When the Soviet Union splintered into separate nations in the early 1990s, it contained exactly zero hubs for venture-backed tech startups. Three decades later, of course, the picture is quite different. Metro areas in multiple former Soviet countries now have a rich concentration of tech founders. Capital has followed. But as one might expect, geopolitics …
Where’s funding going in former Soviet states? Not Russia Read More
A bevy of international financial institutions have agreed to back Horizon Capital Growth Fund IV (HCGF IV), a fund aiming to support tech and export-oriented small and medium-sized enterprises in Ukraine and Moldova. The focus industries include the IT sector, e-commerce, innovative consumer goods and financial technologies. These institutions included the EBRD (which has committed “up …
Earlier this month ffVC, an international VC firm comprised of several funds in the US and Europe, announced the launch of a new fund exclusively dedicated to Ukrainian founders and startups. Christened ‘ff Blue & Yellow Heritage Fund,’ this fund will “invest in startups led by Ukrainian founders, startups relocated from Ukraine and startups that employ Ukrainian refugees.” …
US venture firm launches new fund with exclusive Ukrainian focus Read More
3×4, a Ukrainian-founded Web3 fundraising platform for non-profits, is launching its first campaign to support Children of Heroes. Teaming up with artists, this charity helps children who lost one or both parents during the war in Ukraine. It claims to have already supported 725 children as of Sept. 15, 2022. 3×4 is now raising funds …
Newly launched Ukrainian startup “leverages the power of NFTs for charities” Read More
When the Russian invasion of Ukraine began in February, Ukrainian venture capitalist Nathan Kay’s priorities shifted overnight. Kay, who’s CEO of crypto-focused VC firm Mempool Ventures, had new problems — instead of growth for his company and his employees, the immediate-term became all about survival. “Each and every member of our team will never be …
Ukraine’s tech scene finds creative ways to do business amid a full-scale war Read More
Would you like to wear a beautiful made-in-Ukraine silk scarf, enhance your skin with natural cosmetics from a Kyiv-based firm, decorate your home with stain glass produced by Sumy craftsmen? You can order these items, and many more, on ‘Made With Bravery,’ a marketplace promoting thousands of locally-made products with worldwide delivery. “The world gave us three days to last,” …
New marketplace wants “the entire world to fall in love with Ukrainian products” Read More
On Sept. 8 in Warsaw, the Polish-Ukrainian Startup Bridge (PUSB) will “open a co-working for Ukrainian startups looking for temporary relocation” due to the war, reports Ukrainian tech blog AIN. Entrepreneurs will receive “a place for work and business meetings,” together with opportunity to exchange experience with peers. They can take advantage of various forms of …
New co-working space opens in Warsaw for Ukrainian startups Read More
In July 2022, IT Ukraine Association teamed up with the Sayenko Kharenko law firm to conduct a research on the relocation trends among Ukrainian IT companies. Among the surveyed companies were essentially those employing from 50 to 200 IT professionals (28%) and from 200 to 1,200 (42%). While no details on the methodology are provided by the …
“Despite the ongoing conflict in the region, international VCs are more interested than ever in CEE startups,” notes Sifted, an online publication covering the European startup scene. The war has not stopped the surge of investment that the region has seen for the past two years. On the contrary: “while experts have predicted that the …
Starting this Friday, a series of livestreams will go on until Oct. 19, with a bevy of US and European AI experts sharing their knowledge and vision of artificial intelligence. Dubbed AI For Ukraine, this non-profit initiative aims to support the development of Ukraine’s AI community during wartime. It is organized by AI House, the community …
Global thought leaders support Ukraine’s AI community during wartime Read More
On August 23 — the eve of Ukraine’s Independence Day — Ukrainian creative content provider Depositphotos introduced The Revival Project, in partnership with NFT charity gallery Meta History and the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine. “Since February 24, 2022, over 450 cases of russian [non capitalized] war crimes against the cultural heritage of …
‘The Revival Project’ showcases charitable NFTs to preserve Ukraine’s cultural heritage Read More
While some Ukrainian employees feel guilty about leaving their country in wartime, People.ai’s founder Oleg Rogynskyy believes there are several ways to serve Ukraine from abroad. Rogynskyy himself helps coordinate contributions from the Silicon Valley tech community in favour of Ukraine, he said in an interview with Financial Times (see excerpts in TechUkraine.org). With “a gut …
