career has spanned Lovable, SurveyMonkey, Miro and Dropbox.
In conversation with Vidit Agarwal, Elena reflects on growing up in post-Soviet Russia, immigrating to the United States at 14 without speaking English, learning the language through SpongeBob, and rising to become one of tech’s leading voices in growth.
The conversation explores AI-native companies, the future of growth, why experienced operators may carry “historical baggage”, and how Lovable operates with extreme velocity. Elena also shares lessons on ambition, hiring, leadership, creativity and navigating Silicon Valley.
Please enjoy exploring your curiosity.
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The High Flyers Podcast features in-depth interviews with the world’s most relatable role models in business, tech, finance, government and sport in the US, Australia, India and New Zealand. Launched in 2020, it ranks in the global top ten ranked podcasts, with listeners in 27 countries, 250+ episodes released, and featured in Forbes, Daily Telegraph, and at SXSW.
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