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This weekend marks exactly two years since Russia ’s illegal , unprovoked and unrelenting invasion of Ukraine . Despite overwhelming betting odds and continued hiccough in the supplies of westerly aid to fight off Russia ’s barrage , and the trail of destruction resulting from the fighting , the land and its technical school inauguration ecosystem have soldiered on , becoming a case study in resiliency .
Of the 511 tech companies base in Kharkiv before February 2022 — these days a city well recognise for come underregular Russian bombardment — 500 are still operating , according to theorganizationoverseeing Kharkiv ’s tech clustering .
Tech companies in the West have rallied around the sector , increasingly work with Ukrainian tech firms on a range of initiatives .
This week , Googlelaunchedits second “ Google for Startups Ukraine Support Fund ” with a budget of $ 10 million to support Ukrainian inauguration during 2024 and 2025 . Selected Ukrainian inauguration will receive up to $ 200,000 in fairness - free funding , as well as Google mentorship , merchandise sustenance and $ 300,000 in Google Cloud credits . Since the war started , Google claims to have allocated more than $ 45 million in unmediated aid and $ 7 million to support humanitarian attempt .
Since the warfare wear out , the strategy has provided 58 startup with $ 5 million in non - equity Ulysses Simpson Grant and $ 15.8 million in follow - on funding . Tech companies abide in this way have include Skyworker.ai , Mindly and Zeely . Zeelyraiseda $ 1 million seed round last twelvemonth .
Meanwhile , Estonian catalyst Startup Wise GuyslaunchedGrowth Ukraine , a program for startups in Ukraine .
And the EU - funded “ Seeds of Bravery”projecthas launch five programs to support Ukrainian tech startups , with grants roam from € 10,000 to € 50,000 .
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Last workweek , the nonprofit inauguration backing programUK - Ukraine TechExchangelaunched , specializing in defence tech and agtech .
The secret pro - bono program mainly works with startups develop drones , UAVs sound - based projectile detection , counter - trailer technology and drones for agricultural applications .
Ukraine ’s tech sector is astoundingly springy , and even growing .
Arecent surveyfrom the Lviv IT Cluster ( “ Adaptability and Resilience Amidst War ” ) — which it said is base on interviews with 7,000 tech specialists and more than 400 company — find that while a substantial number of engineering science specialists have fled the country , the majority stay on , including Ukrainian studying and entering the manpower at home and abroad .
The total number of tech specialist , it said , has increase by more than 7 % , to 307,600 people . Some 242,000 of these go forward to live and work in Ukraine . The numeral of Ukrainian tech people disperse internationally is up to 65,000 from 55,000 - 57,000 a twelvemonth ago , a hike of 20 % .
Those workers , and Ukraine ’s tech sector , have contributed to keeping the country ’s economic system afloat amid the war .
The technical school manufacture lead 4.9 % ( or $ 7.1 billion ) to Ukraine ’s gross domestic product last year . In Emerging Europe ’s IT Competitiveness Index , published in April last class , Ukraine take 12th place , risingfrom 14th in 2022 .
Poland , unsurprisingly considering its shared border , has quick become the top nation for those take flight the nation . Some 36 % of Ukrainian chief executive officer plan to spread newfangled offices , 28 % of them abroad , with the bulk pick out Poland as their 2nd radical of operation .
Ukraine is also exporting the engineering behind its rapidly explicate digital government activity . mRiik , Estonia ’s latest digital tool , has been based onUkraine ’s Minister of Digital Transformation Diia app , which firmly stores ID bill , passport and driving licenses digitally , as well as allows admission to some public service .
The same Ministry of Digital Transformation also runs theUkrainian Startup Fund , which has become the state ’s largest Angel Falls investor , backing over 350 startups . Many of these startup , responding to the clime in which they are working and getting funded , have pivoted toward defense and dual - exercise applications .
To fuel that ecosystem further , in Spring 2023 , the body politic launch a defense tech enterprisingness calledBRAVE1 . This fast - track initiation in the defence and surety sectors . harmonise to the organization , during the ten calendar month of the world of the Brave1 cluster , more than 1,200 development were register on the platform , half of which passed the military expertise and received BRV1 status . Also , Brave1 issued 168 grants for a total amount of $ 2,920,000 , it enunciate .
More mature Ukrainian startups , and startup headed by Ukrainian founders , have not fend still , either :
•Headwayis an EdTech startup , base by Ukrainian Anton Pavlovsky , mostly base in based in Kyiv , Ukraine . and launch the CSR projectEssence of Ukraineto assist the ball-shaped community get a line Ukraine .
•GameTree , an American - Ukrainian SocialTech startup which builds “ ” inclusive gaming communities ” , advance $ 1.7 million in seed funding from VC firms Corazon Capital , Full Stack Ventures , Goodwater Capital , 32 - Bit Ventures , Expert Dojo , and a Duncan Grant from Overwolf . Founded by Dana Sydorenko and John Uke in 2019 , the former is a former paramedical in the Ukrainian Army . GameTree now claims to have 600K+ substance abuser across the US , UK , and Canada .
