# Alex Shevchenko

> Alex Shevchenko is the Ukrainian-born, Canadian citizen entrepreneur who co-founded the plagiarism checker MyDropBox and then Grammarly, turning a problem he first noticed as a student in Kyiv into writing software used at global scale. He now serves on the Superhuman board and works on product strategy and innovation within its Core Product team, carrying the original Grammarly instinct - help people say what they mean - into a broader AI productivity suite.

- **Role:** Board member and Core Product team member at Superhuman; co-founder of Grammarly
- **Organizations:** Superhuman, Grammarly, MyDropBox, Blackboard, FarmTogether
- **Nationality:** Ukrainian-born Canadian
- **Education:** BBA, International University in Vienna, Austria, MBA, University of Toronto, Rotman School of Management
- **Known for:** Co-founded MyDropBox, which grew to serve more than two million students in two years before its acquisition by Blackboard., Co-founded Grammarly in 2009 with Max Lytvyn and Dmytro Lider., Helped guide Grammarly's product expansion from a paid academic editor to a freemium, cross-platform writing assistant used by tens of millions of people.

## Career timeline

- **2000-2001** — While studying in English in Kyiv, Shevchenko and Max Lytvyn noticed classmates copying essays from the young internet, planting the idea for a plagiarism-detection business.
- **2004** — Shevchenko and Lytvyn established MyDropBox in Canada and validated demand by speaking directly with buyers at a US education technology conference.
- **2007** — Blackboard acquired MyDropBox after it had expanded across hundreds of universities; the official Superhuman bio says it served more than two million students in two years.
- **2009** — Shevchenko, Lytvyn, and Dmytro Lider founded Grammarly as a subscription writing assistant initially focused on students.
- **2015** — Grammarly launched its free browser extension and shifted to a freemium model, moving assistance into the places where people typed.
- **2017** — Grammarly announced its first institutional funding round, raising $110 million after years of bootstrapped growth.
- **2020** — As product lead, Shevchenko described the team's adaptability through shifts from education to mass market, subscription to freemium, and individual to enterprise products.
- **2021** — Grammarly raised more than $200 million at a reported $13 billion valuation.
- **2024** — Shevchenko introduced Grammarly's originality and AI-detection features, arguing for transparency and accountability around AI-generated text.
- **2025** — After acquisitions of Coda and Superhuman Mail, Grammarly became part of the newly unified Superhuman brand. Shevchenko continued as a board member focused on product strategy and innovation.
- **2026** — Shevchenko appeared in Superhuman's education programming for a conversation about authentic student writing and responsible AI use.

## Achievements

- Co-founded MyDropBox, which grew to serve more than two million students in two years before its acquisition by Blackboard.
- Co-founded Grammarly in 2009 with Max Lytvyn and Dmytro Lider.
- Helped guide Grammarly's product expansion from a paid academic editor to a freemium, cross-platform writing assistant used by tens of millions of people.
- Led product development and personally mentored Grammarly's design team for years.
- Serves on the Superhuman board and contributes to product strategy and innovation on its Core Product team.
- Built two consecutive education and writing technology companies from the same underlying problem of authorship and expression.

## Latest updates

- **2026-01** — Featured in Superhuman's education events program for a conversation on authentic writing, responsible AI, and trust in student work.
- **2025-10** — Grammarly became part of the unified Superhuman company brand; Shevchenko remained a board member and product strategy contributor.
- **2025-07** — Grammarly announced the acquisition of Superhuman Mail as part of its move toward an AI-native productivity suite.
- **2024-08** — Published Grammarly's approach to originality, AI detection, and transparent authorship.

## Links

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shevchenkoalex
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BRr3E0gAk0

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/alex-shevchenko
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-09-26