Amid the destructions caused by the war, the Ukrainian tech industry demonstrated remarkable resilience. Most IT companies and startups managed to survive by moving their staff to a safer location inside the country or, more rarely, abroad. Many initiatives emerged to offer them assistance in both humanitarian and business terms. Meanwhile, on the digital front, epic battles involved robust cyber defence systems, next-gen algorithmic warfare solutions, and dozens of thousands of volunteers who conducted a global cyber guerrilla.
Here are some of the best stories presented by Ukraine Digital News during this tragic year.
Cyber combatants
- How Ukrainian “Inglorious Basterds” are combating Russia on the cyber front (May 19)
- Russia’s war on Ukraine and Kyiv’s call for help spark off the first ever global cyber guerrilla (May 26)
- How tens of thousands of cyber-volunteers are moving Ukraine closer to victory (Dec. 7)
Military tech
- Ukrainian army starts using US startup’s facial recognition technology (March 13)
- Excellent backups are Ukraine’s secret cyber-defense against Russia (June 8)
- EU sets up a cyber lab for the Ukrainian Armed Forces (Dec. 2)
- How US-made algorithmic warfare systems make the difference on Ukraine’s battlefields (Dec. 27)
Industry shock and resilience
- Ukrainian IT sector demonstrates resilience and growth despite Russian invasion (Aug. 1)
- Ukraine IT companies gradually switch to remote work or relocate essentially within the country (Sept. 5)
- Report: Ukrainian startups show “incredible resilience” (Nov. 24)
- Survey: 12% of Ukrainian startups shut down, 30% moved abroad at least partially during the war (Dec. 28)
Startups
- Yet another Ukrainian-founded unicorn: airSlate raises more than $50 million in the US (June 17)
- DressX creates digital clothes for Meta and operates first-of-its-kind NFT marketplace (Aug. 2)
- New marketplace wants “the entire world to fall in love with Ukrainian products” (Sept. 14)
- Time magazine features Ukrainian bionic hand prosthesis among world’s best inventions (Nov. 11)
Investors
- 12 funds that support Ukrainian startups in wartime (May 19)
- US venture firm launches new fund with exclusive Ukrainian focus (Sept. 23)
- New angel fund aims to “invest in Ukrainian founders with a global mindset” (Oct. 29)
- The war changed N1’s investment plans — but its team has come back to work (Nov. 21)
Web3
- Ukraine legalizes crypto sector as digital currency donations continue to pour in (March 17)
- ‘The Revival Project’ showcases charitable NFTs to preserve Ukraine’s cultural heritage (Aug. 25)
- Report: War spurs crypto activity in Ukraine (Oct. 18)
- Ukrainian-founded Web3 startups raised $1 billion in four years (Nov. 16)
Supporting Ukraine tech
- This entrepreneur put her startup on hold to help Ukraine and told VCs to donate (Oct. 7)
- From supporting refugees, to funding startups, to air strike alert systems: How Google helps Ukraine (April 6)
- Ukrainian non-profit help startups integrate into advanced EU innovation ecosystems (June 29)
- EU sets up €20 million support for Ukrainian startups (June 9)
Topics:
Analysis & opinion, Finance, International, Startups
