Mentorship as a Driver of Innovation: How SoftBees Helped Briefix Transform Ideas into Validated AI Solutions

In today’s fast-paced tech world, a startup’s success depends not only on clean code but also on the product’s ability to survive under strict business constraints. Often, young teams don’t lack technical skills; they lack “product vision” — the understanding of how AI technology transforms into a tool that customers are actually willing to pay for.

At SoftBees, we decided to step beyond the boundaries of traditional development and take on the role of mentors. The startup Briefix became our partner in this experiment, as we collaborated through the PERSH1 internship program by YEP Accelerator.

From “Just an Internship” to Immersing in Business Reality

When the Briefix team joined SoftBees, we immediately moved past the format of “training tasks.” Our goal was to provide the young team with access to our real-world expertise in Fintech, Sales, and AI Product Management.

The mentorship process was built on three main pillars:

1. Direct Dialogue: Regular sessions with our specialists (Sales, Marketing, Product), where every question was encouraged, and every answer was as candid as possible.
2. Business Context: We taught the team not just how to “code,” but how to understand the impact of technology on business decisions.
3. Strict Deadlines: The real world doesn’t wait. We created an environment where speed and measurable results were the top priority.

The Results: Two Functional AI Tools

In just a few weeks, under the supervision of our experts, Briefix successfully implemented two complex modules with direct business applications:

• AI HR Assistant: A system that automates the recruitment routine. It scans public Telegram channels, analyzes resumes, and instantly identifies top candidates based on specific criteria. This solution addresses a major “pain point” for many HR departments — the speed of initial screening.
• AI Research System: A tool for strategic market analysis. The system maps out competitors, tracks trending product features, and helps teams make product decisions based on real data rather than intuition.

AI agents for small and medium-sized businesses are the future, and we were happy to support the growth of a startup specializing in exactly that

Tetiana Dashevska, CEO of SoftBees, comments.

Honesty as a Rare Resource

One of the most valuable pieces of feedback from the Briefix team was their surprise at our openness. At SoftBees, we believe that mentorship isn’t just about praise; it’s about pointing out weaknesses. We spoke openly about how sales actually work, why certain ideas don’t “take off,” and how difficult it is to scale an AI solution beyond a pilot project.

This “radical transparency” helped Briefix not just build tools, but understand the very psychology of startup life.

Why does SoftBees do this?

Supporting young teams is our contribution to building the Ukrainian IT ecosystem. We see that the synergy between experienced product companies and energetic startups creates a unique environment for innovation.

For us, mentoring Briefix served as proof that the modular approach (which we champion at SoftBees SaaS) works in education too: give talented people the right infrastructure, knowledge, and freedom of action — and they will build an impressive product.

We continue to move forward, open to new challenges and partnerships where AI and Fintech technologies meet real business.